Caitlin Clark is just just seven points away from the NCAA women’s scoring record, but there is seemingly a strange blowback against the Iowa standout. The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz dug into it.
From Kim Mulkey seemingly taking a shot at Clark to the legendary Sheryl Swoopes seemingly igniting a beef with Clark, there seems to be a strange narrative emerging that has anti-Caitlin bent. Lucy doesn’t get it as Caitlin is amazing to watch and is growing the game. Lucy points out that if it hadn’t been for COVID, Caitlin would have reached this achievement even faster (contrary to Swoopes’ initial point of Caitlin getting extra time to break the record). Lucy says it has been one of those things which has been weird to watch and she wonders, while admitting her Iowa bias, how could anybody hate Clark? And it actually makes her angry that people aren’t rooting for Clark! She’s amazing!
Dan says it’s actually something he’s gotten tired of over his 30 years in the business — the way that we cover athletic greatness is so poisoned and contaminated, that you have to have takes to the point where basically anyone who is doing anything great is inundated with haters. He says just look at what is happening around Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee and who is getting mad as they ascend in a way that makes others uncomfortable. He also points to the rise of Nick Wright, who when others have zigged (constantly attacking our new sports idols in comparison those of days gone by) he zags (believing in LeBron and Patrick Mahomes). So, who are we putting Caitlin Clark up against, Dan wants to know?
Lucy once again points out, as Stugotz says something is going on with college sports where due to COVID you have 23- and 24-year-olds facing 18-year-olds, that Clark is still only in her fourth year. She will have the option to come back for a fifth year, but she’s going to set this record within her four years and Lucy doesn’t think she’s coming back for that additional year. Lucy notes that she’s had the best time in the last few years being an Iowa women’s basketball fan, taking it all in, and it’s something she wishes more people would do. Why can’t we all just enjoy the greatness in front of us, be it Clark or Mahomes or LeBron, and have a good time because we may never see it again.
Jessica points out that Iowa fans aren’t entirely innocent here either, however, noting that their “Don’t be a Sheryl” T-shirts could be seen as disrespectful toward one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time. Yes, maybe Swoopes was wrong when it comes to how many games Clark has played, but now you’re minimizing the accomplishments of a woman who was a pioneer in women’s basketball. And Jessica points out that you can’t take Caitlin Clark out of the conversation about how women’s basketball is covered, especially from the angle of race and sexuality. She says that is also part of the story here.
Dan wants to discuss the fact that when you have a pioneer worth celebrating where it’s not just that she’s great, it’s that everywhere she pops up it’s an event. He says the idea that we’re talking about $10K courtside seats for something in women’s basketball is a seminal, symbolic achievement. You can tear it down, Dan says, and furthermore, in the content industry you are rewarded for finding all the ways that it’s less great than you think it is because talking again and again about how great it is has proven to not be great for the content machine. Dan says the vibes that Lucy wants around sports are what the vibes should be but cannot be in the way that we cover sports and the way that America is right now. We will pollute the escape hatch, Dan says, with all of our criticisms and we will soak it in our own unhappiness.
Check out the full discussion above and make sure to tune into The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network!
Meanwhile, Sam Morril joined the show to talk about his beloved Knicks and share his gripes with Stephen A. Smith ...
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Local Hour: The Land of the Free
- TODAY’S CAST: Dan, Stugotz, Chris, Jessica, Lucy, and Mike. Dan begins a somber Local Hour discussing the details of the mass shooting at yesterday’s Super Bowl parade in Kansas City as he and the crew discuss the helplessness of living in America with mass shootings as rampant as ever. As yesterday’s tragedy took place on the 6-year anniversary of the massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School, we speak with Manuel Oliver, the father of Douglas victim Joaquin Oliver, about gun laws in America, his activism, and his new program for advocacy called The Shotline.
The Big Suey: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- The Miami Heat took down the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers on back-to-back nights without Jimmy Butler, and Mike Ryan wants you to know you are NOT allowed on the Heat bandwagon unless you’ve believed in this team from the start. Wait...WHAT? Then, Dan knew Travis Kelce’s take on his fight with Andy Reid before Travis Kelce did, the crew’s favorite bubble gum, rowing the boat, drool naps, and fried fish in a bag. Plus, as Caitlin Clark is set to break the all-time scoring record in Women’s College Basketball tonight, Lucy cannot contain her excitement. Can’t we all just enjoy a little greatness?
Hour 1: On Stugotz’s Face
- You will not believe what Dan asked our video department to do. After we take our chance to call out David Samson on his hypocrisy regarding the Travis Kelce-Andy Reid argument in comparison to his reaction to Bruce Arians hitting a player, he and Adnan Virk deliver their Top 5 Most Romantic Movies of All-Time. Then, how does management and coaching need to evolve in this age of professional athlete? Plus, comedian Sam Morril joins us to make his bid to be our New York Knicks correspondent as he praises “the great Isaiah Hartenstein” and rips Stephen A. Smith.
Hour 2: Avoiding The Paperwork
- Are you surprised the streakers at the Super Bowl were from Miami? Would you go to jail to avoid doing paperwork? Do you believe Dana White REALLY walked out on Howie Mandel? Then, Mina Kimes is here. First, Mina shares her thoughts on yesterday’s shooting at the Super Bowl parade in Kansas City and her reaction as a mother, in the workplace, and as a human being. Then, we get to football with her takes on Kyle Shanahan’s OT strategy, Christian McCaffrey, the Chiefs defense, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift after the Andy Reid moment, and Steve Wilks’ firing.
Postgame Show: Free Shirts
- The crew kicks things off with today’s Thursday Thunder, Mike worries he may have ruined attending future sporting events for his daughter, and EA Sports dropped the new NCAA Football video game trailer.
VIDEO:
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