Talk show host at NewsTalkSTL. 2023 Missouri Broadcasters Association Award for "Air Talent Of The Year." He is an animal lover and an avid poker player.
There is something rare about Caitlin Clark that has nothing to do with the logo threes.
It is not the passing.
It is not the range.
It is not the ratings, the jerseys, the ticket sales, the packed arenas, or the way the entire league feels different when she walks into a building.
Those things matter.
But they are not the thing.
The thing is the light.
Caitlin came into the game with the joy of someone who still looked like she remembered why she started playing in the first place. There was a freedom to her. A little bounce. A little mischief. A little “can you believe we get to do this?” energy.
That is what made people fall in love with her before the WNBA ever figured out how valuable she was.
She made the game feel alive.
And that is why watching this season has been so hard at times.
Because somewhere along the way, the league that benefited from her joy started testing how much of it she could keep.
The hard fouls.
The cheap shots.
The strange whistles.
The technicals for reacting like a human being.
The constant lectures from people who should be thanking her.
The media members who keep trying to make her smaller.
The veterans who seem more interested in reminding her where she is than appreciating what she brought.
The coaches and league voices who keep acting like this is all normal.
It is not normal.
And fans are not crazy for noticing.
There is a difference between a young star adjusting to a professional league and a young star being hardened by a league that still does not seem comfortable with how much she matters.
Caitlin Clark did not just bring attention to the WNBA.
She brought money.
She brought ratings.
She brought packed buildings.
She brought new fans.
She brought old basketball families.
She brought fathers and daughters.
She brought people who had not watched this league in years.
She brought the kind of relevance leagues spend decades trying to manufacture.
And somehow, too many people around the WNBA have treated that gift like a problem to be managed instead of a miracle to be protected.
That is the tragedy.
Not that Caitlin is facing pressure. Greatness always brings pressure.
Not that opponents are physical. This is professional basketball.
Not that she has bad games. Every player does.
The tragedy is watching a player who brought so much life into the league have to fight so hard to keep the joy from being beaten out of her.
Because that joy matters.
The smile matters.
The swagger matters.
The little smirk after a deep three matters.
The fire matters.
The emotional reactions matter.
The childlike love of the game matters.
Those things are not weaknesses.
They are part of what made her special.
And the hope is that she does not let this league take that from her.
The hope is that she comes through this stronger, wiser, tougher, and still fully herself.
Not sanitized.
Not hardened into someone else’s version of acceptable.
Not manipulated into silence.
Not coached into ordinary.
Not bullied into dimming her own light so other people feel more comfortable standing near it.
Because Caitlin Clark’s light is the reason so many people showed up in the first place.
And if the WNBA is smart, it will stop trying to survive her impact and start protecting it.
The league does not need less Caitlin.
It needs more of what Caitlin brought with her.
More joy.
More imagination.
More fire.
More freedom.
More life.
The money was never the miracle.
The attention was never the miracle.
The endorsements were never the miracle.
The miracle was that a player walked into a stale basketball culture and made millions of people feel something again.
That is worth protecting.
So yes, the hope is she stays her.
Through the noise.
Through the pressure.
Through the fouls.
Through the criticism.
Through the people who still do not understand what they are looking at.
The hope is that Caitlin Clark keeps the light.
Because the league may have gained a superstar.
But it should be very careful not to lose the soul that came with her.
Sophie got a T for just pointing! She never said a word and got under DB's skin. Did anyone remind DB that Sophie is a black belt? Sophie is officially the enforcer for this Fever team! Love this! Love her!!! @kenjwilliams@KarenKataline
@justmew7777 To me if the Fever want to salvage the season, they need to fire White and turn the reigns over to Austin Kelly.
With this said, until the Simons start seeing Gainbridge half empty, they are not going to rattle the cages in the front office.
Hot Diggity Dog “You just PISSED ME OFF”
Marion County FL Sheriff Billy Woods just went OFF on a piece of shit reporter who shifted topics away from a major sting operation to capture child sex criminals.
“Out of all this shit, you want to ask about another case? We’re talking about CHILDREN! — THAT (points to the sex predators) is what you need to be focused on— this press conference is solely for those pieces of shit right there.”
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