Clark's emergence has increased popularity of women's basketball
Dan Dakich: WNBA missed out on Caitlin Clark popularity wave
OutKick host Dan Dakich talks on "Don't @ Me" about how the WNBA failed to ride the wave as Caitlin Clark's popularity rose with the Indiana Fever.
OutKick host Dan Dakich said on his show on Monday the WNBA messed up and appeared to be unprepared for what Caitlin Clark has brought to the league through her first 26 professional games.
Dakich, who hosts "Don’t @ Me," said everyone told the WNBA that a "hurricane was coming" and, from the league office to the players, they weren’t ready.
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Caitlin Clark walks off the floor after the WNBA All-Star Game at Footprint Center in Phoenix on July 20, 2024. (Joe Rondone/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK)
"Not only should you have known that Caitlin Clark was going to be a star, you should have prepared for it," Dakich said. "You should have said, ‘Look, this is what is getting ready to happen, so, let’s do everything to enhance.’
"Meaning, let’s make sure she’s on the Olympic team. Let’s make sure that other (WNBA) women are smart enough not to be morons to her. But that didn’t happen, and they have to [go] through all of this garbage. All of this c--p, and (WNBA Commissioner) Cathy Engelbert didn’t understand it."
CAITLIN CLARK'S PLAY MAY HAVE WARRANTED OLYMPICS ROSTER SPOT AFTER ALL, COACH DAWN STALEY SAYS
Iowa's Caitlin Clark, left, poses for a photo with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Indiana Fever during the WNBA Draft on April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Dakich said he was told the WNBA wasn’t looking to "enhance" the product but rather "protect" it.
"You had this tornado hit, and you weren’t ready. You had this tornado hit, and you didn’t enhance. Your insecurity shined brightly. But in spite of all that, Caitlin Clark, the WNBA and Angel Reese have grown."
Dakich added that the Paris Olympics gold medal game would have been appointment-watching television if Clark was in the game.
Caitlin Clark is shown during the WNBA All-Star Game at Footprint Center in Phoenix on July 20, 2024. (Dylan Goodman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Team USA defeated France by one point to win the gold.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
