The WNBA graph is witnessing an unprecedented upsurge this season, thanks to the new crop of rookies poised to take the league to new heights. Names such as Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, Nika Muhl, Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, and Rickea Jackson have become household names. And to provide further insights into the player’s mind, the WNBA has some plans.
The Pro League of Women’s Basketball has announced its documentary ‘Year 1’ comprising four episodes. Notably, the docuseries will focus on the lives of four famous rookies this season: Angel Reese, Nika Muhl, Kamilla Cardoso, and Rickea Jackson. The news was announced via the WNBA’s official Instagram account with the caption, “Follow the journeys of these four rookies as they’re acclimating to their new roles & teams in the Year 1 docuseries. Stream the first episode of ‘Year 1’ now on the WNBA App.”
Apart from the caption, the WNBA’s post featured clips of all four rookies as they unveil navigating their professional seasons. Surely, this is a can’t-miss opportunity as it displays never-before-seen content from the emerging stars in their rookie season. Also, it would be an apt occasion for the WNBA to capitalize on the marketing opportunity that the 2024 rookie class has offered.
But fans are not really satisfied with the current cast of the docuseries. The major reason behind this is the absence of Caitlin Clark from ‘Year 1.’ Considering the large fanbase Clark has offered to the WNBA, and her sold-out shows, her absence seems a little intriguing. Naturally, it urged spectators to dive into the comment section to discover the reason behind Clark’s omission from ‘Year 1.’
Caitlin Clark effect through the eyes of X users
Since Caitlin Clark’s arrival at the Indiana Fever, the team has seen consistently sold-out games despite average performances. The Rookie of the Month for May is also estimated to be the major reason behind filling up WNBA arenas up to 94%. All these factors are quite enough to get Clark on the WNBA’s documentary. “Is it me or is someone missing?” penned a user on X, highlighting Clark’s absence.
USA Today via Reuters
“How does the WNBA keep fumbling the bag so badly?” penned another user. Instead of using Clark’s enormous fan base, the WNBA opted to stick to its traditional selection process and enlisted her as an alternative.
Clark, featuring an army of 2.6 million followers, could have topped the charts if she was featured in the documentary. To support this statement, let’s look into the facts. Despite being a rookie, the 22-year-old has received a total of 700,730 votes to stand atop the All-Star list. Notably, this is 600,000 more votes compared to last season when A’ja Wilson was the top vote-getter. “Really missed out on not covering the face of women’s basketball,” added another user.
The Iowa native has been receiving immense love from fans, and people want to see her perform on the court. Her last matchup against the Aces registered the fifth-largest crowd in history since 1999. As all this impressive growth is due to the Caitlin Clark effect, spectators are triggered by Clark’s absence. “So they don’t have the overall #1 pick in the draft? Wait, what?” said a spectator.
Moving on, the WNBA has prioritized Draft No. 7 (Reese), No. 14 (Muhl), No. 3 (Kamilla Cardoso), and No. 4 (Rickea Jackson) over the No. 1 pick (Clark). But it’s not the first time Clark didn’t make the cut. “Wait a second, Caitlin Clark didn’t make the cut for this either?! What the hell!!!” added another user.
Earlier this year, the WNBA unveiled Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Unexpectedly, Caitlin Clark wasn’t among the shortlisted candidates. Since the USA women’s basketball team, despite winning gold for quite a few years now, is often ignored by the media at the Olympics, Clark’s addition could have changed that.
Quite evidently, the WNBA’s disparity is making it lack in capitalizing on the “Caitlin Clark effect.” However, there’s good news too. On July 20, Clark and Reese with the WNBA All-Star team will be facing off against Team USA’s roster at Footprint Center. What’s your take on the arch-rivals playing on the same team for the first time? Comment down below!
