The WNBA All-Star rosters are set, and on a slow sports media day, outlets chose to bend the truth about Caitlin Clark to get more clicks and more views. A number of headlines designed to sucker in the reader stated that Clark had been voted the 11th-best guard in the WNBA by her peers.
The strategy is sound. Clark is the most popular player in the WNBA, and at the same time, the most polarizing. People either love her or hate her, and both groups will react to any article about her, whether it’s positive or negative. For this reason, every headline is tailored to be positive or negative, even if something neutral happened.
For example, if Clark scores 25 points against the Mystics on 10-22 shooting, fans of the game are sure to see two headlines come out of the game. Headline 1: Clark Torches Mystics for 25 Points. Headline 2: Clark Misses 12 Shots Versus Mystics, But Fever Still Wins. It’s almost as if Clark has her own Fox News and MSNBC channels reporting on her every move. Here is some context about the recent All-Star vote that the news outlets may not want people to know.
Nobody In The WNBA Voted On How Good Caitlin Clark Is
For starters, the WNBA did not hold a vote among its players, asking them to rank where they rank Clark as a player in the league. If they had, and 11th-place received the most votes, then the headlines would be completely accurate. The League also did not ask its players to rank every guard in the league, with Clrk getting the most 11th-place votes.
The WNBA asked its players to participate in the popularity contest that is All-Star voting. Like the fans, they were allowed to select four guards, and like the fans, they picked their favorite players (usually teammates and friends). Clark was selected as the 11th-most popular guard among her peers, and considering there are approximately 80 guards in the WNBA, this means Clark is among the most popular.
It’s also worth noting that not every player in the league voted for the All-Star game. In fact, 85 out of 180 players participated in the vote (47.2%). So, even if they had voted purely on merit, less than half the league voted Clark 11th. It’s easy to push the narrative that she’s unpopular within the league because divisiveness sells and gets clicks. It goes against the interests of news outlets to report the whole truth.
This popularity contest will be used as ammunition by both sides all over social media. One side will say, “See, she’s not that good, or the other players would have given her a higher ranking.” The other side will say, “Look how much they hate her. They are just jealous.”
It’s important not to get caught up in this nonsense. The reality is that Clark was voted as the 11th most popular player among 47% of the WNBA. That’s not a headline that will sell, though, so nobody reported it. The lesson here is to get all the facts, because the media isn’t interested in publishing them.
