Ronny Chieng and Jordan Klepper argue over Caitlin Clark’s WNBA run and the tallest NBA nepo babies. Also, Jon Stewart sits with basketball analyst, Monica McNutt, to explain how gender, race, and class affects the way folks discuss women’s basketball.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey there, it's Michael Costa.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The Daily Show's on a break this week, but don't worry.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
We handpicked some of our favorite recent moments from the
show in case you missed them. We'll be back with
brand new episodes next week.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Until then, enjoy today's episode.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Welcome back to our Daily Show. There's a sports used recently,
so for some thoughtful, nuanced debate, we turned to Sports War.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
It's time for.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
You, Tim.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
What's up?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
More time?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Ronnie chan and I'm Jordan Clepper. This is Sports War,
the show where we are legally not allowed to agree
with each other. For example, if I say Ronnie Chang
doesn't suck, well.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Then I have to disagree with you on that, Jordan.
Everybody knows I'm a bad son and a selfish lover.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yes, you left out that you're also rude to service workers.
Let's start with the biggest story in sports, the shove
heard around the world.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
This physical moment involving the WNBA's most high profile rookie
raising questions. Chicago's Kennedy Carter shoulder checking the fevers Kaitlyn
Clark knocking her to the ground.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Oh whoa throw?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
The flag center to the Hey, come on, Kaitlyn Clark
is clearly getting bull it. I'm sick of it. You
can't just push people in sports, unless it's football, hockey, dude, basketball,
the Little League World Series or being drunk dad at
the Little Whig World Series.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Well, I hope all those dad shoves you into traffic, Jordan,
because you couldn't be more wrong. As a lifelong w
NBA Fancy's Kaitlyn clot joined the league a few weeks ago,
I can say with absolute certainty that that shop was
barely of foul.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Hey.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
The WNBA needs to get hotter if they want me
the target demographic to keep watching. Okay, you hear that, WNBA.
Just because you don't have a penis doesn't mean you
can't get hard.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Just ask Jordan, are you saying my penis is soft
or non existent?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Whichever your feelings?
Speaker 4 (02:22):
More jokes? Don you?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Ronnie On'm dead inside? Look I relate to Caitlin Clark,
a superstar at the top of her game, surrounded by
jealous peers. Caitlin, I see you, I am you, and
we're not going to let bottom feeders like Ronnie Chang
push us around, which brings us to Tonight's Jay Clyps
can't lose bet of the Week. What's the source of
Ronnie Chang's crippling inferiority complex? Prought to you by gambling Gamblaine.
(02:50):
You can only lose if you stop.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Okay? Moving on from the greatest women's basketball player to
the greatest men's basketball players.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Son James, the son of.
Speaker 6 (03:00):
The NBA's superstar Lebron James, will remain in the NBA draft.
His agent confirmed his decision today. James will forego his
college eligibility after playing one season with USC. Lebron and
Bronnie James could be the first father and son do
it to play at the same time in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
He's projected to be a second round pick, primarily because
his father is Lebron James.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yo, Bronnie should not enter the NBA at all. Okay,
it to zero chance. You're gonna live up to his
legacy of his father. Go do something else, like being
a tall dentist, saw a tall architect, or a medium
sized wolf's tallest man. Quick will you'll not a head?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Oh yeah, that's good advice, Ronnie. You should take it.
Of course, Bronnie should join the NBA. The children of
great people are always great themselves. Done Junior, RFK Junior,
Carls Junior all good night. The only pressure here is
on Lebron if his sperm can't produce a twelve time
NBA All Star who reinvigorates the space jam friend, little
(04:01):
raided over rated.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
That's just what your mom said to me last night.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
So you made you made love to my mother poorly?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Like I said, Jordan, I'm a selfish lover, which brings
us to Ronnie's slim dunk bed of the night. Who
will be a greater disappointment to that father? Ronnie James
or Jordan Clepper has always brought to you by gambling. Gambling.
It's like taking candy from a baby, but the candy
is money.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Finally, we turned to the shocking retirement of a sports legend.
Speaker 7 (04:35):
Well, he has won the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contests
six times, but Takiu Kobyashi is retiring from competitive eating.
He says he has health concerns now he needs attend
to It's forty six years old and says decades if
overeating has left him with no appetite or sensation of fullness.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Holy shit, this guy can't tell what he's hungry or full.
