July 20, 2024 • 32 mins
Chris and Rob discuss why #2 overall pick Alex Sarr doesn’t get the same kind of criticism as #55 overall pick Bronny James even as both players struggle in Summer League play, explain why the WNBA players’ union should be more appreciative of the massive media rights raise given to them by the NBA and debate whether Caitlin Clark is being selfish for skipping out on the WNBA All-Star Game.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Bruson and Ron Parker.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Let's go here. We talked with Eddie House about it.
Briannie James who plays tonight. It'd be starting in about
thirty minutes. Actually he's zero for fifteen from three. I
think he's seven for thirty one over ass like twenty
two percent. And everybody, of course is talking about Brianie.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Is he ready? Is he a pro? What the heck
is going on?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
But Alex Sar who was the number two pick in
the draft by the Washington Wizards and was actually.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Viewed for most of the lead up to.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
The draft as the best player in the draft, and
he wouldn't work out for the Atlanta Hawks. So I
don't know if that's the sole reason, but that may
have contributed to them taking Zachary Reshache instead of Alex Sorr.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
I'm surprised I didn't hear Rob say.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Because I was gonna say it, all right, I'll just
give you a go ahead already.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Sorry Rob last night and Martin, look up what he's
been doing in the summer League, like his first couple
of games, because last night, I think it was last night,
but his last game, Rob, he was oh for fifteen. Now,
this isn't Briannie, this isn't the fifty fifth pick in
the draft. This is the second pick in the draft.
(01:48):
He's a seven footer from France, and he was oh
for fifteen.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
I think oh for seven from Trey. So what are
your thoughts? And that, and a lot of people wonder
why any.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
House even asked why aren't we talking about him like
we're talking about.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
Bron Because nobody he knows who that guy is.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
His dad is not one of the most famous basketball
players who ever played. His dad didn't Finagel to get
him in to a situation that nobody had, for the
most part, Chris had ever had happened. And that's why
Bronni is. Bronnie's always going to be a bigger story
because of his dad. And that's why if Bronnie was
(02:30):
Chris the fifty fifth pick who did not.
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Wasn't related to lebron.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Jones Bronnie Jones, and he was off to this you know,
bad star, shaky start, whatever you want to use the term.
It wouldn't be the highlights on exactly that. You know
that nobody one. But if you're going to if Bronnie
James has a good day or steel or Big three
(02:57):
or whatever, and they're showing that Chris, they're gonna show
when you when you go zero for fifteen from three.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Or whatever it is, you know what I mean, Like,
that's what comes with it.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
But because if he was playing well, they wouldn't be like, oh,
we're not showing that.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
No, I'm right.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
They would be like, oh, we're not showing he's a
fifty fifth pick. We're not showing someer league highlight to
that guy. They would be showing it like crazy. Can
you imagine if he was killing right, it would be
like it would be it would be quitsch. You would
have to turn the channel, Am I right?
Speaker 5 (03:27):
If he was?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
And it's interesting, rob like and it's not a surprise,
but there's number one draft pick or there's the seventeenth pick,
overall dark and.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
Connect from Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
He's actually been playing well, like he's playing really well,
and he's not really getting You're not hearing much at
all about him. And we understand why I will say
this about Alex Sar and I'm gonna just take it
to the nerdy basketball reason why I think people are,
(03:59):
you know, not as up in arms about him.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I agree totally with what you said.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Is Lebron James's son verse some guy from France that
we don't know, we never saw it, we don't know,
we don't know, right, That is the main reason. But
I'm gonna say this as well. And if Martin, I
don't know if you, if either of you been watching
these games or at least the highlights, tell me what
you think of this take. I watch saw mostly the
(04:26):
highlights yesterday of his game when he went over fifteen
or two days ago, whenever it.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Was he.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Like, he doesn't look out of Not only does he
not look out of place, he looks incredibly comfortable on
the court.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
His form is nice.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
He's seven feet one, but he's he moves well. He
doesn't look gawky, he looks smooth. He just missed it.
Wasn't like, oh, he's right, this guy's got a rush
his shots or he can barely get his shot off.
It would be he's missed. He just missed. Now, I
(05:08):
will say this, this is the negative. He loves the three.
I think it was zero for seven from three. There
was a four on one break he pulled.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
Up from now, so that's ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
But he's too in love with the three. Like he
could easily because his handles decent, pretty good for a
guy that tall. But his things are clearly fixable. I'm
not really even pressed. I'm not saying this dude's gonna
be a superst. I don't know, but I'm telling you
on the court, he looks like he more than belongs.
(05:40):
He just missed shots, Martin. Did you see any of
his highlights of the game.
Speaker 6 (05:45):
I saw him block three shots in fifteen seconds, but
that was right.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
He also had three blocks, so, but did you agree like.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
No shots today? It was I didn't see yesterday. He
did it maybe two or three days ago, Chris. I
got his numbers here for.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Three blocks in the game. He went over fifteen?
Speaker 5 (06:02):
He did he did?
Speaker 4 (06:03):
Yeah? Right now?
Speaker 6 (06:05):
Shooting percentage from the floor, I robust nineteen point five percent.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Well, how much of that is the old for I mean,
you go for fifteen, it's gonna be ugly.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
What do you do the games before that?
Speaker 6 (06:15):
They just they don't break him down game by game.
This is just his so far in Summer League. He's
on thirteen attempts, he's making about two shots nineteen and
a half percent from the.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Floor for thirteen on average.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Well, yes, for it takes six threes a game, it
makes point seven for really in love.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
With the three. Yeah, he's do love with the three.
He's doing love with the three. But yeah, I mean,
this is just a basketball thing on it. I don't
think he's and I know what you're saying.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
You're saying like he's he's obviously a player, just had
a bad day at the office, right right, like just
to you just say, I mean.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
For Wimby's first game. Now, I know this wasn't this
guy's first game, but you know, Wemby looked like, whoa.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
He's gonna take a while, and he wound up took
a game, right Yeah, And then all of a sudden
everybody was like everyone knows it's Wimby, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Just yeah, but Brownie Rob. I mean, he's he's a.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Project, that's what he isn't say that about I saw
your clip.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
On I g from first things first.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yeah, and you you're gonna give him time and whatnot,
which is fine.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
No one's gonna no one.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Takes I've talked to people in the n b A
and you know, the Summer League is not the end
all be all where you're frowning people Chris good or bad.
