Sports
WNBA was totally unprepared for Caitlin Clark
INDIANAPOLIS — The day after Caitlin Clark declared for the 2024 WNBA draft, USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan made a phone call to a top official in the league.
“Do you know how big this is?” Brennan asked.
That official said Clark’s arrival was the biggest thing to happen to the WNBA since Maya Moore came into the league.
What? Wait. What? Brennan was shocked.
Moore, a Hall of Famer, was called the “greatest winner in the history of women’s basketball” by Sports Illustrated in 2017. She was a talented, beloved superstar in the league, and she deserved all the attention. But outside the league, Moore went virtually unnoticed.
Clark? She was going to capture the attention of an entire nation. Brennan had been covering Clark and the WNBA for years, and she could see it coming. This official clearly had no idea.”That interaction tells you everything about the utter lack of preparation, or even understanding, by the league of what was coming,” said Brennan, whose book “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports,” comes out July 8. “And that’s unfortunate. But that’s what happened.”
Clark’s entrance to pro women’s basketball would be nothing like Moore’s. Clark would be bigger, more monumental, more earth shattering and game changing than anything that had happened in modern day women’s sports.
The so-called Clark Effect would be monstrous, potent, and it would be real.
“How did the WNBA not see this coming?” said Brennan. “One of the reasons for having so badly mismanaged Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA is because, did they truly not believe this could happen to the WNBA? Were they so relegated to second class citizenship by the male-dominated mainstream sports media that they just never believed this would be possible?”
The league would quickly see that this Clark phenomenon was very possible.
Re-live Caitlin Clark’s spectacular rookie season with our collector’s book
‘The league failed the players’
It was May 9, 2024, in downtown Indianapolis, the first preseason game for the Indiana Fever with Clark debuting as a rookie in the league.
As fans descended on Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Clark had traffic backed up on Alabama Street for more than three blocks heading south into the parking garage across from the fieldhouse. It was 6 p.m. on a Thursday and a crew of workers directing cars had their jobs cut out for them.
Tony Dunkin was used to crowds jamming up the lane he works on Level 1 of the garage for the Pacers and other events, but he had never seen anything like this for a Fever game and definitely not for a preseason WNBA game.
The cars were packed in, maneuvering around orange cones, clamoring to get their vehicles into a parking spot so they could get themselves into a seat.
“This is what a Pacers game usually does,” Dunkin said, “not the Fever. I call it the Caitlin effect.”
Security staff working at a Delaware Street entrance into the fieldhouse for Clark’s first preseason game with the Fever were shocked. There were fans waiting outside two hours before the doors opened to pour into the arena. Waiting for a preseason WNBA game. In 2023, the year before, the Fever averaged 4,067 fans a game.
“14,000 of them tonight,” said Beverly Franklin. “Now, if they can just have a crowd like this for every game, that would be awesome.”
Clark said the same thing just a few hours later, after she stuffed the stat sheet as the Fever beat the Atlanta Dream 83-80 in the team’s only preseason home game. She said the same thing to the crowd of 14,000, who had roared with every mention of her name during the game and rose to their feet with every shot she took.