It sounds like his stomach just pulled a Jerry Maguire
on him, just grabbed the goldfish, said audios to the kidney,
and walked right out. Does not sound like it was
worth it.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
This was absolutely worfic. Okay Jordan. He got to eat
tons of hot dogs and now he has no appetite.
It's like freo zembic Okay, Hooki Yashi's allegend. Not to
mention he's Asian, shut out Asian.
Speaker 7 (05:25):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I've only got to use guy like four times in
my life. And shame on you, Jordan for not supporting
the work of our greatest Asian athlete.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Hey, you are wrong, You're wrong running. I fully support
his decision to step away from the game, which brings
us to our double down Better than Nights, which Asian
that host this program will retire. Next brought to you
by gambling? Have you lost the ability to experience sensation?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Try gambling?
Speaker 2 (05:50):
See how worse it can get. Well, we are out
of zime.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
I'm not retired.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It's too late. The fans have spoken, ronning Jorda's Next
time on Sports War, we'll be debating pickleball better with guns? Now,
you got it? What about looking out? So my guest tonight, hey.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Basketball analyst, hosting reporter for ESPN as well as the
voice of the New York Knicks radio broadcast. Please welcome
to the program, Monica McNutt.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Welcome, Welcome, Thank you, John.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
It's so nice to see you. Everyone is aware there
was a huge viral moment in sports reporting and you, Monica,
were at the center of it concerning an appearance on
stephen A. Smith's show and a young basketball player on
the Fever. Mm hm, who's apparently generating quite a bit
(07:04):
of controversy. Tell us a little bit about that viral moment.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
All right, So the conversation, John, it started about the
foul over the weekend that Kenny Carter for the Chicago
skuy foul Kaitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. And I'm
not gonna lie to you, John, if I take you
through my day that morning I get the call or
the text rather than I'm like, are we really leading
sports with this?
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Are we really leading.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Sports with a foul?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Person got knocked over in a brketball game?
Speaker 5 (07:28):
In sports? All right, I'm like, fine, let's just do it.
So we have the conversation with colleagues and friends, Steven
Nick Smith, Shannon Sharp, and my larger point in the
conversation was the tenor and the prevailing narrative that has
been created around this season's WNBA play is that it's
the league versus Kaitlyn Clark, and that is just absolutely false.
It is unfair to the women that have been there
(07:48):
building this league to this moment so that Kaitlyn Clark's
popularity could take it to the next level.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
And so by the end of.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
The show, John, the tone had changed and I just
kind of needed to put my foot down a little bit.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
There was some offensiveness on the part of the individuals.
You've covered basketball for many many years, you played basketball,
did you follow the NBA for many years? You know
what you're talking The tenor of the conversation, as I
could tell, was they were saying, to you, now, we
know what we're talking about, even though we just tuned
into this whole thing flashed Wednesday.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
And there it is right. And so, as I have
said about this, it was a little bit of a challenge, right,
two gentlemen that I admire in terms of what they've
built because if you haven't been here, I need three years.
I need you to kind of have jumped in when
Sedona Prince went viral for calling out the NCAA. I
needed you kind of to be here as this league
has seen its best viewership year to year. Now, yes,
it has absolutely been taken over the top this year,
(08:42):
but this has been a snowballing effect to get to
this moment. And so while Caitlyn is fantastic and I
think she's going to have an incredible career in the WNBA,
there are women that were worthy of coverage prior to
her arriving. And I just will not be silenced when
it comes to that, right.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Beautifully said Now, and I'm gonna tell you that I
have not particularly followed the w NBA on a day
to day. I follow Where's Basketball sometimes more in college
I think, and in the old days Don Staley and
those players. I did follow that, yep, But I have
(09:18):
incredibly strong opinions about it anyway. But what did strike
me when I started watching the highlights is, you know,
this is a very physical league. You know, so many
people complained about the NBA now as league is soft
and they don't play like they did like the Knicks
did in the nineties with Oak and with all Mason
(09:39):
and all those guys. And then you see this physical
league and now they're saying, Hey, why so physical? And
I guess I'm struggling to understand. Is it because so
many new fans are being introduced to this who don't
have the context.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Bingo nail that you can you can have a talk show.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Let's go get out to do it.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Why now, let's do take on first, take.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
On kidding aside, Yes, right, and listen again. I am
by no means gonna be naive to the popularity of
Kaylyn Clark, but there is a contingent that followed her.