You gotta be careful good or bad. So I do
agree with that, and people in the NBA I've talked
to you said, yeah, you just can't put too much
stock in it.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
But I agree with he just doesn't seem comfortable, like.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
I mean, he's got a long way to.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Go, like right now he's the the thing too, and
I look, this is how role players are. But he
doesn't really do anything, you know, like when he's out
there and now he's hustling on defense and he's getting
after it. But if his name, if he wasn't Brianie James,
(08:15):
you wouldn't even you almost wouldn't really know he's out there.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
And that's fair.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
And it was kind of like that at USC.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
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Speaker 4 (08:33):
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Speaker 7 (08:34):
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So now I'm coming out with a new podcast, Unbreakable,
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Speaker 4 (08:55):
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Speaker 7 (08:57):
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Speaker 3 (09:05):
The WNBA, speaking of proven guilty, is I don't know.
They might be a little bit a tab bit upset
at this new situation with the NBA. So here's the deal, Rob.
We all know that the NBA is going to have
a new TV deal eleven years, seventy six billion dollars.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
That's almost seven.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Billion dollars a year, right, And the NBA, Rob, which
owns sixty percent of the WNBA and really has kept
the WNBA Afloat. Adam Silver, the commissioner for the NBA,
said back in twenty eighteen that the WNBA had lost
(09:55):
about ten million dollars every year since it began.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Okay, it's and that was in nineteen ninety seven.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
This year, the Washington Post reported Rob earlier this year
that the WNBA is expected to lose fifty.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Million dollars this season.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
So they're not making money, they're not breaking even, they're
losing money. And the only way they still exist for
all the great athletes and players in that league is
because the NBA.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Has carried them literally, And.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
So the NBA got to decide, Rob, how much of
our TV revenue are we going to give to the WNBA,
And they've decided, I guess over the eleven years it
will be two point two billion to the WNBA. So
of their seventy six billion, they're given two point two
(10:56):
billion to the WNBA comes out to like two hundred
million a year year, Okay, And that's an increase rib
of one hundred and forty million they were getting sixty.
So now they're tripling, more than tripling their amount. But
Terry Jackson, who's the executive director of the WNBA players
(11:17):
union is not you know, she's a little bit perturbed.
I guess she feels like they're being undervalued. Here's what
she says. We have wondered for months how the NBA
would value the WNBA and its media rights deal with
a reportedly seventy five billion dollar deal on the table.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
The league is in control of its own destiny.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
More precisely, the NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
That's a strong statement.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
The NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA, she says.
We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at
a two hundred million dollar, you know, per year valuation
if initial reports are accurate or even close. Neither the
NBA nor the w BNBA can deny that in the
last few years we've seen unprecedented growth across all metrics,
(12:05):
the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand,
and that the fans keep showing up. There's no excuse
to undervalue the w NBA again your thoughts.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
All right, So give the NBA first back the last
twenty nine years. Chris of losses that it would be
cool if you want to do that first, and then.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
You go out quickly rob According to the numbers, you know,
ten million dollars a year since nineteen ninety seven, it's
roughly somewhere between two hundred and two hundred and sixty
million dollars in law.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Okay, So so they going losses that the NBA without
the NBA, Chris, it would be no league.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
Right when we agree with that, Like they kept it alive.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
They could try, but it wouldn't. Yeah, the NBA kept
it alive.
Speaker 5 (12:49):
Apps kept it alive.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
And I know for a fact that when people when
they signed deals Chris with people, they would say, and
you gotta contribute to the WNBA, Like if you want
to make a deal with us, and you have to
take some you know what I mean, Like portion has
to go to a WNBA. If you want to make
a deal with us, you can't just say I just
want the guys and not partake. And this was David
(13:14):
Stearns's baby, one of his legacy things. So he tried
hard to keep it afloat Chris because he started it.
Remember there were other women's leagues before this WBL and
some other women's leagues before the WNBA. But I don't
know what leg they have to stand on Caitlin Clark's games. Chris,
(13:35):
if you could show me, because I would say to them, hey,
you know, if you want to go out on your
own and go out and work your own deals and
do all that, have at it, and if you could
do better. No, I don't, right, Chris, I'd say, have
at it, go ahead without without the NBA.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
You're not attached.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
You want to be a separate league, Well separate you
go do your thing. You could do a better on
corporate sponsorship without the NBA there, if you could do
all that on your own, I welcome you to detach
yourself from the NBA and go do your own thing,
because they'll come running back in a New York minute.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Chris, I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I'm sorry this is not And let let's throw out
this disclaimer, Rob, because some people just don't get it.
This has nothing to do with gender. It has nothing
to do with women versus men. The athletes are paid, Rob,
You and I have covered many lockouts and all of that.
(14:39):
They are paid a certain percentage in the NBA is
roughly in most leagues, it's roughly half, right, half of
the money that the sports generates is what the athletes
are paid. So the reason NBA salaries are skyrocketing is
because the sports popularity in terms of jerseys, parking, and
(15:01):
attendance and TV deals most importantly, and all.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
Of that is skyrocketing.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
They're not just giving these players money to be nice them, right,
They're giving them half of the money that the league generates.
And the WNBA, we just said it, they're generating no money.
They're generating no money. And so the NBA, Rob I'm
(15:29):
looking at. We talked about the NBA's revenue. Let's put
it at seven billion a year.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
With the new TV deal. They are given the WNBA.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Two hundred million, or of the seventy six billion, they're giving.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Them two point two billion, Right.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
That's about roughly three percent of the NBA's revenue.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
Rob. When you're given three percent of your revenue to a.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
League that's making nothing, that's not contributing to your bottom line.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Made has never been in the block, you're doing them
a favor.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
And I mean, you look, and I hate to put
it this way, but and I don't take this literally.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Maybe I should.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Beggars go ahead? What you beggars can't be choosers. I mean,
they're funding you.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
You said it. Rob If you want to go out
on your own, have at it.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
But we're funding you, and we're we're giving you more
than your like, then economically you deserve it.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Has nothing to do. And here's what I don't like.
