Credits: USA TODAY SPORTS

On the latest episode of the Stephen A. Smith Show, Stephen A. Smith went right off on the haters and naysayers of Caitlin Clark. Seeing how so many have claimed that Caitlin Clark is being made out to be the hero for no reason, the ESPN analyst was beside himself. So, in response, he screamed out his opinion on his show, one that went right in the face of so many in the WNBA. He said,

“You got a girl here who’s box office in Caitlin Clark. She is box office. We can lament it all we want to but the fact of the matter is, Caitlin Clark is box office and we got to get that out the way.”

After going first overall in the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark has been doing the same things she did during her time with the Iowa Hawkeyes – knocking down long-range bombs and filling up arenas.

However, many in the league aren’t too happy with all the attention that Clark has been receiving. And so, some went so far as to say that she was never the reason behind the popularity boost of the league, in the hopes of taking away her credibility.

Getting back to Smith, he went on to bring up three stats that prove how the Indiana Fever star’s contribution has played a big role in the WNBA’s increase on just about every scale

“I got some stats in front of me to validate it because you see, I bring receipts…WNBA draft 2024 drew 2.46 million viewers to ESPN on Monday night, making it the most watched draft in WNBA history.”

Stephen A only seemed to only grow in confidence from there, as he boldly continued,

“ABC announced it had its most viewed opening weekend doubleheader ever with two games combined in an average of 1.5 million viewers. That marks a 143% increase from a WNBA doubleheader from ABC a year ago.”

“The second worst team in the league is the Indiana Fever, led by Caitlin Clark. Did you know that the Fever has been involved in three out of the four TV games that have garnered 1.3 million average viewers this season?”

Stephen A. Smith’s opinion is not one that can be argued with very easily. Having brought in all the stats required to make his point seemingly undeniable, he may just have convinced countless personnel on the other side of the fence.

With him having done such a great job, who knows? The basketball community may just make him one of the key spokesmen on the matter going forward.

Fans, analysts, and influencers standing up for Caitlin Clark

Fans of the sport of basketball did not take long to realize how much of a boon Clark has been for the WNBA. So, with all the hate and excessive physicality, there has also been an outpour of support for the Indiana Fever star from every nook and cranny of social media.

Even the biggest personalities have publicly praised her, with Rachel A. DeMita only being the most recent example.

“us women need to do better”

It’s clear what the impact of Clark has been on the WNBA lately. And so, it would be downright foolish for the WNBA to let this vile behavior towards her go on for any longer.