“You all were amazing. Thanks for coming out for a preseason game,” Clark said as she was interviewed on court after racking up 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. “I hope you’ll keep coming back.”Coming back. They did.The Clark Effect would reverberate throughout the league, an effect that a season and a half later has turned, to put it mildly, complicated.Brennan says it didn’t have to be complicated, if only the league had taken some initiative to prepare other players in the WNBA for what was coming with Clark.”The league failed the players,” Dr. Harry Edwards, an American sociologist and civil rights activist, says in the book. “The WNBA not only missed an opportunity to prepare players for this moment, they set the traps along the path that the league was going to travel.”Edwards told Brennan the WNBA needed to understand and prepare for the “disappointment and anger” some Black players, in particular, would be experiencing due to Clark’s ballyhooed arrival.”This was predictable,” he said. “It’s human nature for people not to be happy for you when you’re new and successful, especially if it’s in an arena where they have toiled all their lives and not come close to the kind of reward or applause that (Clark) is receiving.”Players were ‘woefully unprepared’ for Clark’s arrivalThrough the years, before Clark ever laid a hand on a ball on a pro basketball court, the WNBA has stood for equality, often being described, according to Brennan, as “a Black, gay league.”The most recent statistics reveal that 63.8% of WNBA players are Black, while 19.1% are white, according to a 2023 report on the WNBA by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. While that study didn’t include sexual identity, “a substantial portion of the league identifies as LGBTQ+,” writes Brennan.The league “often has been under attack because a third of the players in the WNBA are identified as being part of the LGBTQ+ community,” commentator and writer Jemele Hill said at the 2024 Association for Women in Sports Media conference.”And into this world landed Caitlin Clark, a white, straight, 22-year-old woman who had not played a second in the WNBA,” Brennan writes, “but already was a national phenomenon and about to become the face of the league.”
She is also a player who has endured an endless surge of rough play and technicals committed against her.
As that has played out in the WNBA since Clark arrived, there have been racial undertones that cannot be denied when it comes to the coverage and the treatment Clark has received, Ellen Staurowsky, a professor of sports media in the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in New York, told IndyStar in September
“Research has shown that A’ja Wilson, one of the best WNBA players in history and she’s getting half the coverage of Sabrina Ionescu,” said Staurowsky. “There’s no doubt and there’s no question that there is a racial dynamic in all of this. And that cannot be discounted.”
There is a very concrete way the league could have prepared players for what was to come, said Edwards, who has counseled players and leagues for decades. The WNBA should have established “a series of seminars” in the preseason for every team in the league, he says in the book.
“There are people out there who could have gone in and given those talks to each franchise,” says Edwards, “experts and specialists from a sports sociological perspective with the understanding and grasp of the situation.”
They could have told each team, Edwards says, “Hey, we have Caitlin Clark coming in and the media has grabbed ahold of this, the public has grabbed ahold of this, but let me tell you something, you sitting right here in this room, you set the stage for this.”
Brianna Scurry, the first Black superstar in women’s soccer and the goalkeeper for the 1999 U.S. women’s soccer team, readily endorses Edwards’ idea for having programming to prepare the players for this unprecedented time.
“That would’ve been absolutely brilliant to have something like that even if the players didn’t themselves want to see things holistically, they would have at least been able to see someone talking about it and saying, ‘OK, I may be angry about all this and feeling like we’ve been here this whole time, however I can find this silver lining in here,” Scurry says in the book.
“But because the WNBA, unfortunately, didn’t do that the players didn’t even understand how big that tsunami was that was coming for them in a good way, and they were just woefully unprepared for it.”
Clark’s presence is ‘watershed moment for the league’
Brennan wants to make clear that when she says the players needed to be prepared for the moment “it’s not because these players, Black and white, the veteran players, Black and white, it’s not because they’re damsels in distress. No, of course not,” she says.
“They’re strong athletes, most of them have college degrees. They are wonderful, accomplished young women. But nothing like this has ever happened before in the WNBA,” Brennan said. “And frankly, you can make a strong case, nothing quite like this has ever happened, not only in women’s team sports, but in all of team sports, men and women, where one league is lifted up to this extent by one person.”
In December, IndyStar reached out to Dr. Ryan Brewer, a renowned valuation guru in the field of finance, asking him to put a price tag on Caitlin Clark — what she meant financially to the WNBA, her city and the country in her rookie season with the Fever.
The numbers were so shocking that Brewer was sure he must have made some mistake. He ran the numbers again. Then again. And every single time, he got the same result.”The numbers are so staggering,” said Brewer, associate professor of finance at Indiana University Columbus. “They don’t even seem real.”
“Here we are again. Because Caitlin was ranked first in fan voting overall,” Brennan said. “That’s a disconnect that is going to be problematic for the WNBA and its economics and its financial future moving forward. That’s just a fact. It’s such a disconnect between what the fans think and what the players think, that is a problem for the WNBA that should be addressed.”