And if let's expand it out to bigger other women's
college programs that have been terrific South Carolina, LSU, we'll
just go with those three Stanford if you will. Right,
If you've only watched the college game for however long
and not follow the WNBA, you don't know that not
(10:27):
only are these one hundred and forty four of the
best women basketball players in the world, most of them
in their offseason. They're not kicking it. They're in Europe
playing in leagues that are arguably even more physical, and
so the brand of basketball just has a level of toughness.
Now to me, I think the part of this conversation
John that has been daunting for me is sports is
(10:47):
about competing. It is literally the foundation we need to score.
We gotta compete. And in the conversation around how we
navigate the attention on the women's game, somewhere in there
competition should be watered down to protect the asset.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Yeah, now that's but you know in your heart there
is another layer of conversation going on beneath this that
has been introduced onto the stage, and that is, Look,
we all know everything that underlines society in many ways
goes along race, class and gender. And race, class and
(11:23):
gender has entered the conversation in.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
A very large way. And I think what is interesting,
and I'm hoping that more folks are like, yo, this
basketball is great, Like I want to learn more about
these women. Race, culture, gender are things that the women
of the WNBA have never shied away from. Right, a
part of the bubble in twenty twenty, they impact the
election that goes down in Georgia in terms of standing
on their values. Right, But if we have a conversation
about the societal totem pole, if you will, black women,
(11:49):
a large representation of queer women, like these are all
things that sit at intersectional identities. That just opened up
your show talking about valuing these things.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
That's exactly.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
And so there are all these ism that have made
the WNBA beautiful for twenty eight years, including this season,
and even the WNBA has had to have its arc
in terms of growth and leaning into who they are
and who these women are both on and off the court.
But it is at the base of it if we
first second get take all that out, you're really about
to tell women how to compete, and.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
You just got here right, We'll be doing And what's
so amazing about it is what I have heard from
some of the commentary are people who just got there
saying this is so unfair to the sweet white girl. Now,
first of all, Kaitlyn Clark looks like a competitor. She
looks like somebody who's really a competitor. But the odd
(12:40):
part is, I'm always interested in this idea that sports
exist outside of the fault lines of regular society, and
isn't a reflection of those things and a continuation in
some respects of those battles.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
That existence is for probably like twenty percent of men's sports,
and then you got to deal with race, and then
there's other things that you got to deal with. But
like we said, women's sports sits right in the midst
of all of that. We could be not talking about basketball,
and we got plenty of women's issues that we know
have our country on fire, right, And so I think
it's a beautiful time. And I don't think anybody that
(13:17):
is a part of this league or has covered this league.
Sure we lament kind of keeping this little thing that
we love, to protect it from all of the noise
right right, But in the same breath, the eyeballs and
the visibility and the growth is better for all involved.
I mean, frankly, John, like Gayln Clark got me here, right,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (13:34):
And not true let me tell you this. So I
am going to tell you this. The viral moment maybe
brought you to some national attention. I have been loving
what you do. You are such a good basketball analyst
and announcer. I've been following you on the New York Dates,
you and okeep Some of my favorite moments are the
two you okeepers.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
The battle keep my partner.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I play by play guy. I mean, you're so knowledgeable.
I love basketball on the Knicks for one hundred and
thirty years.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
I was in the stands in Madison Square Garden at
the very top of it when they played the Celtics
in double overtime, when they won the championship in seventy two,
and that against the Celtics. When it looks like, as
I've loved it for a long time, your voice, your knowledge,
your passion has cut through it for me. It's very
rare that I turn on the radio or hear a
(14:25):
new voice and go, oh, that person. They can explain
this to me, and you really do. You're a wonderful
I knew that wholeheartedly. That's how you got here. Okay,
by the way, I'd have had you on every day
during the playoffs?
Speaker 5 (14:43):
Oh wow, yeah, guy, we had fun.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Is there some sense of like a little bit of
like when an indie band hits it big? Are there
people within the w NBA community who feel like, I
don't want this to belong to everybody. I want it
to belong to this and of sisters that have worked
so hard to make it something.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
I have had that moment a few times because as
much as the conversation has been dictated by the audience, right,
we still haven't really sat up and talked about the
actual basketball. Love it, John, I don't know how many
people just join the WNBA understand that the Las Vegas
Aces are chasing down a three p which hasn't been
done since the formative years of the league. In the
(15:27):
Houston comments, I don't know how many people. How many
people know that the Connecticut Sun just lost their first
game the other day? They were nine to know to
start the season, right, What names can I help introduce
you to? I mean, if you pick up a rolling stone.
