Caitlin Clark / World Cup
Hear it here!
I never thought we’d be dealing with another athlete named Clark this week, but here we are.
Wyndham Clark’s U.S. Open golf championship at Shinnecock Hills after a troubling 2025 Open experience at Oakmont was the story the previous week but unfortunately the treatment of Caitlin Clark by WNBA players can’t be ignored at this time.
Clark, to bring everyone up to speed is one of the greatest women basketball players of all time.
She was twice named national college player of the year playing for Iowa, and is the NCAA all time Division I scorer. But it was the way she played that truly told the story of what she was all about more than the statistics and accolades she received. Besides her ability as a dead-on shooter, Clark dazzled the basketball world with her playmaking skills and flair that drew record numbers to the women’s game. She obviously turned pro following her brilliant college career and was the number #1 draft pick in the WNBA, the women’s professional league, in 2024.
She was taken by the Indiana Fever and since her entry to the next level, Clark was the league’s Rookie of the Year, two-time All-Star, all WNBA First Team, and we could go on and on
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Caitlin Clark is the poster-child for all-around team play. She rebounds, makes her teammates better with marvelous assists and has turned the women’s game into an art.
She has also fought back from injuries which is not uncommon for athletes in any sport who handle the ball and are the center of attention in their play.
Basically Caitlin Clark has put the WNBA game on the map. The league has had its followers since being formed, but the arrival of Clark raised the league on a much higher pedestal, with record numbers of followers never anticipated.
But Caitlin Clark has been the object of controversial hits, some bordering on outright violence that has gotten out of hand to the extent that it clearly appears she is strongly resented by a great number of the league’s players. What is happening is that by consistently hammering Clark, who is without question the face of the league, they are killing the golden goose, if the WNBA was ever considered a golden goose. She feels everyone is physical with her and gets away with brutal hits that others don’t experience, and referees have had to call those fouls, often flagrant and warranting even suspensions.
This past week a member of the media covering the WNBA tried to turn around the obvious by using a word salad to claim blatant physical attacks on Clark were unfounded. The former WNBA star and now ESPN analyst used the words “embellish contact”, “optics of an image”, and “narratives”, to justify what is happening. What is happening is Caitlin Clark is getting mugged a good deal of the time. People who watch the WNBA don’t like it, and if it continues, the numbers of those who watch will diminish.
Doesn’t the league and its players realize they’re ruining a good thing? Maybe not.
There is no better attraction on earth than the World Cup.
Nations send their top football teams to compete for the championship. It is being held right now in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and the field has been narrowed to 32 who are competing in the knockout round. That means, after four-team round robin division play was completed, teams will either win or go home. Americans have become increasingly aware and more knowledgeable about the sport and by now may be calling it by its rightful name, football, instead of soccer. Personally I have enjoyed this fabulous event even though I have not kept up with who the world powers are. Well, I am aware of the history of teams like Brazil, France, Germany, and England over the years, but others have slipped by. Currently on a tennis trip in Croatia, I asked someone how he felt about his country advancing to the round of 32? The gentlemen replied that it was expected without question since Croatia reached the semi-finals in the last World Cup in 2022, before losing to Argentina. Four years earlier, Croatia reached the World Cup finals, then bowing to France 4-2. I had no idea. Not a good look.
The matches have been played throughout the U.S.A., in many NFL Stadiums, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Foxboro and Philadelphia. The final is slated for July 19th at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. That’s near New York City.
The U.S. entry is also in the knockout round and those who expect the Americans to win the cup may be pleasantly surprised, or not. It’s not about home country advantage.
Prices are through the roof for tickets. If you’re seeking out matches involving the U.S., Canada, and Mexico the early knockout matches can go up to nearly $3000.
It’s been difficult for this reporter who covered all sports American-style to know exactly what’s happening in a football match other than a breakaway, penalty kick, corner kick, or point-blank shot on goal. I’ve asked ten different experts on the sport what to look for, and I’ve gotten ten different answers. So I’m simply going to enjoy whatever transpires and appreciate the action of this great sporting event and see it play out. Unless you’re an expert, that’s what you should do as well.
Caitlin Clark getting punished
2026 World Cup
Stadiums packed!