With the league’s collective bargaining agreement open, “Clark is the most important person to them. This is the conundrum, right?” Brennan says. “Because they need her desperately in order to get more money because she is the economic rocket ship that’s going to get them more money. I’ve never seen anything quite like this, and it’s just absolutely fascinating.”
Brennan, who covered Title IX, has had a front row seat to the controversy, the fights for equality and the upward rise of women sports, including the explosion of the WNBA with Clark at the center.
“And I never thought I would see this in my lifetime,” Brennan says. “So to be able to chronicle it (in this book) I hope people enjoy the magic of Caitlin Clark and also enjoy the reporting on so many issues that are so important surrounding Caitlin Clark.
“I hope as a journalist, I’ve captured this moment, this time, this athlete. This is a remarkable moment in women’s sports, in sports overall, and in our culture. Caitlin Clark isn’t just one of the country’s most popular athletes, she’s one of the country’s most popular people. She is that big. And it’s an honor to write this.”
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X:@DanaBenbow. Reach her via email:dbenbow@indystar.com.
THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University track and field coach Stefanie Slekis announced the 2026 schedule along with the hiring of assistant coach Cameron Bolt on Monday afternoon.
Nicholls will compete in two in state meets and two out of state meets for the indoor season. The teams will begin the season in Baton Rouge at the LSU Purple Tiger on Jan.16 followed by the McNeese Indoor II on Jan. 30. The Colonels will cross state lines to compete in the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Samford University on Feb. 13 before concluding the season at the Southland Conference Championship on Feb. 25-26.
The outdoor season is action packed with three out of state completion’s and four instate events. The Red & Gray will begin outdoor action at the Louisiana Classics hosted by Louisiana in Lafayette on March 20-21. Next, the squads will open the month of April in Austin, Texas at the Texas Relays on April 1-4. The Colonels return to the boot for the Pelican Relays (4/10-11), Strawberry Relays (4/17), and the LSU Alumni Gold (4/25). Nicholls will wrap up regular season action at Texas A&M’s Alumni Muster in College Station, Texas on May 1-2. The Southland Conference Championship is in Nacogdoches, Texas on May 14.
Coach Slekis is looking forward to the new season with some new opportunities for her student-athletes. Bolt joins the staff after coaching over 200 National qualifiers, 15 All-Americans, four National Champions. Additionally, he is the owner of Bolt Track and Field Club team that he started in 2023 and has had more than 20 National qualifiers.
We are so excited for our 2026 Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field schedule. For our schedule we changed up the second half of both our Indoor and Outdoor seasons from the past few years,” Slekis said. “Indoor we will head to Birmingham to compete at Samford’s Bulldog invitational which will give our team the opportunity to test themselves on the facility we will return to for the indoor championship. Outdoor we close out the season at two of the best SEC track & field programs in the country who have phenomenal facilities. Going first to LSU and then bringing full teams to Texas A & M for the Alumni Muster. Before we return to Texas for the Southland Championship hosted by SFA.”
Coach Slekis gave her overall thoughts on the addition of Coach Bolt and how he can help the team improve.
“We are changing things up a bit this year and I am also really excited to see how well our student-athletes perform this season especially our track & field only student-athletes who had the entire fall semester working with our new assistant coach Cameron Bolt,” Slekis said. “Cam comes with a wealth of knowledge as a young coach who founded his own track & field club and continuously worked to prepare himself for his first NCAA Division I collegiate coaching opportunity. His energy combined with his knowledge base make him a phenomenal hire. He understands how to develop student-athletes and maximize their potential. Through fall testing his event group has seen improvement across the board so it will be fun to see that hard work translate to their specific events this next semester.”
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the 78 student-athletes placed on the Academic All-MAC Team for the 2025 volleyball season, as Martina Villani, Gabby Brissett, Vanessa Del Real and Sarah Bettis represented the University of Akron.