I don't like when she puts in here and it's
just one little phrase.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Our players, the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to
building the brand.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
What athletes don't like.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
I don't want to hear about how hard the w
NBA players work. We know they work hard. They work
as hard as the NBA players, But guess what, so
do track and field athlete, so do bicyclists, and and
and wait.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
You live.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
And they don't make big money because they can't generate
the revenue. Like, let's just be real. It's the same thing, Chris.
There's college baseball. They have the World Series.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
There you go.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
They sell out for that.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Every other game there's there's family and friends in the stands.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
But that's what you see.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
The college World Series, Chris, is sold out right, okay,
But the rest of the year, nobody's going, nobody's watching.
You cannot expect to make what college football or college basketball.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Even though there's a college baseball team.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
No, just as hard. They're just as committed to their craft.
They've many of them got just as much of a
chance or want to get to the pros as the
football players.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
You gotta understand it.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Though the college games aren't on national television on Saturday afternoon.
What I mean is that fair? Like that's the thing?
Don't tell tell me, Well, just we play the same sport.
We should be on just as much as the men. Well,
if you were as popular, you would be.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
It's so easy if we talk about it all the time.
What do I do, Chris? I criticize the women in
this country? I do, yep, because it's on you watch
the games. Take your boyfriend on a date, to your husband, Chris,
to a WNBA game.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Fill up the stands.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
There's plenty of women to fill up the stands, right,
go do it. The men can't ignore you. If you
have a packed house at the Barclays, Chris, with a liberty,
you're playing. If they packed the house every night, they
have no sorce, it.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Would start getting as There's no doubt about it. And Rob,
remember too, the WNBA season is only forty games. It's
half as long as the NBA season. So you have
to take that into account too. I mean, that's a
small thing, but.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
It is a legitimate thing. No, that's legit.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Your season is not as long. And so I just again,
it's not nothing to do with you know, any quality
or anything like that. It is what the sport generation robe.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
We talked about the man Chris supply and demand.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
We talked about it.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Rob, we worked just as hard as Colin coward her.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
We want to say that worked right.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
He's making more than us, show generates way more. Steve,
we work as hard as Steven Ay. Stephen paid like
he's a freaking quarterback exactly like he's like he's justin
Jefferson or something. And and but hey, we worked just
as hard. We put just as much into our craft.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
We get it. This is how it works, right.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
We don't all get paid the same amount because we're
all doing the same job.
Speaker 5 (19:54):
It doesn't work like that. We're in the same industry.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
And and if if our somehow Chris superseded or we
had something that was better than Colin, then the bosses
would have to say, well, maybe we need to write this.
Maybe it's the odd couple and we need to move
them in that slot. And that looking killing it like
that's how it works and no one.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
But you can't just go up in there talking about
well he making this. Why can't you know?
Speaker 3 (20:21):
You have to understand how things work so this will
be interesting. I just I mean again, Rod, we talked
about it with Brandon Auk yesterday.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Leverage.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
If you don't have any leverage, then you know, you're
kind of just blowing smoke.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
Yeah, I don't know what.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Yeah, I don't know what leverage they have because, like
I said, other than Kaitlin Clark and maybe Angel reached
Chris their games, the attendance hasn't spiked the rest of
the places. I mean, like I said it before the
season started, she would be like the Harlem Globe Trotters
every time she shows up. They got the crowds and
all that. But there's still a lot of five thousand
(20:57):
and four thousand and six thousand nights Chris where the
other games are being played.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Rob her games or she's one of twelve teams, right,
She's on one of twelve her.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
So that one of twelve is what like eight percent.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
The fever, which is her team, accounts for thirty three
and a half percent of the WNBA's totally does thirty.
I mean that's what four times the amount that they
should her. Their average attendance is fifteen, one hundred and
forty two. The league averages seven. Everybody else's averaged seven,
six hundred and forty five. So I mean business, Let's
(21:35):
not just get emotional about stuff.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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Speaker 3 (21:49):
The WNBA, this is their big weekend, all Star weekend,
right before the.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Olympics are set to begin.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
And of course we know that the WNBA, because of
Caitlyn Clark mainly but also Angel Reese, has enjoyed.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
A surge.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
I won't even call it a resurgence. I'll say a
surge in viewership and popularity and things like that. And tonight,
you know, like the NBA does, They've got their skills competitions,
and one of them, of course, the three point shootout,
but the star of the show, Caitlyn Clark, declined the
(22:29):
invitation to compete rob in the three point shootout. She's
shooting thirty two point seven percent from three. But I
think that and this is to take this for what
it is. The shooting percentages in the WNBA are much
lower than the NBA. So don't you know that's not
(22:49):
nearly as bad as it would sound for an NBA player.
So lot lot of top players shooting that or worse
field goal percentage, things like that.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
So you got a problem with this, Rob Kaitlyn Clark
bound out.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Absolutely, I have a problem with this. It reeks Chris. Wow,
Caitlyn Clark is selfish. There's no other way in looking
at this. Here's the WNBA, Chris, you talked about it.
Oh you know popularity. Oh, it's gotta higher profile. People
are talking about it. Even on the Odd Couple we
(23:25):
had a woman who covers the WNBA asking her questions
We've never done in the six plus years we've done
this show. Okay, and here's an opportunity. You know what
made Caitlyn Clark Chris capture the imaginations of a basketball
fans all over is because she's able to drop that
(23:46):
three from anywhere on the court, a logo three. She
was shooting from long distance. My god, she's a female.
Steph Curry. I gotta watch this woman. I've never seen
it before. This wasn't your typical women's basketball that would
put you to.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
And now here you are with a chance.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
To show your skills in this event for the league,
and you decide to bow out.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
No way, no, how should this be cool with the
w n b A. Why are you doing this?
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Now? Keep the train rolling, Chris. Give people as much
as they want. Play the hits. Remember that, Chris, right
when we did debate, embrace debate, Okay, play the hits.
And and now you're telling me I don't want to.
I don't want to do that. No, and I have
(24:44):
a problem with it. It's an event that she could
possibly electrify, Chris, get more people, even more eyeballs and stuff.
