Women's basketball at inflection point

Caitlin Clark

Here we are talking basketball in June! Imagine the WNBA as the focal point. It's pretty close to having that status. We know the NBA playoffs seem to go on forever. And once your home state team loses, you're inclined to really put it on the back burner. To the point that it just doesn't matter. 

Yes we're happy for our Timberwolves here in Minnesota. But they're done. What lingers is the catchy phrase to promote Minny, coined by that Edwards player. I will remember that as much as anything. There's a taste issue but basketball players often talk at street level. We can consider it cute on that level. Is it on T-shirts? 

I haven't checked around Morris but are "Fever" T-shirts available? "Fever" goes with the WNBA and a particular individual. It would seem this summer is a turning point for the women's league of professional basketball. 

Amazing how this great USA turns out personalities who in a short time can end up on grocery store magazine covers. Or on "Saturday Night Live." In a free country such as ours, just about anything is possible. So this young woman from West Des Moines becomes the sudden attention magnet. Well, good for her, obviously. She is so totally unfazed just as all the "great ones" are. It has been said of pro athletes that they "have no fear of failure." 

Think of this Clark girl or woman, playing in her early games with the WNBA, looking at the basket from so far away and being ready to defy the odds once again. Send the ball on its arc. Knowing that the public's expectations are high. "What if I miss?" Seems she has no such thought. So she's a tried-and-true superstar. No fear. Ready to compete on anyone's terms. Even with the "prison rules" we sometimes see in pro women's basketball. She is not built particularly large. Is she up for it? 

 

Physicality

We ponder this as controversy has already arisen. We had the non-basketball play "shove" that sent CC down to the floor. The league got involved after the foul to make it more serious. I was never before familiar with the name of the fouling player. 

On the receiving end of the foul was that woman who might be on the cover of the grocery store magazines. Maybe it has already happened - I do not check. If it's not happening it would be a mighty good suggestion. Caitlin Clark, the girl or woman from West Des Moines IA, only 22 years old. Semi-famous last year, now having blossomed into the kind of mega celebrity that America can give us. 

We appear to be at a juncture now. Let's say the women's pro league is at a juncture. It would appear that now is the time to seize for making the WNBA at least semi-big time. No more getting by with just "polite" attention, as in "we need to pay attention to the women too." Can the women sustain themselves with their own talent, their own product? Can they eventually break off from the men's NBA, to no longer require the "subsidy?" 

Let's be direct here. My suggested answer would be "no." We follow it for the time being because we sense the potential. 

Never so high-profile as now

Through the early season I have been continually aware of when the Indiana Fever's next game is. I absolutely could not care about any other team, would not bother checking the upcoming matchups. Many of us to be polite or P.C. would say we are aware. We might experiment with trying. Can it go beyond the experiment? Or, as we get caught up in the demands and distractions of our day-to-day life, will we find it's out-of-mind? Everything, that is, except how CC is doing. 

We'll have the natural curiosity to see if there are some new highlight videos of CC making her extra-long shots or buzzer-beaters. Wherever she plays, she will always draw interest with those. 

 

Weighing race

The hugely uncomfortable question through all of this is: is there a racial factor? White people who would swear up and down they are not racist might nevertheless develop interest in CC on such terms. Call it subliminal. I might grant this is true. It's too hard to deny it. 

But I am forced to think deeper on this question: does race really play in? If yes, to an appreciable degree? One commentator of color said it's natural to be "attracted to people who are like us." 

But what appeal does CC project beyond her scoring and sheer skill? What if a young player of color came along capable of doing same, of making the incredibly long shots, the buzzer-beaters, and what if that player had the "entertainment instincts" that CC has? We might overlook that Clark indeed entertains beyond her sheer talents. She'd "work the crowd" at the Iowa arena. Just one example: holding up her hand to an ear to suggest  "you can cheer louder than that!" 

She showed such natural poise on "Saturday Night Live" we might have overlooked her sheer feel for the gig. So if a player of color came along with virtually all of CC's attributes, would the following be the same? Can't be sure. I think the appeal would be very high. 

 

Lucy Olsen: to Iowa from Villanova

Meanwhile back at Iowa

CC now has a successor in the star's role at Iowa: a transfer from Villanova. Her name is Lucy Olsen. A guard. A very accomplished player already. And with the name "Lucy Olsen" you might surmise she's white. She is! Remember the "Police Squad" movies that had O.J. Simpson as "Nordberg?" Laughs from the improbable name. Names can be "code." 

Iowa comes off as a Midwestern white bastion. Some might say "white bread." Home of Steve King the demonstrably bigoted politician. It is also home to Charles Grassley who is "exhibit A" for how office-holders stay at the dance too long. He's a candidate for being another Strom Thurmond. 

Iowa had a noteworthy player of color this past season: Hannah Stuelke. She was very important to the team's fortunes, scored 37 points in a game against Penn State. And she'll be back. One player of color might be considered a "token," alas.  

 

Again, physicality

The WNBA marches forward with an image that hasn't undergone too much revision. Too much "prison rules." An overwhelming perception of being heavily gay or lesbian. Can America start putting that imagery aside and begin to embrace the league as a premier level for the truly beautiful sport of basketball? 

Pro leagues can change the complexion of their games or product. Oh yes they can. Baseball adjusts its strike zone to regulate the amount of offense. In football the key is to give the 'O' linemen more latitude to give passers time, also to limit what the 'D' backs can do. Keep the level of offense and scoring high. The NFL let defense become too strong in the 1970s. Major League Baseball allowed pitching to get way too strong through the 1960s. But these things are wholly changeable. 

Women's pro basketball? Let's tamp down the prison rules aspect please. Promote the finesse and outside shooting of the premier guards. The big players can hunker down inside to get rebounds. Let's discourage the kind of "shove" that CC got, although I'm tempted to smile because I think it's possible CC "flopped." Just like a field goal kicker or punter might do in football when an opponent makes contact. CC the consummate competitor would do anything to get an edge, n'est-ce pas? 

But let's be honest: we'd like to see CC make the long rainbow shots. But it's important for the Fever to win. If the Fever can win even with CC averaging 10 points a game, her stock will still be high. If she averages 25 points but her team loses, that could become a problem. In the meantime let's continue to be amazed by how basketball can be a focal point sport in June!

 

Addendum: Sorry but I should have mentioned tattoos too. If CC had several of these and spoke in a monotone voice, my impression of her would drop some notches.

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com