The Academic All-MAC honor is awarded to a student-athlete who has excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests in that sport.
- Martina Villani, Junior Criminology and Criminal Justice, 3.861
- Gabby Brissett, Senior, Biology, 3.745
- Vanessa Del Real, Junior, Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, 3.81
- Sarah Bettis, Junior, Biomedical Science, 3.363
Senior Macy Medors led the Rockets, tallying a 3.989 GPA as she earned her third conference honor. Anna Alford and Sierra Pertzborn received the honor for a second-consecutive season. Grace Freiberger and Olivia Heitkamp were named honorees for the first time.
To qualify, student-athletes must be a sophomore or higher academic standing, have maintained a 3.20 cumulative GPA or higher and competed in 50% of contests during the 2025 season.
2025 Toledo Women’s Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team
Anna Alford, Senior, Public Health Management, 3.415
Grace Freiberger, Sophomore, Recreational Therapy, 3.909
Olivia Heitkamp, Sophomore, Early Childhood Education, 3.501
Macy Medors, Senior, Recreational Therapy, 3.989
Sierra Pertzborn, Redshirt Sophomore, Nursing, 3.558
- Kansas City field consists of No. 1 Kentucky, No. 1 Pitt, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 3 Wisconsin
- Championship broadcast live on ABC for the third straight year; semifinals slated for ESPN, Thu., Dec. 18
- All matches will also stream on the ESPN App
It all comes down to Kansas City as ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship culminates this week live from the T-Mobile Center with the National Semifinals on Thursday, Dec. 18, followed by the Championship match on Sunday, Dec. 21.
The stage is set as the final four teams face off in the semifinals beginning with No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh in the first semifinal on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed 30 minutes later by No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky. Both matches will be presented on ESPN and available on the ESPN App.
For the third consecutive year, ABC is home to the Championship match, broadcasting live on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 3:30 p.m. and for the first time, ABC will also air a dedicated 30-minute preview show ahead of the Championship’s first serve, beginning at 3 p.m. Both the preview show and the match will be available on the ESPN App.
On the Mic
For the fourth straight year, game action for all three matches will be called by play-by-play commentator Courtney Lyle, alongside analysts Holly McPeak (three-time beach volleyball Olympian) and Katie George (2015 ACC Player of the Year). For the second consecutive year, the trio is joined by sideline reporter and former FSU beach volleyball standout Madison Fitzpatrick.
Studio Coverage
Studio Coverage will originate from the T-Mobile Center as Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman (four-year Northwestern standout) and Mary Wise (three-time AVCA Coach of the Year) bring viewers pre- and post-game insights and analysis throughout the semifinals and Championship.
The trio will prep viewers for all they need to know ahead the National Semifinals and National Championship match, bringing additional insight and analysis as a champion is crowded.
Every Serve, Every Angle
ESPN has all the action in Kansas City covered from every angle, including exclusive and behind-the-scenes coverage. This year, along with 25-plus cameras and two dozen replay sources, ESPN will have new and enhanced telestrations, giving the fans an additional in-depth look at the Xs and Os of the game.
Additionally, the presentation will have multiple jibs, giving fans a sweeping view over the arena. ESPN will also use six state-of-the-art slow-mo cameras to give viewers a look at the action at the net.
For the first time at the National Championship, the broadcast will feature Bolt 6, showcasing enhanced technology that shows viewers serve speed, spike speed, spike height and other statistical facets of the game.
In addition to the traditional main telecast, an alternate “High End Zone” viewing option will be available on ESPN+/ESPN App for the semifinals and the Championship, giving fans the option to watch the match from the end zone angle.
