Kamilla Cardoso does not have much to say about the ongoing discourse surrounding WNBA players who are “ungrateful” for what Caitlin Clark has done for professional women’s basketball. She wants it to be very clear that the league’s meteoric rise in popularity is not only because of the No. 1 overall pick.
However, the basis for Cardoso’s claim does not appear to be true…
All of this dialogue stems from a narrative surrounding Clark’s impact on the WNBA. The greatest scorer in college basketball history is the primary catalyst for a massive increase in popularity over the last few months. Charter flights are now commonplace. Games that used to be behind a paywall are airing on ESPN and ABC. Games that used to be played at small, stinky barns with six fans are being played at sold-out NBA arenas. Merchandise sales are way up. As is viewership. As is media coverage and conversation.
And yet, there has been some frustration among veteran players who see a discrepancy in how Clark is treated compared to the rest of the league.
That led Charles Barkley to make some rather explosive comments about “petty girls” who are hating on the superstar rookie. He thinks they should be more appreciative of Clark for bringing money and shine to the WNBA.
As could be expected, Barkley’s harangue did not go over well. Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud even said that men should stop talking about the women’s league all together, which will only turn people off even more. It is the fastest way to lose new fans.
Kamilla Cardoso offered a rebuttal!
Angel Reese and Cardoso were both drafted in the first round of last month’s WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. The former took a shot at Barkley and Clark in a post on X that she deleted after more than 2.3 million views, which is extremely soft. Stand by what you said!
The latter offered a similar sentiment on Instagram live. Cardoso said that Clark cannot be the only person who is inspiring change in/for the WNBA because all of the Sky’s games are sold out.
Kamilla Cardoso has spoken!! I love herrrrr!!! pic.twitter.com/X5lGNxijxp
— Sapphics Source🇵🇸🇵🇸 (@sapphic_source) May 25, 2024
Here’s the problem. Chicago’s games are not actually sold out.
One simple Google search took me to the Sky’s ticketing site. Quite a few of the remaining games have standard tickets left for sale. That is especially true when you include the verified resale market, where there is an abundance of open tickets.
The only games where remaining tickets are running extremely low, or are listed at outrageously expensive prices, are against Clark and the Indiana Fever. So, yes, the games might be “sold out” but scalpers are reselling a lot of tickets…
Cardoso might be right. This year’s rookie class as a whole, including she and Reese, are bringing new fans to the WNBA. As is the increase in accessibility.
However, Caitlin Clark is still the biggest draw in women’s basketball — even though she is extremely tired of the outside noise and just wants to focus only on hoops.