Photo: Indiana Fever/X

Radio host Dan Patrick disagrees with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese’s comments about her contribution to the WNBA’s popularity. Reese stated that the league’s rise was thanks to many players, not just herself, and she was willing to embrace a villainous role to sustain it. While Patrick didn’t mind her willingness to be the villain, he took issue with her additional remarks.

“But her attention, her notoriety is based off Caitlin Clark because she wins the national title, the first thing she does is mock Caitlin Clark,” Patrick said on his radio show Tuesday. “And then, she doesn’t even celebrate with her teammates. So, she’s made it personal with Caitlin Clark. Then, she’s played off of that.

“Even Caitlin Clark getting knocked down in the game on Saturday. Who’s standing up applauding but Angel Reese. So, she’s sort of embraced a Draymond Green role here. But the eyeballs on the WNBA really have to do with Caitlin Clark. You might, if you stay long enough, might be able to see someone or something, and you go, ‘OK, I’m entertained by this.’ But there’s nothing wrong with admitting that you watch a sport because of one singular person.”

Patrick cited golf, where viewers watch for Tiger Woods, and the Stanley Cup Final, where fans tune in for Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid.

“WNBA has been around a couple of decades and people didn’t notice the game – they’re noticing it now. Well, that’s because of Caitlin Clark, not Angel Reese,” he added. “Angel Reese has played a role in this and she’s a very good player. But there’s nothing about her game that’s really interesting that is going to translate to people who may not watch the WNBA, may not care about basketball. 

“She is a social media star, and she has capitalized on that, and maybe she embraces being the villain. But make no mistake about it, Caitlin Clark is the reason why everybody has an opinion on what happened in that game.”

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