Stephen A. Smith Blasts WNBA for Tardy Use of Caitlin Clark's Popularity
Noted ESPN media personality Stephen A. Smith has been an outspoken advocate for Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark throughout her first season of professional basketball.
There have been numerous instances of Smith coming to Clark's defense this season in "The Stephen A. Smith Show", even if it means putting the WNBA or its players on blast to make his points.
Perhaps the biggest news in the women's basketball community as of late has been the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) opting out of their current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which means it will expire after the 2025 season.
And while Smith believes the WNBPA made the right decision, a recent segment from his show conveys that he thinks they didn't maximize their value because of their reluctance to welcome Clark with open arms.
"The players are absolutely right," Smith said about the WNBPA opting out of the current CBA. "Players citing higher television ratings, attendance figures, franchise values as the reason for opting out? Now wait a DAMN minute. Wait a DAMN minute. What have I been saying? I said Caitlin Clark, rising tide lifts all boats.
"As much as her presence was maximized by the WNBA, you players could have done more to assist it," Smith continued. "Despite the contributions [of former WNBA players] for years and years and years, a lot of people didn't care, fair or not, until Caitlin Clark came along."
He then discussed how both Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, "Elevated television ratings, elevated attendance, and it damn sure elevated franchise value. But now, something that y'all resisted talking about... now you wanna come and say 'Let's opt out of the CBA,' because of those very same things?
"You know what I would say to y'all? That are you willing to admit how stupid it was not to go all-in, and speaking your piece, to elevate Caitlin Clark? So therefore even more attention could have come? And y'all could have reaped the benefits?" Smith added.
Stephen A. Smith talking about the WNBA players opt out of CBA and the fact that caitlin clark's impact wasn't taken advantage from the beginning.#WNBA#feverrising pic.twitter.com/swmdhU31O3
— LEO (@the22_LEO) October 25, 2024
He has a fair point.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.