And remember it's not just about you when you become
a professional athlete, Chris, go look at some of these
guys in other sports.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
This is your moment to try to help sell the game.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Right.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Aaron Judge is a big star. He was in the
Home Run Derby contest. Mookie best year was he not
this year? But I'm saying he has done.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Most of the stars weren't in it this year.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Right, I'm done.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
But even like a bunch of you know, but even
like even like a Mookie Betts who's not even a
home run hit, or Chris did it right. I'm saying,
these are opportunities to sell the game. I remember at
one point some people were like, uh NBA players or
I think didn't want to go to the All Star Game. No,
(25:39):
you can't do that. That's when you sign up for this.
This helped sell the game. And I'm just saying she
blew a golden opportunity. And this is not the Olympics,
this is totally different. She gets paid by the w NBA.
The w NBA needs Caitlin Clark. And you know what
she did. She turned a blind eye.
Speaker 5 (25:59):
To the league. And I think it's a mistake.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Rob Parker, stop it.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Get off your soap box, get off your high horse,
Get off yourself righteous high horse.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
Hasn't Caitlyn Clark done enough? I mean, my goodness, the.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Girl is carrying a whole league on her back. And
if anybody wants to dispute that, look at the numbers.
Her games double the rest of the league's games as
far as viewers attendance. She has the highest rated games
(26:42):
on every network the league has ever been on. She
is single handedly and people don't like it. It's not
to say she's the first great player.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
She certainly is not.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
She's not even the best player in the league right
now shout out to Asia Wilson. But she is single
handedly putting this league on the mainstream map. She is
Angel Reese is playing great and she's got a little
storyline too.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
But don't get it twisted. I just said it.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
The ratings, the viewership, the attendance all shows Caitlyn Clark.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Is carrying the league.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
And she has gone from her NC double a season,
n C doublea tournament straight into the WNBA. Now she's gonna,
you know, get her first break in dar near a year,
it feels like, and on top of all of the
basketball and just carrying the league. From a basketball standpoint,
(27:50):
she is just for you know, no doing of her own.
Had her name thrown into racial converse, had her name
thrown into conversations about sexuality.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
I mean, she has been.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Every talked about at nauseum women athletes, non athletes, casual fans,
die hards. She has had certainly more pressure and more
of a burden on her these last few months than
any player in the w NBA for sure, and it's
(28:31):
arguable any basketball player in America. I say arguable because
obviously the NBA is such a bigger game, and you know,
it's such so much more popular, and we're talking about
them every single day.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
So that's why I would say, you know, you might
not want to go that far.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
But it's arguable because she's one player and she's got,
you know, carried this whole league. I'm with you, it'd
be nice if she was in it, but if she
needs a break for a night. I mean, on top
of all I said, Rob, you know that they when
they started the season, her team in the first few weeks,
first month of the season played like.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
Twice as many games as some of the teams.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
They were just, hey, this is our new star.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
Put her on TV every night. Play them.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
They haven't played games every other night while the other
teams are resting. That's one reason Indiana fever playing better
now because they're starting to get normal breaks in between games,
and she will have tomorrow night in the All Star
Game against the best players in the world. I mean
not even this is to me, this is like bigger
(29:48):
than a typical All Star game because they're playing the
Olympic team, which just like in the men is a
dream team, and she's gonna be front and center, be
nice tonight.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
If she was there.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
But the real selling point, the real thing everybody's gonna
tune into, is that game when she faces the best
players in the world on the they're all on the
same team. And Diana Tarassi, who you know it has
made amends and all that, but you know, talk the
little stuff. You know, she going against her. So I
(30:27):
just think that she's had so much on her shoulders.
I am certainly not gonna jump on her for her decide,
and I rather not. I don't feel I don't want
to do it.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
I think it made my case about how important she's
been this year. And if my god, a three point
shooting contest, Chris, which is not like playing the game.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
It's a skills competition.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I don't know what it's gonna take it twenty minutes,
thirty twenty minutes to put up some shots. You're not
even playing basketball like you would be playing a game.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
It's skill competition. It's easy to do.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
It would have been great and everybody. I mean, I
ain't saying she's afraid of the pressure. I'm just saying
she can't take a night.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
Off right, No, no, not this year. Stop, all right,
that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
There's no reason she can't take a night off.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Take a night off on Sunday a couple eight seven,
seven ninety nine, or if she's not going to the Olympics, Chris,
she got a month off.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
She needs it. She got a month on going hard,
so she got a month off. But she couldn't do that.
Basketball started. The other girls weren't doing that.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
And you know how this works too.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
The other thing, too real quick, is that you know,
everybody doesn't get to see the All Star Game. You
might get either or so some people have tickets for
the skills competition tonight, or some people have tickets for
the game.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Everybody's not going to both events.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
So the people tonight who are hoping against holding their game.
Speaker 4 (31:50):
Is not I mean, sorry, she can't be and she
heard them.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
It's just like you've said, Rob, It's not her responsibility,
all right.
Speaker 4 (31:59):
It s winched.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
When the people go to her games they expected to play.
That's her responsibility. They got a whole league and several
All Star players that the people can go watch tonight.
Whether she was in it tonight or not, I don't
think it would matter one Ioeda in terms of the
popularity of the league. Chris, this is gonna be about
(32:21):
tomorrow night's game. That's bigger than this three point shootout.
Speaker 5 (32:26):
Do you know what?
Speaker 1 (32:27):
This has had a huge impact at the front office
of the WNBA. I just called up the Commission of
the WNBA about this whole situation, and this is what's
her response.
Thanks for listening to the best of the Odd Couple podcasts.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday from seven
pm to ten pm Eastern four to seven Pacific on
Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for The Odd
Couple at Foxsports Radio dot com, or stream us live
every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to the best of the Odd Couple with
Chris Bruson and Ron Parker.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Let's go here. We talked with Eddie House about it.