Asia Wilson and Brandon Stewart are part of the next issue,
I believe. And so we've opened the door, but we're
still like looking in instead of walking in. If that
makes if I may, absolutely right, absolutely, And so I
(15:50):
think it's a really unique time. And even with this
Olympic team stuff, right, Kaylen Clark, who you mentioned is
a tremendous competitor said herself, that's the toughest team to make.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
And she's a rookie, she's just coming out of Iowas.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
She can say that, and she can also feel as
if something in her has been awoken in terms of
making that a goal of her own. Right, I would hope,
and I know this is not a thing in sports.
We got to remember that two things can be true. Right,
She's been great for the league, but there were one
hundred and forty four women prior to her and this class, right,
that have gotten this thing up to year twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Right, no question. And I think one of the difficulties
of it is because it's a small league. I think
people don't realize as small as the NBA is, there's
still two rounds of a draft, and there are guys
that get picked up out of a G league, and
there's space on a team. There's a big roster. When
you're in the WNBA, Boy, there's just not that many teams,
and you're talking about a draft even when it's eight deep,
(16:42):
twelve d some of those people may not make the team.
These are women that have been playing the game for
a very long time.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
To that point, John, like the conversation about marketing, Yeah, sure,
got it makes sense, right, But there's also got to
be a realization that these women that have made this thing,
they're living, they are not necessarily chasing the financial benefit.
The w of your highest played player is max two
hundred fifty thousand dollars, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
And so there is not how Britney Griner ended up
in Russia. She was playing overseas, because it doesn't make that.
Speaker 5 (17:12):
That's exactly it. So many of these women supplement their
income in the league that they play out of love
to play at home with their teammates in front of
their families, and they go get their real money overseas.
That is changing. I do think that this class and
Clark is all a part of it changing. But I
think just to slap on do this because of the
money again is disrespectful and unfair to the women that
have gotten this lead to this point.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
As a broadcaster, in your story in some ways mirrors
the story of the WNBA in terms of having to
fight for attention with people who, in some respects are
not particularly humble about their position and slightly defensive about
(17:53):
those who may come at it from a different perspective.
Do you see that reflected in what you had to
go through and your journey to get to the desk
that you're at now, and does that give you hope
for the WNBA's future.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
I'm first of all, I'm thrilled about the WNBA's future.
And yes, right, I didn't go to the WNBA, but
I played sports all the way through college. Shout out
to my Georgetown hoyas, right, And so that foundation, that base,
that understanding hard work, improvement, that understanding of competition, all
of those things have helped me to be able to
stand ten toes down in these various rooms, in these
various conversations.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Right, it's intimidating, it is.
Speaker 5 (18:29):
And in the same breath, the people that I'm having
conversations with, whether they are well established television personalities or
former athletes, they have done the same in their own way.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Right.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
But it is a reminder because of my background in sports,
shout out to keeping young girls in sports for this
exact reason, I too can be confident in the work
that I've done to get to this place, and for me,
that has been beautiful.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Who that is beautiful?
Speaker 1 (18:49):
And it really brings up the intersome question, who does
have the worst takes any given day? Given all right,
final question, I am an enormous Knicks fan. Yes we know,
and I want desperately to know if what I'm seeing
if the love that I am feeling. I have opened
(19:09):
my heart again, you know, Monica, It's been so long.
Thank you so much. I've opened up my heart again
to a basketball team. I never thought it would happen again.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
Proud of you. I'm so proud of you. That was
a big move.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
But Monica, I have to tell you something. I'm afraid
to be hurt and will will the Knicks hurt me?
Life is full of That was a hesitation, Monica.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
That was not That was a hesitation.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
I want them to be great.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
I look at I think they are on the right
track all right, But you got to play the games.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
That's why we go to them. And I don't want
to be in sad meme anymore, which is always what
happens when I'm at the games. Monica, what a delight
to meet you. And I'm such a fan of yours
and I wish you all the best and continue success.
