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Dan wetzel
The army of Ketleen Clarke and his fans is the most valuable commercial property of the WNBA. Not the most valuable player (at least not yet) … but commercial property.
Clarke’s arrival in the spring of 2024 increased the league’s television rating, appearance, media rights, sponsorship and franchise evaluation. Overnight, the billionaires were fighting to pay $ 250 million for their own teams.
Clarke offered more than just logo -3 highlights. He hoped for the league.
WNBA’s number 1 goal should take the huge base of fans who followed Clarke from Iowa and converted him to the entire league fans … not just a player or team.
It does not matter how or why new customers come. Everything should be about seizing the opportunity to make them regular by selling them on a strong product already playing outside on a night basis.
WNBA was handed over a winning lottery ticket, when Tiger Woods arrived on PGA Tour, not seen in the game.
The league should stop trying to light the fire.
The latest evidence of self-torrent comes from a conversation between WNBA Commissioner Kathy Angelbert and Minnesota Star Nefesa Kolier.
The specific topic was a crook contract, which attracts his own attention from the $ 75,000 underwallu Clarke and other young talents such as Angel Reese and Pagi Bukers who, still valuable – but still valuable – their own attention from fan bases and college.
“I … asked how [Engelbert] Planned to fix the fact that players such as Catalin, Angel and Paiggy, who are clearly running large -scale revenue for the league, are so low for their first four years, “Kolier said at a news conference.”
Coliere later stated that Engelbert said to him, “The players should be on their knees, who thank their lucky stars for the media rights deal that I got.”
Coliere relajed the conversation as part of a screw against Engelbert, which was the quality of the crime, criticism of league fines, and other issues. All valid points, especially are going to talks for a new labor deal. Nevertheless, a bound about committing crime, no matter how brutally distributed, is very common. Entertaining, yes, but it will fade.
Although Coliere is very smart. The Clarke comments he held for Engelbert was to be a purposeful grenade.
Clarke’s fans were already careful with the reception received in the WNBA, and they have good reasons.
Hard dishonesty. Sneezing comments. Snothed media comment. Olympics. Some of these can be brushed as the reality of competitive sports. No one has a path of flowers. However, some of it is based on politics, or pride, or jealousy, or rivalry, or … Many times, everything about Clarke seems like a circus of controversy.
While Clarke himself has never complained, many of his fans experience – and the perception quickly becomes reality – that Clarke does not fully welcome the League.
In return, neither are they.
The WNBA Commissioner says Clarke should be grateful because without the league she will not make “anything”, just confirms the doubt. It also plays on an old trop that female athletes must be grateful to the opportunity to play. Is this 1972?
The whole thing is ridiculous, absolutely. While living in Clarke College, he was carrying out national support campaigns. By her junior season, she was more popular than any WNBA player. She reached Amir.
Perhaps Engelbert did not know.
The WNBA commissioner will have an opinion that who should be grateful to whom, let it go alone that it would unprofessionally to another active player.
It is not Clarke that WNBA should thank him for his support. This is the league that should be thanked for the bounce in the business. It should count his blessings that he and other young charismatic stars are catching its league.
Engelbert said as part of a statement, “I am disappointed at how Neeffa characterized our conversation and league leadership.” “But even when our approaches are different, my commitment to players and not for this work.”
This is not denied that Kolier said that Engelbert said. It also does not address the main issue.
The worst thing for women’s basketball business can be for all new fans to think that the League not only appreciates its favorite player, but is also openly hostile and complicated for them.
It’s okay how you do not increase a game. They can tune for Cateline Games (or Angel and Paigy Games), but now they have the motivation to deliberately support, see or care about anyone or anyone else.
WNBA is not a sudden business that distinguishes them as lifelong customers.
It is an enemy.