Briannie James who plays tonight. It'd be starting in about
thirty minutes. Actually he's zero for fifteen from three. I
think he's seven for thirty one over ass like twenty
two percent. And everybody, of course is talking about Brianie.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Is he ready? Is he a pro? What the heck
is going on?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
But Alex Sar who was the number two pick in
the draft by the Washington Wizards and was actually.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Viewed for most of the lead up to.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
The draft as the best player in the draft, and
he wouldn't work out for the Atlanta Hawks. So I
don't know if that's the sole reason, but that may
have contributed to them taking Zachary Reshache instead of Alex Sorr.
Speaker 4 (01:20):
I'm surprised I didn't hear Rob say.
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Because I was gonna say it, all right, I'll just
give you a go ahead already.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Sorry Rob last night and Martin, look up what he's
been doing in the summer League, like his first couple
of games, because last night, I think it was last night,
but his last game, Rob, he was oh for fifteen. Now,
this isn't Briannie, this isn't the fifty fifth pick in
the draft. This is the second pick in the draft.
(01:48):
He's a seven footer from France, and he was oh
for fifteen.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
I think oh for seven from Trey. So what are
your thoughts? And that, and a lot of people wonder
why any.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
House even asked why aren't we talking about him like
we're talking about.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
Bron Because nobody he knows who that guy is.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
His dad is not one of the most famous basketball
players who ever played. His dad didn't Finagel to get
him in to a situation that nobody had, for the
most part, Chris had ever had happened. And that's why
Bronni is. Bronnie's always going to be a bigger story
because of his dad. And that's why if Bronnie was
(02:30):
Chris the fifty fifth pick who did not.
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Wasn't related to lebron.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Jones Bronnie Jones, and he was off to this you know,
bad star, shaky start, whatever you want to use the term.
It wouldn't be the highlights on exactly that. You know
that nobody one. But if you're going to if Bronnie
James has a good day or steel or Big three
(02:57):
or whatever, and they're showing that Chris, they're gonna show
when you when you go zero for fifteen from three.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Or whatever it is, you know what I mean, Like,
that's what comes with it.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
But because if he was playing well, they wouldn't be like, oh,
we're not showing that.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
No, I'm right.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
They would be like, oh, we're not showing he's a
fifty fifth pick. We're not showing someer league highlight to
that guy. They would be showing it like crazy. Can
you imagine if he was killing right, it would be
like it would be it would be quitsch. You would
have to turn the channel, Am I right?
Speaker 5 (03:27):
If he was?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
And it's interesting, rob like and it's not a surprise,
but there's number one draft pick or there's the seventeenth pick,
overall dark and.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
Connect from Tennessee.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
He's actually been playing well, like he's playing really well,
and he's not really getting You're not hearing much at
all about him. And we understand why I will say
this about Alex Sar and I'm gonna just take it
to the nerdy basketball reason why I think people are,
(03:59):
you know, not as up in arms about him.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
I agree totally with what you said.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Is Lebron James's son verse some guy from France that
we don't know, we never saw it, we don't know,
we don't know, right, That is the main reason. But
I'm gonna say this as well. And if Martin, I
don't know if you, if either of you been watching
these games or at least the highlights, tell me what
you think of this take. I watch saw mostly the
(04:26):
highlights yesterday of his game when he went over fifteen
or two days ago, whenever it.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Was he.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Like, he doesn't look out of Not only does he
not look out of place, he looks incredibly comfortable on
the court.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
His form is nice.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
He's seven feet one, but he's he moves well. He
doesn't look gawky, he looks smooth. He just missed it.
Wasn't like, oh, he's right, this guy's got a rush
his shots or he can barely get his shot off.
It would be he's missed. He just missed. Now, I
(05:08):
will say this, this is the negative. He loves the three.
I think it was zero for seven from three. There
was a four on one break he pulled.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
Up from now, so that's ridiculous.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
But he's too in love with the three. Like he
could easily because his handles decent, pretty good for a
guy that tall. But his things are clearly fixable. I'm
not really even pressed. I'm not saying this dude's gonna
be a superst. I don't know, but I'm telling you
on the court, he looks like he more than belongs.
(05:40):
He just missed shots, Martin. Did you see any of
his highlights of the game.
Speaker 6 (05:45):
I saw him block three shots in fifteen seconds, but
that was right.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
He also had three blocks, so, but did you agree like.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
No shots today? It was I didn't see yesterday. He
did it maybe two or three days ago, Chris. I
got his numbers here for.
Speaker 4 (06:00):
Three blocks in the game. He went over fifteen?
Speaker 5 (06:02):
He did he did?
Speaker 4 (06:03):
Yeah? Right now?
Speaker 6 (06:05):
Shooting percentage from the floor, I robust nineteen point five percent.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Well, how much of that is the old for I mean,
you go for fifteen, it's gonna be ugly.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
What do you do the games before that?
Speaker 6 (06:15):
They just they don't break him down game by game.
This is just his so far in Summer League. He's
on thirteen attempts, he's making about two shots nineteen and
a half percent from the.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Floor for thirteen on average.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
Well, yes, for it takes six threes a game, it
makes point seven for really in love.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
With the three. Yeah, he's do love with the three.
He's doing love with the three. But yeah, I mean,
this is just a basketball thing on it. I don't
think he's and I know what you're saying.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
You're saying like he's he's obviously a player, just had
a bad day at the office, right right, like just
to you just say, I mean.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
For Wimby's first game. Now, I know this wasn't this
guy's first game, but you know, Wemby looked like, whoa.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
He's gonna take a while, and he wound up took
a game, right Yeah, And then all of a sudden
everybody was like everyone knows it's Wimby, you know what
I mean?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Just yeah, but Brownie Rob. I mean, he's he's a.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
Project, that's what he isn't say that about I saw
your clip.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
On I g from first things first.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yeah, and you you're gonna give him time and whatnot,
which is fine.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
No one's gonna no one.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Takes I've talked to people in the n b A
and you know, the Summer League is not the end
all be all where you're frowning people Chris good or bad.
You gotta be careful good or bad. So I do
agree with that, and people in the NBA I've talked
to you said, yeah, you just can't put too much
stock in it.