Manic Myelu Joe explore more shows from the Daily Show
pot universe by searching The Daily Show wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Watch The Daily Show weeknights at eleven ten Central on
Comedy Central, and.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Stream full episodes anytime on Paramount
Speaker 7 (20:11):
Plus Paramount podcasts
You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey there, it's Michael Costa.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The Daily Show's on a break this week, but don't worry.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
We handpicked some of our favorite recent moments from the
show in case you missed them. We'll be back with
brand new episodes next week.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Until then, enjoy today's episode.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Welcome back to our Daily Show. There's a sports used recently,
so for some thoughtful, nuanced debate, we turned to Sports War.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
It's time for.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
You, Tim.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
What's up?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
More time?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Ronnie chan and I'm Jordan Clepper. This is Sports War,
the show where we are legally not allowed to agree
with each other. For example, if I say Ronnie Chang
doesn't suck, well.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Then I have to disagree with you on that, Jordan.
Everybody knows I'm a bad son and a selfish lover.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Yes, you left out that you're also rude to service workers.
Let's start with the biggest story in sports, the shove
heard around the world.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
This physical moment involving the WNBA's most high profile rookie
raising questions. Chicago's Kennedy Carter shoulder checking the fevers Kaitlyn
Clark knocking her to the ground.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Oh whoa throw?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
The flag center to the Hey, come on, Kaitlyn Clark
is clearly getting bull it. I'm sick of it. You
can't just push people in sports, unless it's football, hockey, dude, basketball,
the Little League World Series or being drunk dad at
the Little Whig World Series.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Well, I hope all those dad shoves you into traffic, Jordan,
because you couldn't be more wrong. As a lifelong w
NBA Fancy's Kaitlyn clot joined the league a few weeks ago,
I can say with absolute certainty that that shop was
barely of foul.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Hey.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
The WNBA needs to get hotter if they want me
the target demographic to keep watching. Okay, you hear that, WNBA.
Just because you don't have a penis doesn't mean you
can't get hard.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Just ask Jordan, are you saying my penis is soft
or non existent?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Whichever your feelings?
Speaker 4 (02:22):
More jokes? Don you?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Ronnie On'm dead inside? Look I relate to Caitlin Clark,
a superstar at the top of her game, surrounded by
jealous peers. Caitlin, I see you, I am you, and
we're not going to let bottom feeders like Ronnie Chang
push us around, which brings us to Tonight's Jay Clyps
can't lose bet of the Week. What's the source of
Ronnie Chang's crippling inferiority complex? Prought to you by gambling Gamblaine.
(02:50):
You can only lose if you stop.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Okay? Moving on from the greatest women's basketball player to
the greatest men's basketball players.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Son James, the son of.
Speaker 6 (03:00):
The NBA's superstar Lebron James, will remain in the NBA draft.
His agent confirmed his decision today. James will forego his
college eligibility after playing one season with USC. Lebron and
Bronnie James could be the first father and son do
it to play at the same time in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
He's projected to be a second round pick, primarily because
his father is Lebron James.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yo, Bronnie should not enter the NBA at all. Okay,
it to zero chance. You're gonna live up to his
legacy of his father. Go do something else, like being
a tall dentist, saw a tall architect, or a medium
sized wolf's tallest man. Quick will you'll not a head?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Oh yeah, that's good advice, Ronnie. You should take it.
Of course, Bronnie should join the NBA. The children of
great people are always great themselves. Done Junior, RFK Junior,
Carls Junior all good night. The only pressure here is
on Lebron if his sperm can't produce a twelve time
NBA All Star who reinvigorates the space jam friend, little
(04:01):
raided over rated.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
That's just what your mom said to me last night.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
So you made you made love to my mother poorly?
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Like I said, Jordan, I'm a selfish lover, which brings
us to Ronnie's slim dunk bed of the night. Who
will be a greater disappointment to that father? Ronnie James
or Jordan Clepper has always brought to you by gambling. Gambling.
It's like taking candy from a baby, but the candy
is money.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Finally, we turned to the shocking retirement of a sports legend.
Speaker 7 (04:35):
Well, he has won the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contests
six times, but Takiu Kobyashi is retiring from competitive eating.
He says he has health concerns now he needs attend
to It's forty six years old and says decades if
overeating has left him with no appetite or sensation of fullness.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Holy shit, this guy can't tell what he's hungry or full.
It sounds like his stomach just pulled a Jerry Maguire
on him, just grabbed the goldfish, said audios to the kidney,
and walked right out. Does not sound like it was
worth it.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
This was absolutely worfic. Okay Jordan. He got to eat
tons of hot dogs and now he has no appetite.
