WNBA's Birth to Caitlin Clark's Rise: Christine Brennan's New Book Explains the Shift

It is rare that a journalist can speak to the growth of the WNBA not just from the perspective of coverage, but from its very conception.

Christine Brennan began her career as a sports journalist by breaking barriers. After receiving her master's degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, she became the first female sports reporter for the Miami Herald in 1981.

While working for the Washington Post in 1985, she broke the NFL's gender barrier and began covering the Washington Football team—almost three decades before the franchise dropped its racially insensitive name and became the Commanders.

"There were moments when people did not want me around," Brennan recalls. "Even the coach, Joe Gibbs."

Brennan says Gibbs did not believe a woman should be in the locker room. "This was '85 and the NFL was the last of the big leagues to have an equal access policy."

Eventually, her professionalism turned the tide, even winning over Coach Gibbs—begrudgingly. Brennan recalls Gibbs saying, "I personally don't believe it's right, but I've been told we're doing it. So we will do it. She will be treated right, and that's the end of the conversation."

Since then, Brennan has covered countless athletes and events, including Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams, and multiple Olympic Games.

While her comprehensive sports coverage is impressive, it is her reporting on the WNBA since its infancy that gives her a unique perspective on the league's evolution.

She covered foundational players like Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper as they helped establish the league as legitimate and highly competitive. Legends like Lisa Leslie, Maya Moore, and Candace Parker paved the way for today's stars like Napheesa Collier and A'ja Wilson, who have set the benchmark for excellence in the league.

Yet without winning a single championship in college and without a single playoff appearance so far, the name most synonymous with the WNBA right now is Caitlin Clark.

From her long-shot three-pointers to buzzer-beaters in college, Clark became a fan favorite. But she also became a flashpoint for racists and homophobic fans to share their ideals. 

Clark is the star who has ushered in sold-out arenas, lucrative TV deals, and higher endorsements across the league. A white player from middle America has walked into the house built by Black women and captured mainstream attention in unprecedented ways.

In her new book "Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports," Brennan asks poignant questions about race, recognition, and the complexities of the WNBA's newfound popularity.

The central question she explores: If everything about Clark's game remained the same but she was Black, would she receive the same level of mainstream attention and endorsement opportunities?

The resounding answer is no — but she sees this moment as growing pains for a promising WNBA future rather than an insurmountable problem.

In this episode of the Jackie Rae Show, Brennan discusses her groundbreaking career, the role of race in sports coverage, and what the WNBA could have done better to protect its players during this period of explosive growth.