Speaker 5 (07:45):
But I agree with he just doesn't seem comfortable, like.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
I mean, he's got a long way to.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Go, like right now he's the the thing too, and
I look, this is how role players are. But he
doesn't really do anything, you know, like when he's out
there and now he's hustling on defense and he's getting
after it. But if his name, if he wasn't Brianie James,
(08:15):
you wouldn't even you almost wouldn't really know he's out there.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
And that's fair.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
And it was kind of like that at USC.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Odd Couple
with Chris Brussard and Rob Parker weekdays at seven pm
Eastern four pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the
iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
All right, this is Jay Glazer.
Speaker 7 (08:34):
And you may know me for the world of football
or fighting or even shows like HBO's Ballers or you
don't know is for my entire life, I have lived
in something I refer to his the gray depression anxiety.
So now I'm coming out with a new podcast, Unbreakable,
a mental health podcast with Jay Glazer, where each week,
while we talk about mental health, I hope to describe.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
It, give it words.
Speaker 7 (08:57):
Listen to Unbreakable with Jay Glazer on the iHeartRadio App,
Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
The WNBA, speaking of proven guilty, is I don't know.
They might be a little bit a tab bit upset
at this new situation with the NBA. So here's the deal, Rob.
We all know that the NBA is going to have
a new TV deal eleven years, seventy six billion dollars.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
That's almost seven.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
Billion dollars a year, right, And the NBA, Rob, which
owns sixty percent of the WNBA and really has kept
the WNBA Afloat. Adam Silver, the commissioner for the NBA,
said back in twenty eighteen that the WNBA had lost
(09:55):
about ten million dollars every year since it began.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Okay, it's and that was in nineteen ninety seven.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
This year, the Washington Post reported Rob earlier this year
that the WNBA is expected to lose fifty.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Million dollars this season.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
So they're not making money, they're not breaking even, they're
losing money. And the only way they still exist for
all the great athletes and players in that league is
because the NBA.
Speaker 4 (10:31):
Has carried them literally, And.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
So the NBA got to decide, Rob, how much of
our TV revenue are we going to give to the WNBA,
And they've decided, I guess over the eleven years it
will be two point two billion to the WNBA. So
of their seventy six billion, they're given two point two
(10:56):
billion to the WNBA comes out to like two hundred
million a year year, Okay, And that's an increase rib
of one hundred and forty million they were getting sixty.
So now they're tripling, more than tripling their amount. But
Terry Jackson, who's the executive director of the WNBA players
(11:17):
union is not you know, she's a little bit perturbed.
I guess she feels like they're being undervalued. Here's what
she says. We have wondered for months how the NBA
would value the WNBA and its media rights deal with
a reportedly seventy five billion dollar deal on the table.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
The league is in control of its own destiny.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
More precisely, the NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
That's a strong statement.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
The NBA controls the destiny of the WNBA, she says.
We look forward to learning how the NBA arrived at
a two hundred million dollar, you know, per year valuation
if initial reports are accurate or even close. Neither the
NBA nor the w BNBA can deny that in the
last few years we've seen unprecedented growth across all metrics,
(12:05):
the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to building the brand,
and that the fans keep showing up. There's no excuse
to undervalue the w NBA again your thoughts.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
All right, So give the NBA first back the last
twenty nine years. Chris of losses that it would be
cool if you want to do that first, and then.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
You go out quickly rob According to the numbers, you know,
ten million dollars a year since nineteen ninety seven, it's
roughly somewhere between two hundred and two hundred and sixty
million dollars in law.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Okay, So so they going losses that the NBA without
the NBA, Chris, it would be no league.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
Right when we agree with that, Like they kept it alive.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
They could try, but it wouldn't. Yeah, the NBA kept
it alive.
Speaker 5 (12:49):
Apps kept it alive.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
And I know for a fact that when people when
they signed deals Chris with people, they would say, and
you gotta contribute to the WNBA, Like if you want
to make a deal with us, and you have to
take some you know what I mean, Like portion has
to go to a WNBA. If you want to make
a deal with us, you can't just say I just
want the guys and not partake. And this was David
(13:14):
Stearns's baby, one of his legacy things. So he tried
hard to keep it afloat Chris because he started it.
Remember there were other women's leagues before this WBL and
some other women's leagues before the WNBA. But I don't
know what leg they have to stand on Caitlin Clark's games. Chris,
(13:35):
if you could show me, because I would say to them, hey,
you know, if you want to go out on your
own and go out and work your own deals and
do all that, have at it, and if you could
do better. No, I don't, right, Chris, I'd say, have
at it, go ahead without without the NBA.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
You're not attached.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
You want to be a separate league, Well separate you
go do your thing. You could do a better on
corporate sponsorship without the NBA there, if you could do
all that on your own, I welcome you to detach
yourself from the NBA and go do your own thing,
because they'll come running back in a New York minute.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Chris, I'm with you.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
I'm sorry this is not And let let's throw out
this disclaimer, Rob, because some people just don't get it.
This has nothing to do with gender. It has nothing
to do with women versus men. The athletes are paid, Rob,
You and I have covered many lockouts and all of that.
(14:39):
They are paid a certain percentage in the NBA is
roughly in most leagues, it's roughly half, right, half of
the money that the sports generates is what the athletes
are paid. So the reason NBA salaries are skyrocketing is
because the sports popularity in terms of jerseys, parking, and
(15:01):
attendance and TV deals most importantly, and all.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
Of that is skyrocketing.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
They're not just giving these players money to be nice them, right,
They're giving them half of the money that the league generates.
And the WNBA, we just said it, they're generating no money.
They're generating no money. And so the NBA, Rob I'm
(15:29):
looking at. We talked about the NBA's revenue. Let's put
it at seven billion a year.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
With the new TV deal. They are given the WNBA.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
Two hundred million, or of the seventy six billion, they're giving.
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Them two point two billion, Right.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
That's about roughly three percent of the NBA's revenue.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
Rob. When you're given three percent of your revenue to a.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
League that's making nothing, that's not contributing to your bottom line.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
Made has never been in the block, you're doing them
a favor.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
And I mean, you look, and I hate to put
it this way, but and I don't take this literally.
Speaker 4 (16:16):
Maybe I should.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Beggars go ahead? What you beggars can't be choosers. I mean,
they're funding you.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
You said it. Rob If you want to go out
on your own, have at it.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
But we're funding you, and we're we're giving you more
than your like, then economically you deserve it.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Has nothing to do. And here's what I don't like.