It's like freo zembic Okay, Hooki Yashi's allegend. Not to
mention he's Asian, shut out Asian.
Speaker 7 (05:25):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
I've only got to use guy like four times in
my life. And shame on you, Jordan for not supporting
the work of our greatest Asian athlete.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Hey, you are wrong, You're wrong running. I fully support
his decision to step away from the game, which brings
us to our double down Better than Nights, which Asian
that host this program will retire. Next brought to you
by gambling? Have you lost the ability to experience sensation?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Try gambling?
Speaker 2 (05:50):
See how worse it can get. Well, we are out
of zime.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
I'm not retired.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It's too late. The fans have spoken, ronning Jorda's Next
time on Sports War, we'll be debating pickleball better with guns? Now,
you got it? What about looking out? So my guest tonight, hey.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Basketball analyst, hosting reporter for ESPN as well as the
voice of the New York Knicks radio broadcast. Please welcome
to the program, Monica McNutt.
Speaker 5 (06:41):
Welcome, Welcome, Thank you, John.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
It's so nice to see you. Everyone is aware there
was a huge viral moment in sports reporting and you, Monica,
were at the center of it concerning an appearance on
stephen A. Smith's show and a young basketball player on
the Fever. Mm hm, who's apparently generating quite a bit
(07:04):
of controversy. Tell us a little bit about that viral moment.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
All right, So the conversation, John, it started about the
foul over the weekend that Kenny Carter for the Chicago
skuy foul Kaitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. And I'm
not gonna lie to you, John, if I take you
through my day that morning I get the call or
the text rather than I'm like, are we really leading
sports with this?
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Are we really leading.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Sports with a foul?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
Person got knocked over in a brketball game?
Speaker 5 (07:28):
In sports? All right, I'm like, fine, let's just do it.
So we have the conversation with colleagues and friends, Steven
Nick Smith, Shannon Sharp, and my larger point in the
conversation was the tenor and the prevailing narrative that has
been created around this season's WNBA play is that it's
the league versus Kaitlyn Clark, and that is just absolutely false.
It is unfair to the women that have been there
(07:48):
building this league to this moment so that Kaitlyn Clark's
popularity could take it to the next level.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
And so by the end of.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
The show, John, the tone had changed and I just
kind of needed to put my foot down a little bit.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
There was some offensiveness on the part of the individuals.
You've covered basketball for many many years, you played basketball,
did you follow the NBA for many years? You know
what you're talking The tenor of the conversation, as I
could tell, was they were saying, to you, now, we
know what we're talking about, even though we just tuned
into this whole thing flashed Wednesday.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
And there it is right. And so, as I have
said about this, it was a little bit of a challenge, right,
two gentlemen that I admire in terms of what they've
built because if you haven't been here, I need three years.
I need you to kind of have jumped in when
Sedona Prince went viral for calling out the NCAA. I
needed you kind of to be here as this league
has seen its best viewership year to year. Now, yes,
it has absolutely been taken over the top this year,
(08:42):
but this has been a snowballing effect to get to
this moment. And so while Caitlyn is fantastic and I
think she's going to have an incredible career in the WNBA,
there are women that were worthy of coverage prior to
her arriving. And I just will not be silenced when
it comes to that, right.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
Beautifully said Now, and I'm gonna tell you that I
have not particularly followed the w NBA on a day
to day. I follow Where's Basketball sometimes more in college
I think, and in the old days Don Staley and
those players. I did follow that, yep, But I have
(09:18):
incredibly strong opinions about it anyway. But what did strike
me when I started watching the highlights is, you know,
this is a very physical league. You know, so many
people complained about the NBA now as league is soft
and they don't play like they did like the Knicks
did in the nineties with Oak and with all Mason
(09:39):
and all those guys. And then you see this physical
league and now they're saying, Hey, why so physical? And
I guess I'm struggling to understand. Is it because so
many new fans are being introduced to this who don't
have the context.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Bingo nail that you can you can have a talk show.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Let's go get out to do it.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Why now, let's do take on first, take.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
On kidding aside, Yes, right, and listen again. I am
by no means gonna be naive to the popularity of
Kaylyn Clark, but there is a contingent that followed her.
