The "major" sports, excepting baseball, have all come to tolerate "incidental contact" that would constitute felony assaults were they committed in public. Hockey, football, and NBA fans have, it appears, come to accept and even like these displays of male aggression in the context of competitive sports.
But is that same phenomenon an enhancement of womens' basketball or a flaw what repulses their would-be fan base? Last year's television viewing numbers find more than twenty games involving Caitlin Clark that had viewership of more than a million, while there were ZERO games without her that drew that many viewers.
CC is conspicuous for playing aggressively but without physically assaulting her opponents. She is regularly assaulted, often with no penalty called.
The WNBA is a money-losing proposition, even with the enhanced viewership of the past year. Why wouldn't the owners at least attempt to control the bullshit by first, announcing to the players and the public that such conduct will no longer be tolerated, and second, making it happen. I would personally suggest suspending the coach, without pay, for a couple of games when one of these assaults occur. It would stop immediately.
What about you? Are you more likely to tune in when you know that the rules will be enforced, or do you like the muggings?
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