I don't like when she puts in here and it's
just one little phrase.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
Our players, the players continue to demonstrate their commitment to
building the brand.
Speaker 4 (16:49):
What athletes don't like.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
I don't want to hear about how hard the w
NBA players work. We know they work hard. They work
as hard as the NBA players, But guess what, so
do track and field athlete, so do bicyclists, and and
and wait.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
You live.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
And they don't make big money because they can't generate
the revenue. Like, let's just be real. It's the same thing, Chris.
There's college baseball. They have the World Series.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
There you go.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
They sell out for that.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Every other game there's there's family and friends in the stands.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
But that's what you see.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
The college World Series, Chris, is sold out right, okay,
But the rest of the year, nobody's going, nobody's watching.
You cannot expect to make what college football or college basketball.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Even though there's a college baseball team.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
No, just as hard. They're just as committed to their craft.
They've many of them got just as much of a
chance or want to get to the pros as the
football players.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
You gotta understand it.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Though the college games aren't on national television on Saturday afternoon.
What I mean is that fair? Like that's the thing?
Don't tell tell me, Well, just we play the same sport.
We should be on just as much as the men. Well,
if you were as popular, you would be.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
It's so easy if we talk about it all the time.
What do I do, Chris? I criticize the women in
this country? I do, yep, because it's on you watch
the games. Take your boyfriend on a date, to your husband, Chris,
to a WNBA game.
Speaker 4 (18:26):
Fill up the stands.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
There's plenty of women to fill up the stands, right,
go do it. The men can't ignore you. If you
have a packed house at the Barclays, Chris, with a liberty,
you're playing. If they packed the house every night, they
have no sorce, it.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Would start getting as There's no doubt about it. And Rob,
remember too, the WNBA season is only forty games. It's
half as long as the NBA season. So you have
to take that into account too. I mean, that's a
small thing, but.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
It is a legitimate thing. No, that's legit.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
Your season is not as long. And so I just again,
it's not nothing to do with you know, any quality
or anything like that. It is what the sport generation robe.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
We talked about the man Chris supply and demand.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
We talked about it.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
Rob, we worked just as hard as Colin coward her.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
We want to say that worked right.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
He's making more than us, show generates way more. Steve,
we work as hard as Steven Ay. Stephen paid like
he's a freaking quarterback exactly like he's like he's justin
Jefferson or something. And and but hey, we worked just
as hard. We put just as much into our craft.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
We get it. This is how it works, right.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
We don't all get paid the same amount because we're
all doing the same job.
Speaker 5 (19:54):
It doesn't work like that. We're in the same industry.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
And and if if our somehow Chris superseded or we
had something that was better than Colin, then the bosses
would have to say, well, maybe we need to write this.
Maybe it's the odd couple and we need to move
them in that slot. And that looking killing it like
that's how it works and no one.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
But you can't just go up in there talking about
well he making this. Why can't you know?
Speaker 3 (20:21):
You have to understand how things work so this will
be interesting. I just I mean again, Rod, we talked
about it with Brandon Auk yesterday.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
Leverage.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
If you don't have any leverage, then you know, you're
kind of just blowing smoke.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
Yeah, I don't know what.
Speaker 1 (20:37):
Yeah, I don't know what leverage they have because, like
I said, other than Kaitlin Clark and maybe Angel reached
Chris their games, the attendance hasn't spiked the rest of
the places. I mean, like I said it before the
season started, she would be like the Harlem Globe Trotters
every time she shows up. They got the crowds and
all that. But there's still a lot of five thousand
(20:57):
and four thousand and six thousand nights Chris where the
other games are being played.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Rob her games or she's one of twelve teams, right,
She's on one of twelve her.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
So that one of twelve is what like eight percent.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
The fever, which is her team, accounts for thirty three
and a half percent of the WNBA's totally does thirty.
I mean that's what four times the amount that they
should her. Their average attendance is fifteen, one hundred and
forty two. The league averages seven. Everybody else's averaged seven,
six hundred and forty five. So I mean business, Let's
(21:35):
not just get emotional about stuff.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
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Speaker 3 (21:49):
The WNBA, this is their big weekend, all Star weekend,
right before the.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Olympics are set to begin.
Speaker 3 (21:57):
And of course we know that the WNBA, because of
Caitlyn Clark mainly but also Angel Reese, has enjoyed.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
A surge.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
I won't even call it a resurgence. I'll say a
surge in viewership and popularity and things like that. And tonight,
you know, like the NBA does, They've got their skills competitions,
and one of them, of course, the three point shootout,
but the star of the show, Caitlyn Clark, declined the
(22:29):
invitation to compete rob in the three point shootout. She's
shooting thirty two point seven percent from three. But I
think that and this is to take this for what
it is. The shooting percentages in the WNBA are much
lower than the NBA. So don't you know that's not
(22:49):
nearly as bad as it would sound for an NBA player.
So lot lot of top players shooting that or worse
field goal percentage, things like that.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
So you got a problem with this, Rob Kaitlyn Clark
bound out.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
Absolutely, I have a problem with this. It reeks Chris. Wow,
Caitlyn Clark is selfish. There's no other way in looking
at this. Here's the WNBA, Chris, you talked about it.
Oh you know popularity. Oh, it's gotta higher profile. People
are talking about it. Even on the Odd Couple we
(23:25):
had a woman who covers the WNBA asking her questions
We've never done in the six plus years we've done
this show. Okay, and here's an opportunity. You know what
made Caitlyn Clark Chris capture the imaginations of a basketball
fans all over is because she's able to drop that
(23:46):
three from anywhere on the court, a logo three. She
was shooting from long distance. My god, she's a female.
Steph Curry. I gotta watch this woman. I've never seen
it before. This wasn't your typical women's basketball that would
put you to.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
And now here you are with a chance.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
To show your skills in this event for the league,
and you decide to bow out.
Speaker 5 (24:16):
No way, no, how should this be cool with the
w n b A. Why are you doing this?
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Now? Keep the train rolling, Chris. Give people as much
as they want. Play the hits. Remember that, Chris, right
when we did debate, embrace debate, Okay, play the hits.