And if let's expand it out to bigger other women's
college programs that have been terrific South Carolina, LSU, we'll
just go with those three Stanford if you will. Right,
If you've only watched the college game for however long
and not follow the WNBA, you don't know that not
(10:27):
only are these one hundred and forty four of the
best women basketball players in the world, most of them
in their offseason. They're not kicking it. They're in Europe
playing in leagues that are arguably even more physical, and
so the brand of basketball just has a level of toughness.
Now to me, I think the part of this conversation
John that has been daunting for me is sports is
(10:47):
about competing. It is literally the foundation we need to score.
We gotta compete. And in the conversation around how we
navigate the attention on the women's game, somewhere in there
competition should be watered down to protect the asset.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Yeah, now that's but you know in your heart there
is another layer of conversation going on beneath this that
has been introduced onto the stage, and that is, Look,
we all know everything that underlines society in many ways
goes along race, class and gender. And race, class and
(11:23):
gender has entered the conversation in.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
A very large way. And I think what is interesting,
and I'm hoping that more folks are like, yo, this
basketball is great, Like I want to learn more about
these women. Race, culture, gender are things that the women
of the WNBA have never shied away from. Right, a
part of the bubble in twenty twenty, they impact the
election that goes down in Georgia in terms of standing
on their values. Right, But if we have a conversation
about the societal totem pole, if you will, black women,
(11:49):
a large representation of queer women, like these are all
things that sit at intersectional identities. That just opened up
your show talking about valuing these things.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
That's exactly.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
And so there are all these ism that have made
the WNBA beautiful for twenty eight years, including this season,
and even the WNBA has had to have its arc
in terms of growth and leaning into who they are
and who these women are both on and off the court.
But it is at the base of it if we
first second get take all that out, you're really about
to tell women how to compete, and.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
You just got here right, We'll be doing And what's
so amazing about it is what I have heard from
some of the commentary are people who just got there
saying this is so unfair to the sweet white girl. Now,
first of all, Kaitlyn Clark looks like a competitor. She
looks like somebody who's really a competitor. But the odd
(12:40):
part is, I'm always interested in this idea that sports
exist outside of the fault lines of regular society, and
isn't a reflection of those things and a continuation in
some respects of those battles.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
That existence is for probably like twenty percent of men's sports,
and then you got to deal with race, and then
there's other things that you got to deal with. But
like we said, women's sports sits right in the midst
of all of that. We could be not talking about basketball,
and we got plenty of women's issues that we know
have our country on fire, right, And so I think
it's a beautiful time. And I don't think anybody that
(13:17):
is a part of this league or has covered this league.
Sure we lament kind of keeping this little thing that
we love, to protect it from all of the noise
right right, But in the same breath, the eyeballs and
the visibility and the growth is better for all involved.
I mean, frankly, John, like Gayln Clark got me here, right,
you know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (13:34):
And not true let me tell you this. So I
am going to tell you this. The viral moment maybe
brought you to some national attention. I have been loving
what you do. You are such a good basketball analyst
and announcer. I've been following you on the New York Dates,
you and okeep Some of my favorite moments are the
two you okeepers.
Speaker 5 (13:53):
The battle keep my partner.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
I play by play guy. I mean, you're so knowledgeable.
I love basketball on the Knicks for one hundred and
thirty years.
Speaker 4 (14:04):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
I was in the stands in Madison Square Garden at
the very top of it when they played the Celtics
in double overtime, when they won the championship in seventy two,
and that against the Celtics. When it looks like, as
I've loved it for a long time, your voice, your knowledge,
your passion has cut through it for me. It's very
rare that I turn on the radio or hear a
(14:25):
new voice and go, oh, that person. They can explain
this to me, and you really do. You're a wonderful
I knew that wholeheartedly. That's how you got here. Okay,
by the way, I'd have had you on every day
during the playoffs?
Speaker 5 (14:43):
Oh wow, yeah, guy, we had fun.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Is there some sense of like a little bit of
like when an indie band hits it big? Are there
people within the w NBA community who feel like, I
don't want this to belong to everybody. I want it
to belong to this and of sisters that have worked
so hard to make it something.
Speaker 5 (15:07):
I have had that moment a few times because as
much as the conversation has been dictated by the audience, right,
we still haven't really sat up and talked about the
actual basketball. Love it, John, I don't know how many
people just join the WNBA understand that the Las Vegas
Aces are chasing down a three p which hasn't been
done since the formative years of the league. In the
(15:27):
Houston comments, I don't know how many people. How many
people know that the Connecticut Sun just lost their first
game the other day? They were nine to know to
start the season, right, What names can I help introduce
you to? I mean, if you pick up a rolling stone.
