Singular focus on Caitlin Clark brings risk, reward

[BRS24]

Singular focus on Caitlin Clark brings risk, reward for ESPN and women's basketball

ESPN risks losing an opportunity to build up all of women's college basketball with a singular focus on Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

awfulannouncing.com

At times, the coverage has felt . . . a bit much.​

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During the broadcast, Beth Mowins and Stephanie White kept cutting to Rowe with tidbits about the team, Clark, her family, and her season, as well as insights on in-game huddle info, strategy, etc. As for West Virginia, they might have just been there for show. Never mind the fact that Mountaineers head coach Mark Kellogg was in his first season, had talked up the matchup against Iowa, and junior guard JJ Quinerly had just dropped 29 points to lead West Virginia over Princeton in the first round. There were no gold nuggets in the conversation to be had, even as the Mountaineers gave the Hawkeyes all they could handle. Once the game ended, the broadcast lingered longer than expected on the postgame activities while viewers waited to be shown Kansas versus USC (featuring budding star JuJu Watkins). ​

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What would have happened if West Virginia won? Would the story have focused on the fact that the Mountaineers pulled off an incredible upset as an underdog team or Clark’s devastating loss? Chances are high it would have been the latter.​

 

[Gate81]

hope the media is a bit more balanced because the Buffs are seriously competitive.

 

[Bjbod]

As an Iowa fan I can't argue with the piece one bit. We love the attention it has drawn to our program, as it would to the fans of any other team in the same position. That being said, there are times I've cringed with some of the late to the scene adulation/attention that's coming her way. I've been watching her since 9th grade, but really wasn't a fan until she came to Iowa. Her talent has always been unquestioned. The thing many don't realize about Caitlin is that she is a much different person on the court versus the rest of the time...truly a generous and loyal young woman, friend and teammate.

I think Dan Patrick put it perfectly last spring:
"She might be over-covered but she's not overrated."

 

[WBBTakeover]

ESPN is just giving people what they thought they wanted.

 

[ISUnorth]

Singular focus on Caitlin Clark brings risk, reward for ESPN and women's basketball

ESPN risks losing an opportunity to build up all of women's college basketball with a singular focus on Caitlin Clark and Iowa.

awfulannouncing.com

At times, the coverage has felt . . . a bit much.​

​

During the broadcast, Beth Mowins and Stephanie White kept cutting to Rowe with tidbits about the team, Clark, her family, and her season, as well as insights on in-game huddle info, strategy, etc. As for West Virginia, they might have just been there for show. Never mind the fact that Mountaineers head coach Mark Kellogg was in his first season, had talked up the matchup against Iowa, and junior guard JJ Quinerly had just dropped 29 points to lead West Virginia over Princeton in the first round. There were no gold nuggets in the conversation to be had, even as the Mountaineers gave the Hawkeyes all they could handle. Once the game ended, the broadcast lingered longer than expected on the postgame activities while viewers waited to be shown Kansas versus USC (featuring budding star JuJu Watkins). ​

​

What would have happened if West Virginia won? Would the story have focused on the fact that the Mountaineers pulled off an incredible upset as an underdog team or Clark’s devastating loss? Chances are high it would have been the latter.​

Some fans/teams may not like it but ESPN is probably doing the right thing for themselves. They are a business, not a non-profit and the Iowa games drew a combined 8 million TV viewers for their first two games. Not like they should downplay Clark at the expense of lost viewers today to try and gamble on gaining viewers tomorrow. Easier to sell ads next year with "We got 8M eyes for those Clark games" than saying " I think we can get a lot a viewers to watch players XYZ". Think they can probably have both and likely will considering the stars set up for a 2024-25. UConn fans will probably not like next year either with the JuJu Watkins hype-train already rolling on the BTN and the Harmon/Booker duo in the SEC. USC is not even a member yet and the Big Ten Tournament broadcast for the Iowa games were already "And wait till next year with JuJu!"

BTW, since I live in the Hopkins HS school district I know a little about how the media hype train works.

 

[visitingcock]

I don't think she is being over-hyped. I'm a Gamecock fan and know that ESPN gives us (and Dawn & ulwiley) ) plenty of hype. Boston and Bueckers have their hype years and Non-SCar/UConn fans got sick of hearing their names. Kim and Angel get plenty of hype. JuJu and Hannah get plenty of hype. The public is gobbling up the Caitlin hype and ESPN is giving them what they want.