And and now you're telling me I don't want to.
I don't want to do that. No, and I have
(24:44):
a problem with it. It's an event that she could
possibly electrify, Chris, get more people, even more eyeballs and stuff.
And remember it's not just about you when you become
a professional athlete, Chris, go look at some of these
guys in other sports.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
This is your moment to try to help sell the game.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Right.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Aaron Judge is a big star. He was in the
Home Run Derby contest. Mookie best year was he not
this year? But I'm saying he has done.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Most of the stars weren't in it this year.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Right, I'm done.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
But even like a bunch of you know, but even
like even like a Mookie Betts who's not even a
home run hit, or Chris did it right. I'm saying,
these are opportunities to sell the game. I remember at
one point some people were like, uh NBA players or
I think didn't want to go to the All Star Game. No,
(25:39):
you can't do that. That's when you sign up for this.
This helped sell the game. And I'm just saying she
blew a golden opportunity. And this is not the Olympics,
this is totally different. She gets paid by the w NBA.
The w NBA needs Caitlin Clark. And you know what
she did. She turned a blind eye.
Speaker 5 (25:59):
To the league. And I think it's a mistake.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Rob Parker, stop it.
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Get off your soap box, get off your high horse,
Get off yourself righteous high horse.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
Hasn't Caitlyn Clark done enough? I mean, my goodness, the.
Speaker 3 (26:21):
Girl is carrying a whole league on her back. And
if anybody wants to dispute that, look at the numbers.
Her games double the rest of the league's games as
far as viewers attendance. She has the highest rated games
(26:42):
on every network the league has ever been on. She
is single handedly and people don't like it. It's not
to say she's the first great player.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
She certainly is not.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
She's not even the best player in the league right
now shout out to Asia Wilson. But she is single
handedly putting this league on the mainstream map. She is
Angel Reese is playing great and she's got a little
storyline too.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
But don't get it twisted. I just said it.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
The ratings, the viewership, the attendance all shows Caitlyn Clark.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Is carrying the league.
Speaker 3 (27:24):
And she has gone from her NC double a season,
n C doublea tournament straight into the WNBA. Now she's gonna,
you know, get her first break in dar near a year,
it feels like, and on top of all of the
basketball and just carrying the league. From a basketball standpoint,
(27:50):
she is just for you know, no doing of her own.
Had her name thrown into racial converse, had her name
thrown into conversations about sexuality.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
I mean, she has been.
Speaker 3 (28:08):
Every talked about at nauseum women athletes, non athletes, casual fans,
die hards. She has had certainly more pressure and more
of a burden on her these last few months than
any player in the w NBA for sure, and it's
(28:31):
arguable any basketball player in America. I say arguable because
obviously the NBA is such a bigger game, and you know,
it's such so much more popular, and we're talking about
them every single day.
Speaker 4 (28:48):
So that's why I would say, you know, you might
not want to go that far.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
But it's arguable because she's one player and she's got,
you know, carried this whole league. I'm with you, it'd
be nice if she was in it, but if she
needs a break for a night. I mean, on top
of all I said, Rob, you know that they when
they started the season, her team in the first few weeks,
first month of the season played like.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
Twice as many games as some of the teams.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
They were just, hey, this is our new star.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
Put her on TV every night. Play them.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
They haven't played games every other night while the other
teams are resting. That's one reason Indiana fever playing better
now because they're starting to get normal breaks in between games,
and she will have tomorrow night in the All Star
Game against the best players in the world. I mean
not even this is to me, this is like bigger
(29:48):
than a typical All Star game because they're playing the
Olympic team, which just like in the men is a
dream team, and she's gonna be front and center, be
nice tonight.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
If she was there.
Speaker 3 (30:02):
But the real selling point, the real thing everybody's gonna
tune into, is that game when she faces the best
players in the world on the they're all on the
same team. And Diana Tarassi, who you know it has
made amends and all that, but you know, talk the
little stuff. You know, she going against her. So I
(30:27):
just think that she's had so much on her shoulders.
I am certainly not gonna jump on her for her decide,
and I rather not. I don't feel I don't want
to do it.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
I think it made my case about how important she's
been this year. And if my god, a three point
shooting contest, Chris, which is not like playing the game.
Speaker 5 (30:48):
It's a skills competition.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
I don't know what it's gonna take it twenty minutes,
thirty twenty minutes to put up some shots. You're not
even playing basketball like you would be playing a game.
Speaker 5 (30:57):
It's skill competition. It's easy to do.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
It would have been great and everybody. I mean, I
ain't saying she's afraid of the pressure. I'm just saying
she can't take a night.
Speaker 5 (31:06):
Off right, No, no, not this year. Stop, all right,
that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
There's no reason she can't take a night off.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Take a night off on Sunday a couple eight seven,
seven ninety nine, or if she's not going to the Olympics, Chris,
she got a month off.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
She needs it. She got a month on going hard,
so she got a month off. But she couldn't do that.
Basketball started. The other girls weren't doing that.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
And you know how this works too.
Speaker 1 (31:30):
The other thing, too real quick, is that you know,
everybody doesn't get to see the All Star Game. You
might get either or so some people have tickets for
the skills competition tonight, or some people have tickets for
the game.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Everybody's not going to both events.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
So the people tonight who are hoping against holding their game.
Speaker 4 (31:50):
Is not I mean, sorry, she can't be and she
heard them.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
It's just like you've said, Rob, It's not her responsibility,
all right.
Speaker 4 (31:59):
It s winched.
Speaker 3 (32:00):
When the people go to her games they expected to play.
That's her responsibility. They got a whole league and several
All Star players that the people can go watch tonight.
Whether she was in it tonight or not, I don't
think it would matter one Ioeda in terms of the
popularity of the league. Chris, this is gonna be about
(32:21):
tomorrow night's game. That's bigger than this three point shootout.
Speaker 5 (32:26):
Do you know what?
Speaker 1 (32:27):
This has had a huge impact at the front office
of the WNBA. I just called up the Commission of
the WNBA about this whole situation, and this is what's
her response.
Hosts And Creators
kelvin washington
Rob Parker
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