Caitlin Clark dramatic impact on attendance. Has any athlete ever caused this much of an impact?
1948_Swell_Robinson
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The games she plays in on the road are the ones setting record attendance for those teams' home games. Has any other athlete caused this much of a spike in attendance in any sport?
Looks like her cards are on fire too...
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That's incredible.... especially for Indiana. Wow.
It's not not reminiscent of 84 NBA draft class and the impact that had on the popularity of the NBA, attendance, and all the $$$ that followed.
Not saying it's the same thing in every aspect, but it has a similar "glow".
I've never seen or heard about a professional sport needing to consistently switch to larger venues because of overwhelming demand for seats. Presumably, the hysteria will subside and the teams can go back to their little gyms. But.....it would be cool to see this happen as the league grows and needs larger venues if the hysteria doesn't subside.
Gobble.
Outstanding. 👍👍
I dunno though about the card values. As mentioned before, I still think she will play in the WNBA for a limited time, and then instead choose to raise a family. So I don't think she will have a long career in the WNBA.
Perhaps even if that happens, since Caitlin will always be fondly remembered even if having a short WNBA career, her cards would still be in high demand?
Great popularity? Easy call as that has already occurred. Good long term investment of her cards? I'm not so sure about that. However I wouldn't mind at all being wrong.
One wild card is that as we all know, card collecting is dominated by far with males. Could her popularity "entice" females to become active in our hobby? If that happens, then her cards might skyrocket.
It's not hard to envision a parent giving their daughter a Caitlin Clark card as a nice gift, which stimulates the daughter to become an avid card collector. 😊
Steve, I have her 1st Bowman Chrome arriving later today in the mail! Will post a pic when it arrives.
I have no numbers to back this up, but I would think Lionel Messi may have jumped MLS attendance numbers since he signed with Miami.
When I see a smart card collector such as you making this purchase, that tells me something. Maybe I'll just have to jump on the Caitlin Clark card bandwagon. Perhaps grab a few off Ebay this weekend. 😊
Looking forward to seeing that Bowman.
My kid had to have his jerseys.
Totally agree with this. It also resonates with my feelings that I wouldn't mind having a Clark on-card auto on her Rookie issue in my collection... and as less and less of a novelty each day.
I just took a quick look on Ebay. I'm primarily a vintage card collector, and don't know chit about modern cards.
There are a number of Caitlin cards on there. Anyone have any opinions on which ones may hold the best investment value? My only interest would be the PSA 10's.
They are very reasonably priced from what I saw. I may just buy one of each. I mean it's only money. 😁
Steve, I purchased the Caitlin Clark 2022 Bowman University Chrome #50 PSA 10, her Bowman 1st card. And as you said they are reasonably priced at this time. There are also sellers on Ebay preselling her 2024 Panini Instant (actual rookie card) psa 10 which I am thinking about doing as well. This card is scheduled to be released by Panini on August 31st.
There's Caitlinmania going on out there, and I don't think i can resist not being a part of it. 😊
i've heard of the Panini cards, but don't own any. This may very well be my first. Frankly, I've always enjoyed the collecting aspect of cards, but I also enjoy the investment aspect. If I think those Caitlin Panini cards are a good long term investment, I will jump in the pool head first.
If it turns out to be a bust, i'll just have to only eat tomato soup for awhile, until I can afford the crackers. 😉
You know, I can't help but laugh when I hear about the Caitlin Clark hoopla and how she's getting roughed up in the WNBA, she doesn't know what getting roughed up means. Christy Martin put women's boxing on the map in the 1990s, she transcended the sport, made the cover of Sports Illustrated, Don King even signed her. I used to watch her on the Mike Tyson undercards, she didn't give a crap about bleeding, every punch she threw was loaded with so much unmitigated malice that she looked like Jack Dempsey in a wig when she fought. She also survived an attack by her husband in which he stabbed her multiple times and shot her in the chest and left her for dead. Caitlin Clark ain't got nothing on this woman.
Christy was good at violence, but could she toss a roundball through a hole at 30+ feet away? Though she could have been an enforcer for the Detroit Pistons back then.
Gobble.
Sounds like a tough woman. Impressive.
The hoopla is that Clark isn't an 'undercard' she is the draw.
Nothing against Christy Martin, but I never heard of her before. While Caitlin Clark is rapidly becoming a household name, if she isn't already.
My recollection is that Muhammad Ali's boxing daughter put women's boxing on the map. In my opinion, Caitlin is doing that with women's basketball, certainly expanding the map.
LOL. Caitlin Clark has nothing on this woman, I don't care how many people tune in to Clarks games. This woman walked through an inferno inside and outside the ring.
Her being responsible for over 33% of the league attendance at this point is truly remarkable. The only two others I can think of that have had that kind of impact are Othani and Livy Dunne. Ratings spiked in Japan with Othani even past Ichiro levels and stadiums started selling out when LSU gymnastics with Dunne involved
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
Beautiful card! 👍
My 2010 Ringside Boxing Round 1 Turkey Red Onyx 1/1 Christy Martin card and the photo that inspired it. She was the only woman included in the set because she put women's boxing on the map, she electrified the crowds with her "damn the torpedoes" style of fighting.
DD - I'm not questioning Christy Martin's toughness as far as sports. Even if the video wasn't posted, with your vast knowledge about boxing, I would take your word for it anyway.
That being said, if ya wanna talk about toughness with women, there are numerous women heroes who helped our country gallantly during wars, who were infinitely tougher than any sports star.
Frankly, I don't think it's valid to compare the two if physical toughness is the guide, as it is different sports. Both women are tough players for their sport, not debatable.