The hype is over-hyped.

 

[BigTenGuy]

The hype is over-hyped.

I’m still trying to figure out whether and how the hype train actually gins up TV ratings with people outside the WBB cocoon. Also, if hype works, how did the hype train for Sabrina Ionescu fail to move in material fashion the tv needle while in college? Oregon’s Final Four game in 2019 drew less than 1.5 million.

 

[Vowelguy]

I’m still trying to figure out whether and how the hype train actually gins up TV ratings with people outside the WBB cocoon. Also, if hype works, how did the hype train for Sabrina Ionescu fail to move in material fashion the tv needle while in college? Oregon’s Final Four game in 2019 drew less than 1.5 million.

Sabrina is no Caitlin Clark. Clark moves the needle, and has all season.

Of course WV isn't going to get much attention! Of the 32 teams in the 2nd round, the Eers were probably no better than 25th most popular. And Holly Rowe's assignment was to cover Caitlin Clark.

Yes, you need to cover the game in front of you, but it seems like folks want to find something to complain about.

I can’t recall a better tournament — the crowds have been best ever (which greatly enhances TV experience) and almost all the 2nd round games were competitive, if not outright nail biters.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I’m still trying to figure out whether and how the hype train actually gins up TV ratings with people outside the WBB cocoon. Also, if hype works, how did the hype train for Sabrina Ionescu fail to move in material fashion the tv needle while in college? Oregon’s Final Four game in 2019 drew less than 1.5 million.

Probably part of it is that most of her games were on the Pac 12 Network, which much of the country doesn't have. Kinda hard to get the hype train rolling if nobody gets to watch.

 

[BigTenGuy]

Probably part of it is that most of her games were on the Pac 12 Network, which much of the country doesn't have. Kinda hard to get the hype train rolling if nobody gets to watch.

A good point. Still, with Nike helping her/Oregon, Sabrina had an awful lot of well-deserved hype. She was everywhere in the BB media and a joy to watch with her great supporting cast, including Hebard and Sabally. But with all that hype, the 2019 Oregon-Baylor Final Four viewing audience was among the lowest of the ESPN era. Hard to understand. Perhaps 2020 would have been different, if COVID hadn't robbed Oregon of a great chance at a return trip and the national championship. After Oregon's victory over UCONN at Storrs, it seemed like an Oregon-South Carolina championship game was in the offing.

 

[visitingcock]

A good point. Still, with Nike helping her/Oregon, Sabrina had an awful lot of well-deserved hype. She was everywhere in the BB media and a joy to watch with her great supporting cast, including Hebard and Sabally. But with all that hype, the 2019 Oregon-Baylor Final Four viewing audience was among the lowest of the ESPN era. Hard to understand. Perhaps 2020 would have been different, if COVID hadn't robbed Oregon of a great chance at a return trip and the national championship. After Oregon's victory over UCONN at Storrs, it seemed like an Oregon-South Carolina championship game was in the offing.

Well, the last Committee reveal had them seeded 1-2 but neither were unbeatable s shown by their dual one-loss records

 

[nwhoopfan]

A good point. Still, with Nike helping her/Oregon, Sabrina had an awful lot of well-deserved hype. She was everywhere in the BB media and a joy to watch with her great supporting cast, including Hebard and Sabally. But with all that hype, the 2019 Oregon-Baylor Final Four viewing audience was among the lowest of the ESPN era. Hard to understand. Perhaps 2020 would have been different, if COVID hadn't robbed Oregon of a great chance at a return trip and the national championship. After Oregon's victory over UCONN at Storrs, it seemed like an Oregon-South Carolina championship game was in the offing.

Didn't realize the viewership was so low for that game. Yeah, that doesn't make much sense to me either.

 

[Vowelguy]

Didn't realize the viewership was so low for that game. Yeah, that doesn't make much sense to me either.

None of those were brands at that point. Baylor a little bit, but still, private school. Oregon = west coast.
UConn, Tenn, ND, Stanford mostly.

