You sound like every White, middle-aged guy on social media who acts like the league didn't exist before Clark, and that she is the best female player ever. And that in itself is a joke. Slowly but surely Clark's act is wearing thin with the soccer type flopping and faking along with the childish behavior that has her on the verge of an automatic suspension. And bringing up Cunningham is even more of a joke as she has cast herself as an antagonist who is an average player yet who is somehow cast as a star by some. It's really funny that you never hear about white players who are out there just playing ball having any issues.
The reality is that Caitlyn Clark is the most popular female basketball player to date. I saw her play at Rutgers in an arena packed with young girls all wearing her number. Arenas sold out wherever she went and her joining the WNBA greatly raised the visibility of the league and made the Fever franchise the most watched. They sell Clark’s and Cunningham ‘s jerseys more than all the other players combined.
How good of a player Clark is in relation to the rest of the league is hard to tell because it seems clear that players are going after her without any serious repercussions with the intent to cause serious injuries. I think it is fair to call the players who go after her as thugs without racial connotations since the players involved include white women. Even if there weren’t white women involved, if you act like a thug it should be fair to call you a thug.
As for Sophie Cunningham, she was made for this moment. She obviously is doing everything she can to get the media to focus on her. She’s a good, but not great player who is tough, attractive and media savvy. She is playing this situation for all it’s worth. She’s is also funny.
As a black belt in karate, Cunningham has the skills to really hurt anyone who tries to fight her directly and she publicly lets them know that with what she says. There was one play I saw where a martial artist critiqued her form as she contested a layup by a player who gave Clark a hard foul then stole the ball. The martial artist pointed out Cunningham’s perfect form as the opposing player found herself flying into the cameramen on the sidelines. I don’t think Cunningham was suspended for what she did in response to Clark being violently fouled without it being called, which is as insane as what they let players do to Clark.
Hopefully the WNBA will come to its senses and stop all this nonsense. If players talk crap to each other that’s one thing, but the reckless fouls that can cause physical injury need to stop. The WNBA is getting a professional wrestling vibe without the choreographed moves that prevent injuries.
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