You've probably seen the movie Million Dollar Baby. I thought it was a great movie. well deserving of the Best Picture Oscar.
Oh I know, but you know how I get with boxing, I'm obsessed with it, I have to promote it every chance I get. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go watch Holmes vs Norton for the 83rd time.
Oh yeah, before I go, Christy Martin highlights, Jack Dempsey in a wig!
That is what I was going to say. I was around in 1990 and immersed in the sports world and have been since, but I have never heard of her until this post in this thread. Nothing against her. She looks to be an absolute warrior.
Agreed. It is remarkable.
Messi was the first name that popped to mind that might have been comparable. Maybe even Beckham or Pele back in the day when they came to play in the US. I’m no fan of soccer so I have no first hand knowledge of any of their impacts, just what I’ve read (Pele) and observed in the media (Beckham, Messi) about their impacts here.
This is not to take anything away from her and her massive impact on the sport - her popularity has been phenomenal for the game (and similar to my soccer comment from above, I’m no fan of ANY pro basketball league, men or women). Just answering the original question
Jim
Good examples.
It seems to me the Clark hype is a little overblown. Is she a good player, sure but not any more talented than many women players that have come before her. Lynette Woodard for one example.
When the women’s Michael Jordan comes along and starts doing things on the court nobody has seen before from a woman then I’ll get excited. I understand Clark broke the scoring record which is a great accomplishment but there have been many women players who were more gifted athletes.
I would imagine that before Caitlinmania, at least 999 out of 1000 Americans couldn't name a single WNBA player. I know I couldn't. Except some might know the name of that WNBA player who was imprisoned in Russia for awhile. I remember the incident, but had forgotten her name.
Virtually every, if not every major news site has a story about Caitlin this week.
She is setting rookie records on a bad team that gets lost in all the noise. Shes incredibly talented. Theres plenty of NBA players that are more athletically gifted than Steph Curry as well
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
in
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It would be pretty upsetting if every thread about Caitlin Clark gets closed. This is a sports topic people are interested in.
Uh yeah….. again she’s a good player she just happens to be the most hyped good player in wnba history.
What records are you talking about?
Not a league-level impact but Mark Fidrych and Fernando Valenzuela both popped huge crowds on the road as rookies.
Her per game records of 3s, her averages of points rebounds and assists. Theres plenty of them at this point in her career for what she had done in the games shes played.
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
I've only watched a few snippets. Supposedly Caitlin is on a bad team. Probably she is getting double teamed, etc, taking away her offensive capability and thus her stats are reduced.
You should have been more specific. You mean she’s leading the 2024 rookie crop in those categories. Fair enough but you said she was setting rookie records which is false.
She has been setting them.
Shes also the fastest player in WNBA history to score 200+ plus points and 50+ assists.
If you look into it shes setting a bunch of records that arent just related to attendance and TV ratings .
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
This stuff isn’t so simple. If you watch the games, the way the Fever offense is being run simply doesn’t promote Caitlin putting up big scoring numbers.
She is averaging 6 assists and 5.4 turnovers per game. By anybody’s standards that’s a terrible ratio.
I just hope she avoids injuries which Jackie Stiles was not able to do. Jackie also set the college scoring record at the time. Any of you remember her?
I remember Fernando mania very well. Captivated the whole baseball world.
I mentioned Jack Dempsey earlier, no one in the history of sports was bigger than Dempsey in the roaring Twenties, he brought in Boxing's first $1 million dollar gate, and $2 million dollar gate. Some 91,000 fans attended the Dempsey-Carpentier fight in 1921, and 120,000 fans attended the first Dempsey-Tunney fight in 1926, while some 39 million radio listeners nationwide gathered at city centers, storefronts, drugstores, athletic clubs, and theaters to hear live coverage of the event. No previous civic spectacle in the United States had drawn so many witnesses. It's staggering to look at the overhead view of the Dempsey-Carpentier fight.
Caitlin versus Dempsey in a one on one basketball match.
I'm taking Caitlin. 🏀
This is a photo of the crowd outside the New York Times building in 1921 waiting to find out the results of Dempsey-Carpentier fight.
My Grampa was the one wearing the hat.
Another name I just thought of is Babe Ruth. He was a larger-than-life popular cult like character who many say put baseball on the map. As for attendance figures pre-Babe and during Babe, I have none, but I know if I was around in that era, you better believe I would have been on that larger-than-life Bambino train going to watch him play!
Assists are on the teammates. Its not like she can just throw the ball up for them to dunk it. I have a feeling their coach is on the hot seat when she wants the team taking low percentage long 2s
Wisconsin 2-6 against the SEC since 2007
I do. Saw her put up over 40 in an NCAA tournament game in Spokane. She was amazing.
You see some of the weirdest takes and analysis surrounding Caitlin and the WNBA. First Take actually devoted a segment this morning to the fact that Angel Reese had a flagrant foul against Clark yesterday. It was a basketball move and certainly not intentional, but Clark was hit in the head and it was clearly the correct call.
In postgame comments, Clark downplayed any controversy, while Reese said “I guess some people got a special whistle,” implying that Clark gets calls others wouldn’t.
But Reese’s attempt at victimhood wasn’t even mentioned on ESPN. Instead, ESPN analyst Andraya Carter seemed annoyed to even have to discuss Clark, and basically told people to pay more attention to A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. Andraya, I think people can figure out on their own what they’re interested in. 👍
You're right, there has been a ton of interesting discussion about this. It's crystal clear what's going on out there with some WNBA players and media types that for their selfish reasons, prefer that Caitlin wasn't in the league, and that's beyond shameful.