Asia Wilson and Brandon Stewart are part of the next issue,
I believe. And so we've opened the door, but we're
still like looking in instead of walking in. If that
makes if I may, absolutely right, absolutely, And so I
(15:50):
think it's a really unique time. And even with this
Olympic team stuff, right, Kaylen Clark, who you mentioned is
a tremendous competitor said herself, that's the toughest team to make.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
And she's a rookie, she's just coming out of Iowas.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
She can say that, and she can also feel as
if something in her has been awoken in terms of
making that a goal of her own. Right, I would hope,
and I know this is not a thing in sports.
We got to remember that two things can be true. Right,
She's been great for the league, but there were one
hundred and forty four women prior to her and this class, right,
that have gotten this thing up to year twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Right, no question. And I think one of the difficulties
of it is because it's a small league. I think
people don't realize as small as the NBA is, there's
still two rounds of a draft, and there are guys
that get picked up out of a G league, and
there's space on a team. There's a big roster. When
you're in the WNBA, Boy, there's just not that many teams,
and you're talking about a draft even when it's eight deep,
(16:42):
twelve d some of those people may not make the team.
These are women that have been playing the game for
a very long time.
Speaker 5 (16:48):
To that point, John, like the conversation about marketing, Yeah, sure,
got it makes sense, right, But there's also got to
be a realization that these women that have made this thing,
they're living, they are not necessarily chasing the financial benefit.
The w of your highest played player is max two
hundred fifty thousand dollars, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
And so there is not how Britney Griner ended up
in Russia. She was playing overseas, because it doesn't make that.
Speaker 5 (17:12):
That's exactly it. So many of these women supplement their
income in the league that they play out of love
to play at home with their teammates in front of
their families, and they go get their real money overseas.
That is changing. I do think that this class and
Clark is all a part of it changing. But I
think just to slap on do this because of the
money again is disrespectful and unfair to the women that
have gotten this lead to this point.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
As a broadcaster, in your story in some ways mirrors
the story of the WNBA in terms of having to
fight for attention with people who, in some respects are
not particularly humble about their position and slightly defensive about
(17:53):
those who may come at it from a different perspective.
Do you see that reflected in what you had to
go through and your journey to get to the desk
that you're at now, and does that give you hope
for the WNBA's future.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
I'm first of all, I'm thrilled about the WNBA's future.
And yes, right, I didn't go to the WNBA, but
I played sports all the way through college. Shout out
to my Georgetown hoyas, right, And so that foundation, that base,
that understanding hard work, improvement, that understanding of competition, all
of those things have helped me to be able to
stand ten toes down in these various rooms, in these
various conversations.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Right, it's intimidating, it is.
Speaker 5 (18:29):
And in the same breath, the people that I'm having
conversations with, whether they are well established television personalities or
former athletes, they have done the same in their own way.
Speaker 3 (18:37):
Right.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
But it is a reminder because of my background in sports,
shout out to keeping young girls in sports for this
exact reason, I too can be confident in the work
that I've done to get to this place, and for me,
that has been beautiful.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Who that is beautiful?
Speaker 1 (18:49):
And it really brings up the intersome question, who does
have the worst takes any given day? Given all right,
final question, I am an enormous Knicks fan. Yes we know,
and I want desperately to know if what I'm seeing
if the love that I am feeling. I have opened
(19:09):
my heart again, you know, Monica, It's been so long.
Thank you so much. I've opened up my heart again
to a basketball team. I never thought it would happen again.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
Proud of you. I'm so proud of you. That was
a big move.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
But Monica, I have to tell you something. I'm afraid
to be hurt and will will the Knicks hurt me?
Life is full of That was a hesitation, Monica.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
That was not That was a hesitation.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
I want them to be great.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
I look at I think they are on the right
track all right, But you got to play the games.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
That's why we go to them. And I don't want
to be in sad meme anymore, which is always what
happens when I'm at the games. Monica, what a delight
to meet you. And I'm such a fan of yours
and I wish you all the best and continue success.
Manic Myelu Joe explore more shows from the Daily Show
pot universe by searching The Daily Show wherever you get
your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Watch The Daily Show weeknights at eleven ten Central on
Comedy Central, and.
Speaker 3 (20:08):
Stream full episodes anytime on Paramount
Speaker 7 (20:11):
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