Sports Metrics Overrule Your Myths

I appreciate the nuance in your opinion, but there is a difference between popularity, appeal and being the face of the league. Caitlin Clark is the most popular player in the WNBA, and the biggest draw. She’s not the face because she’s not creating a new standard for winning (yet). She does not have accomplishments that people want to take (yet). What team is everyone trying to beat? The Aces. What player is everyone trying to match? A’ja Wilson. The standard for winning is A’ja. Michael Jordan became the face of the NBA because he became the standard by which every player is measured. Everyone wanted to stop him. Caitlin isn’t there.

Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA. She just had a 45 POINT 10 ASSISTS DOUBLE DOUBLE with 4 steals, 2 blocks and 2 rebounds. Shot 11/18 from the field and 6/10 from 3 point range in 29 minutes with a +16 +/-. Other players have scored more points this year and in years pasts, but most of all, IT WAS EXCITING. That’s why the fans love watching her play. Her style is just different than what they are used to seeing. Caitlin Clark is UNDOUBTEDLY the most popular player in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark is a record breaking great player on and off the court. There is no denying that. Caitlin Clark has helped bring record breaking viewership, crowds and money with her to the WNBA. The issue in the WNBA right now amongst the players is that when you say someone is the “FACE OF THE WNBA” every competitive player will only conceded that designation to a player that they believe as earned it with their play on the court. The “Face of the WNBA” to the players and former players is A’Ja Wilson. She is respected as such by her peers because she is the best player in the WNBA, the only 4 time WNBA MVP and has won 3 WNBA Championships. The Face of the WNBA to the fans is Caitlin Clark. She is the player that excites the masses the most with her play style and has broken numerous WNBA records in her first 3 season. And there lies the disconnect. Michael Jordan was the face of the NBA before he won a Championship, but it came with extreme push back from the rest of the league in how they guarded him and treated him. LeBron James was the face of the NBA before he won a Championship, but it came with extreme push back from the rest of the league in how they guarded him and treated him. When players feel like they are being overshadowed by a player they feel doesn’t have the accolades to warrant it, they fight it. They don’t respect it. But there is a difference between being the face of the WNBA and being the best player in the WNBA. Definition of Face of the any professional league, “Title given to the league's most recognizable, marketable, and impactful player at any given time.” The fans have spoken on this matter, but many players and former players won’t like it because the gap in the accomplishments between A’Ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark is massive. Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA before she has won a championship and it has come with extreme push back from the players in the way she is guarded and treated. Just like Michael Jordan and LeBron James were. Will Caitlin Clark ever become the best player in the WNBA? She can. She has the ability to. But right now, she is the WNBA’s most recognizable player. That’s not disrespectful to the other great players in the WNBA, it’s the reality of where the WNBA was before and after Caitlin Clark showed up. Regardless, it’s okay to celebrate the greatness of all the WNBA’s great players without turning it into a race war. For the players, for the fans, for the WNBA and for the kids watching, this has to stop.

I was traveling back from vacation and couldn't watch. But the numbers Caitlin Clark put up last night NO OTHER WNBA PLAYER IS CAPABLE OF. Yes, she's been hurt a lot & inconsistent, this was "just Seattle," but last night is why she's by far the biggest draw & Face of the League.

To put it simply, Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA because she is the most prominent, marketable, and recognizable individual in the WNBA. She is not currently the best player in the WNBA. That’s A’Ja Wilson. The nuance that you are missing is that being the most popular player, recognizable player, biggest draw and bringing in the most money for the WNBA for 3 years now despite not winning a MVP or WNBA Championship, giving the players the ammo to get chartered flights with a new CBA that increased some players base salary by 1,400% and being the single player that globally other people recognize makes her the face of the WNBA. To be the standard of winning in the WNBA will take Caitlin Clark some time. Michael Jordan was the face of the NBA well before he was the standard of winning and before he ever won an NBA Championship or MVP because of his playing style and savvy branding. Everyone knew if they beat MJ or had the game to their life against him that everyone would notice because all eyes were on him. That is why teams play every game against the Indiana Fever like it is their Super Bowl. That is why every player with a competitive bone in their body plays Caitlin Clark like they have something to prove to the world. They know when they do it against Caitlin Clark, the world will notice. Having the first 45 point 10 assists double double in WNBA History and the first 45 point 10 assists double double in 29 mins in NBA or WNBA History shows the talent and rare playing style Caitlin Clark possesses. It’s okay to say that A’Ja Wilson is the best player in the WNBA. It’s okay to say Olivia Miles is the best rookie and one of the best guards in the WNBA. It’s okay to say that Angel Reese is the best rebounder in the WNBA. And it’s okay to say that Caitlin Clark is the Face of the WNBA.