I know it’s late, but I’ve got a late submission for the “Dumbest Caitlin Clark Take Of The Year” award.
I can still submit it? Good! Let’s all welcome legendary UConn Women’s basketball coach, Geno Auriemma, to the clubhouse. He’ll be your new leader in just a minute.
It’s been nearly two weeks since Alyssa Thomas shoved Clark to the floor and did everything but choke her and use her as a doormat, and the discourse is as fiery as ever. Naturally, the whole thing has turned into a discussion about Thomas receiving online hate, because that’s just how these things go in 2026.
DAN DAKICH RIPS ALYSSA THOMAS AFTER CAITLIN CLARK HIT, SAYS WNBA STARS DODGE BLAME AGAIN
As for Clark … she still hasn’t played since that game, although rumor has it she’ll be back in the lineup as soon as tonight against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Auriemma went on the “Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch” to discuss all things basketball, including, of course, Caitlin Clark.
And he offered a couple SCORCHING takes.
Head coach Geno Auriemma of the UConn Huskies speaks with Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes following their 92-72 win in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on March 27, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
“This was not something created by her,” Auriemma said. “It was created about her by all the people in America who are delusional that think one player who’s not Wemby is going to come in and transform the league. It’s that whole s—storm of, ‘This is Jesus coming down to save the WNBA.
“Now, maybe there was a transformation in terms of how much attention is being paid. Yes. How much the league is valued? Yes. But it’s not like when Tiger [Woods] came into the PGA Tour. He changed the PGA Tour forever. Why? Well, there was so much money that came to the PGA Tour, but in addition, he won every tournament. So that’s the big difference.”
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Geno Auriemma could not be more wrong about Caitlin Clark
Yeah …
Geno Auriemma is completely wrong here. I’m not sure he’s ever been more wrong in his life.
Pat Summitt famously described him as “a smart-a– who would take negative attention over no attention at all,” and I’m thinking she nailed it.
Caitlin Clark is 100% the Tiger Woods of the WNBA. Frankly, she’s the Larry Bird of the WNBA, but we’ll go with Tiger right now because that’s who Geno used.
Auriemma using money as a reason why she’s not Tiger is laughable. The WNBA was basically broke before Caitlin Clark entered the league. It wasn’t profitable, at all. It was bleeding money every year, and being held together by the NBA.
Nobody watched. Nobody went. Nobody talked about the WNBA pre-Caitlin Clark. Believe me, I’ve been in this business for a long time. It was an afterthought.
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 15: Geno Auriemma talks to Caitlin Clark during the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 15, 2024 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Emily Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) (NBAE via Getty Images)
And then Clark came in as this mythical player from Iowa, and everything changed. People showed up. People watched. People paid money to see Caitlin Clark.
That’s not my opinion, by the way. Those are facts.
Before Clark entered the league as a rookie in 2024, there was one WNBA game in 15 years with over 1 million viewers. One. A Sparks-Mercury game back in 2008.
Since Clark’s arrival, there have been at least 59 games with over 1 million viewers. During her first season in Indiana, the Fever alone had 21.
Do you understand how insane those numbers are? It’s all because of Caitlin Clark. Tiger Woods had the same impact on golf, the only difference is, the sport wasn’t dying when he won at Augusta in 1997. He just made it cool again. Really, really, really cool.
Caitlin Clark left the Indiana Fever’s Wednesday game against the Phoenix Mercury after suffering a back injury. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Now, Tiger has won and Caitlin Clark hasn’t. Geno said that, and he’s right. Basketball is a team game and golf is completely about the individual, so I’m not quite sure that comparison works. But, I won’t argue it. He can have that one, I guess?
I will, however, argue that money aspect of it. The pre-Clark CBA, which expired after last season, rose team salary caps by nearly $6 million, rose maximum salaries from around $249k to $1.4 million, and the average player salary roughly quadrupled.
Quadrupled.
There are now charter flights for every team in the league. That wasn’t the case before Caitlin Clark, as silly as that sounds.
Now, why do you think the post-Clark CBA looks so much different than the pre-Clark CBA, Geno?
Because Caitlin Clark came into the league and literally made it watchable. She made it profitable. Which is why the rest of the league absolutely hating her and trying to hurt her every other game is so unfathomable.
She made these girls rich. She set them up for life. And all they do is try to crush her.
According to Auriemma, though, that’s just par for the course.
“And so instead of it becoming Caitlin Clark gets fouled hard … no s—, every first-round draft pick gets fouled hard,” he added. “Not every foul is a good foul. Not every foul is a bad foul, but there are fouls that are flagrant. But that’s all they are. They are not a referendum on America, which is what the whole goddamn thing has become.”
Yep. Nothing to see here. Totally normal stuff, Geno!
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Incredible.
Man, I miss Pat Summitt.