Even now there aren’t so much a lot of new brands (tho SC is one), but a lot of transformational players that have gotten a bunch of attention.

If Clark Juju Hidalgo SC UConn LSU are there then the ratings will be great. But if (improbably) none are, then ratings will suffer a bit — but there’s been so much momentum this year that I think there will be more curiosity no matter what.

 

[bballnut90]

I agree it does feel excessive, but at the same time, majority of viewers are new fans who are tuning in specifically to see Caitlin, and ESPN is giving them what they want. They're more likely to watch the next CC game too. The result of this is there are a LOT more fans tuning in to women's basketball than ever before. It's gaining a "cool" factor that it's never had. Her presence and media attention is creating a ton of new viewers that will continue to watch after she departs. We're seeing that first hand with the attendance numbers across the country in the 1st two rounds and massive viewership in non-Iowa games too. It's a win win all around and will reap benefits in the future even if it feels excessive at the moment.

 

[Vowelguy]

 

[hoopsnloops32]

View attachment 98330

In the company of just Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, Serena Williams and Tiger Woods. She is now the Tiger Woods of WBB.

 

[Terrierdog]

She doesn't seem to have a lot of class. I don't understand the cockiness and the boasting. I guess that's common in the men's game, but it's not something we see in the UConn women's program.
And how about that vulgarity that we could all make out on TV 2 days ago?

 

[Vowelguy]

She doesn't seem to have a lot of class. I don't understand the cockiness and the boasting. I guess that's common in the men's game, but it's not something we see in the UConn women's program.
And how about that vulgarity that we could all make out on TV 2 days ago?

Omg a curse word!!!
You’d never ever hear such a word from a UConn player or coach!

 

[visitingcock]

Omg a curse word!!!
You’d never ever hear such a word from a UConn player or coach!

I’m glad Dawn never curses in front of a camera.

 

[BigTenGuy]

She doesn't seem to have a lot of class. I don't understand the cockiness and the boasting. I guess that's common in the men's game, but it's not something we see in the UConn women's program.
And how about that vulgarity that we could all make out on TV 2 days ago?

I don't quarrel with people who would prefer she act differently on the court. Her on-court maturity is a work in progress. But during her time in the Big Ten, where she became the most popular and scrutinized female athlete in the history of American college sports, she has been exemplary at the mic, off the court and in the classroom, including being the the Academic All-American of the Year last season. This might be more remarkable than her on-court records. There was no playbook for how to navigate the Caitlin Clark circus, but Clark, her family, Lisa Bluder and Iowa have done a great (not perfect) job.

 

[maple]

I don't think she is being over-hyped. I'm a Gamecock fan and know that ESPN gives us (and Dawn & ulwiley) ) plenty of hype.

Honestly, maybe this is a hot take (or I just haven’t been watching enough general sports media), but I feel like compared to years past with other dominant teams, SC hasn’t gotten as much hype as I’d expect.

 

[maple]

In the company of just Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant, Serena Williams and Tiger Woods. She is now the Tiger Woods of WBB.

Well not really, because all the people you listed actually won multiple times at the highest level in their respective sports.

 

[DRR25]

Omg a curse word!!!
You’d never ever hear such a word from a UConn player or coach!

Personally, though I didn't do it, I don't have a problem with a little profanity and a little trash talk but "Shut the duck*k up" is a bit much. My problem is more with how CC is portrayed by the media and her PR team, and with the double standard. CC is human just like the rest of 'em but the media and her PR team have set her up as something she's not. If Angel Reese or a S. Carolina player had said the same thing, we'd be hearing a different tune. Has the video been erased yet? Can the public still access it? I wouldn't be surprised if it disappeared.

 

[visitingcock]

Honestly, maybe this is a hot take (or I just haven’t been watching enough general sports media), but I feel like compared to years past with other dominant teams, SC hasn’t gotten as much hype as I’d expect.

Dominant programs are bad for wbb.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Well not really, because all the people you listed actually won multiple times at the highest level in their respective sports.

But the ways she’s captured the attention of the nation it doesn’t matter. She’ll forever be the greatest of all time in women’s basketball imo and to many others. Someone new might surpass her eventually but like her or not she’s the Tom Brady/Serena Williams/Simone Biles of our sport.