Kansas City Bound
The National Semifinals boast programs that have made a combined 15 national semifinal appearances. Pittsburgh is making its fifth consecutive trip to the National Semifinal with a No. 1 seed behind them as the Panthers look to hoist their first NCAA trophy. The Wildcats are making their first trip back to the semifinals since the ’20-21 season in which they cut down the nets in Omaha. Storied program Wisconsin makes its seventh trip to the national semifinals, looking to win the program’s second national title (2021). Rounding out the field are the Texas A&M Aggies, who are on the quest to win the program’s first national championship.
2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Network |
| Thu, Dec 18 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick |
ESPN ESPN App * |
| Between Match Coverage | NCAA Women’s Volleyball Studio Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman, Mary Wise |
ESPN ESPN App * |
|
| 30 mins after Semifinal 1 | No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick |
ESPN ESPN App * |
|
| Sun, Dec 21 | 3 p.m. | NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Preview Show Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman, Mary Wise |
ABC ESPN App |
| 3:30 p.m. | NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick |
ABC ESPN App * |
|
| Following Championship match | NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Trophy Ceremony | ESPN App |
* There will be two streams available on the ESPN App (Traditional Simulcast and High End Zone angle)
All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.
Slekis Announces 2026 T&F Slates & Staff Updates
Osage Beach Responds To Outcry Over Baseball Field Demolition | Lake Of The Ozarks Politics & Government
Stempien to seek opening for Branch County Circuit Court Judge | WTVB | 1590 AM · 95.5 FM
Parks and Recreation Programs for Teens
Bellingham players reignite adult co-ed flag football action with monthly games
First responders help kids with Christmas shopping | News, Sports, Jobs
Jon Sumrall makes big donation to Tulane NIL fund
Miami DE coach Jason Taylor takes shot at Peyton Manning, Tennessee over missing College Football Playoff
Wisconsin volleyball beats Texas in four to reach Final Four
Four Zips Named to the 2025 Academic All-MAC Volleyball Team
Five Rockets Receive Academic All-MAC Honors
Georgia’s NIL Lawsuit Against Ex-LB Sign of Times in Modern NCAA Sports
ESPN serves up NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Semifinals and Championship, Dec. 18 & 21
Reilly Named AVCA Player of the Year Finalist – University of Nebraska
Dutch track and field’s Meyer named conference male athlete of the week
First Tee Winter Registration is open
Fargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
CPG Brands Like Allegra Are Betting on F1 for the First Time
Volleyball Recaps – November 18
F1 Las Vegas: Verstappen win, Norris and Piastri DQ tighten 2025 title fight
Utah State Announces 2025-26 Indoor Track & Field Schedule
Two Pro Volleyball Leagues Serve Up Plans for Minnesota Teams
Sycamores unveil 2026 track and field schedule
Redemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
Texas volleyball vs Kentucky game score: Live SEC tournament updates
Jo Shimoda Undergoes Back Surgery
Bowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14
How this startup (and a KC sports icon) turned young players into card-carrying legends overnight
SoundGear Named Entitlement Sponsor of Spears CARS Tour Southwest Opener
Robert “Bobby” Lewis Hardin, 56
NBA Legend Michael Jordan to Join NBC Sports as Special Contributor
Why a rising mid-major power with an NCAA Tournament team opted out of revenue-sharing — and advertised it
Falcons mailbag
Portal Update – Basketball and Gymnastics Take Hits
has always dreamed in Mercurial. Now his initials are on the boots.
The new Kyl…
-
Rec Sports3 weeks agoFargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
-
Motorsports3 weeks agoRedemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoJo Shimoda Undergoes Back Surgery
-
NIL2 weeks agoBowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoHow this startup (and a KC sports icon) turned young players into card-carrying legends overnight
-
Motorsports5 days agoSoundGear Named Entitlement Sponsor of Spears CARS Tour Southwest Opener
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoRobert “Bobby” Lewis Hardin, 56
-
NIL3 weeks agoIndiana’s rapid ascent and its impact across college football
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoPohlman admits ‘there might be some spats’ as he pushes to get Kyle Busch winning again
-
Sports2 weeks ago
Wisconsin volleyball sweeps Minnesota with ease in ranked rivalry win