An Unfair Hand

As published in The County Times (countytimes.somd.com)

By Ronald N. Guy Jr.

Caitlin Clark played her last game for the University of Iowa on April 5, 2024.  Ten days later, she was drafted first overall in the NBA draft by the Indiana Fever.  On May 14^th, she played her first WNBA game. 

Hold that thought.

Between all of this, and in the few weeks that have followed, all fire and brimstone from the biblical place down below has broken loose.  The figurative first punch to Clark’s nose came from WNBA legend Diana Taurasi, who spitefully predicted that Clark was about to get served a helping of humble pie from the WNBA’s elite talent.  Angel Reese, a college rival of Clark and never one to bite her tongue, has trolled Clark on social media – the sport within the sport.

It’s easy to shout down Taurasi and Reese and scoff at the shallow mistreatment of Clark, a magic bean whose skills and broad appeal offer the WNBA an unprecedented chance to grow women’s basketball to unforeseen - perhaps even unimaginable, for some - levels.  Taurasi’s prediction wreaks of an aging star who is unwilling to yield the stage to Clark.  For Reese, jealousy is the apparent psychological quirk she can’t quite suppress, not that she’s inclined to do so.

Hang on, I need a sip of this truth serum.  Mmm…delicious.  So here it is: I love Taurasi’s and Reese’s reactions to Clark mania.  I love the pettiness, the competitiveness, the disregard for hurt feelings or public chastising.  This is professional basketball - competition at the highest level.  The chummy nature of the modern NBA - and the NFL and MLB while I’m at it – is irritating.  Defeats are often casually accepted.  There are too many bro-hugs immediately after tough games for my liking.  I yearn for the old rivals from years ago – Lakers v. Celtics, Bulls v. Bad Boy Pistons, ‘Skins v. Cowboys.  Professionalism and mutual respect can co-exist with genuine disdain for an opponent.  Animosity also makes for better theater.  It gives fans an option to identify their good and their evil and watch those forces collide on the field, the court, the diamond or the ice. 

Tip of the cap to Taurasi and Reese.

Back to that thought I asked to you hold.  Do you see an issue with Clark’s transition to the WNBA?  Imagine your college season ending, getting drafted and playing your first game with a new team, in a new city, with a professional organization in 40 days.  Teammates are strangers.  The competition has been turned up several notches.  Nothing is familiar.  The pressure is palatable.  Good luck.

Does this seem sane?  WNBA players have been doing this for years.  Is any men’s sport like this?  None of the majors are.  NFL draftees report to minicamp in May, then training camp in July.  Several pre-season games follow.  Their first real games occur five months after being drafted.  MLB and NHL draftees typically spend years in the minors.  The NBA draft happens in June, select draftees participate in the summer league and the season doesn’t start until November.  These are rational approaches for young players to adapt to the biggest athletic, professional and perhaps psychological challenge of their lives.  Clark, Reese and darn near every other WNBA player, get about a month to go from college student to pro.

I get it to a certain extent.  The sports calendar is full; to maximize eyes on television screens and butts in seats – i.e. revenue - seasons are strategically scheduled.  If player wellness was part of the equation, the suggestion of starting a season a month after the college season ends would get laughed out of the C-suite conference room.  But it’s routine for the WNBA.  So, it’s no wonder Clark’s WNBA transition has been choppy.  She’ll be fine.  Reese will be fine.  Not all women have been or will be, though.  So how about we give them all a break – for choppy play, for early struggles, for moments of pride or jealousy – even if they don’t go easy on each other.  The reality is they’ve been dealt an unfair hand, which is, unfortunately, nothing new for female athletes.