“Poor Brittney Griner Ended Up in Prison”: Nick Wright Questions WNBA Whereas Commending Caitlin Clark’s Monetary Influence

The expansion of the WNBA has change into extra of a query than a reality. Many wish to give the utmost credit score to Caitlin Clark and the 2024 rookie class. On the similar time, many need the veterans to maintain the credit score. Whereas we might not have concluded simply but, we do have another sportscaster accepting that it was certainly the NCAA’s all-time main scorer who moved the needle. Bringing to mild the case of Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner, who the Russian police apprehended, Fox Sports activities 1’s Nick Wright gave his standpoint.

Speaking to Colin Cowherd on his podcast, Wright thrashed the WNBA for its laziness. “There’s a proof of concept overseas that women’s basketball can be profitable. That’s why, poor Brittney Griner ended up in prison. A lot of these women go overseas, make a lot more money and that’s not charity. They’re not getting paid out of charity. It’s because those leagues and those countries have found ways to monetize in a way that the WNBA hadn’t,” Wright stated, by way of The Colin Cowherd Podcast.

The sportscaster additionally praised the Fever rookie for making the adjustments to the monetary picture of the league. He gave Caitlin Clark his flowers saying, “But now, with Caitlin, they have no choice but to adapt and evolve because there’s going to be money pouring in because there’s so many eyeballs on it now.”

Wright accepted that the WNBA was nonetheless a strong league within the US earlier than Caitlin Clark. Nonetheless, he additionally talked about that it was solely by way of girls’s basketball. Setting the file straight, he cleared that it could have been rising each season, however it was the Des Moines native who boosted it to nice heights. However it begs the query as to why earlier than the rookie, everybody noticed the league as a failure.

Why was the WNBA not profitable as a enterprise earlier than Caitlin Clark?

Former NBA gamers like Gilbert Arenas have talked about how the WNBA was once synonymous with financial loss. Whereas there have been gamers like A’ja Wilson, Candace Parker, and lots of extra who introduced the league to mild, it was by no means sufficient. Nonetheless, earlier than Caitlin Clark even entered the skilled grounds, she boosted it in some ways. Principally, it was the monetary development. Her No. 22 jersey was bought out on the draft night time itself. Moreover, Indiana broke its attendance file of a number of years with simply 5 video games. Different numbers for the WNBA are additionally on the rise with this impactful rookie. So why was it not so earlier than her?

Wright defined this by saying, “The WNBA was not well-run. Flatly. They had a product that could be monetized in a way. The fact of the matter is whoever’s fault it was, it was a league that as a business was not a highly successful one at all.”

The host of ‘First Things First‘ blamed the higher authorities for not profitably running the league. He also gave the example of how Larry Tanenbaum bought Toronto’s unnamed workforce for simply $50 million. Based on the sportscaster, it ought to have been valued at much more.

Definitely, with the rising league, the general funds to the gamers may also be enhanced. Whether or not you wish to give your complete credit score to Caitlin Clark or not, many agree together with her affect. Solely time will inform how the WNBA decides to make use of its assets for additional development. Most likely, the growth of the league simply would possibly participate in all of it.

Keep tuned for extra such updates, and to comply with what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say concerning the notorious Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and extra, watch this video.