Monica McNutt

And there it is, right? And so, as I have said about this, it was a little bit of a challenge, right, to a gentleman that I admire in terms of what they've built. Because if you haven't been here, I need three years. I need you to kind of have jumped in when Sedona Prince went viral for calling out the NCAA. I need you kind of to be here as this league has seen its best viewership year to year.

And there it is, right? And so, as I have said about this, it was a little bit of a challenge, right, to a gentleman that I admire in terms of what they've built. Because if you haven't been here, I need three years. I need you to kind of have jumped in when Sedona Prince went viral for calling out the NCAA. I need you kind of to be here as this league has seen its best viewership year to year.

Yes, it has absolutely been taken over the top this year, but this has been a snowballing effect to get to this moment. And so, while Caitlyn is fantastic, and I think she's gonna have an incredible career in the WNBA, there are women that were worthy of coverage prior to her arriving, and I just will not be silenced when it comes to that. Right.

Yes, it has absolutely been taken over the top this year, but this has been a snowballing effect to get to this moment. And so, while Caitlyn is fantastic, and I think she's gonna have an incredible career in the WNBA, there are women that were worthy of coverage prior to her arriving, and I just will not be silenced when it comes to that. Right.

Let's do it. First take. I'm on first take. All kidding aside, yes, right? And listen, again, I am by no means gonna be naive to the popularity of Kaitlyn Clark, but there is a contingent that followed her. And let's expand it out to bigger, other women's college programs that have been terrific. South Carolina, LSU, we'll just go with those three. Stanford, if you will, right?

Let's do it. First take. I'm on first take. All kidding aside, yes, right? And listen, again, I am by no means gonna be naive to the popularity of Kaitlyn Clark, but there is a contingent that followed her. And let's expand it out to bigger, other women's college programs that have been terrific. South Carolina, LSU, we'll just go with those three. Stanford, if you will, right?

If you've only watched the college game for however long and not followed the WNBA, you don't know that not only are these 144 of the best women basketball players in the world, most of them in their off season they're not kicking it. They're in Europe playing in leagues that are arguably even more physical. And so the brand of basketball just has a level of toughness.

If you've only watched the college game for however long and not followed the WNBA, you don't know that not only are these 144 of the best women basketball players in the world, most of them in their off season they're not kicking it. They're in Europe playing in leagues that are arguably even more physical. And so the brand of basketball just has a level of toughness.

Now, to me, I think the part of this conversation, John, that has been daunting for me is sports is about competing. It is literally the foundation. We need score. We got to compete. And in the conversation around how we navigate the attention on the women's game, somewhere in there, competition should be watered down to protect the asset?

Now, to me, I think the part of this conversation, John, that has been daunting for me is sports is about competing. It is literally the foundation. We need score. We got to compete. And in the conversation around how we navigate the attention on the women's game, somewhere in there, competition should be watered down to protect the asset?

In a very large way. And I think what is interesting, and I'm hoping that more folks are like, yo, this basketball is great. Like, I want to learn more about these women. Race, culture, gender are things that the women of the WNBA have never shied away from. Right. Right? A part of the bubble in 2020, they impact the election that goes down in Georgia in terms of standing on their values, right?

In a very large way. And I think what is interesting, and I'm hoping that more folks are like, yo, this basketball is great. Like, I want to learn more about these women. Race, culture, gender are things that the women of the WNBA have never shied away from. Right. Right? A part of the bubble in 2020, they impact the election that goes down in Georgia in terms of standing on their values, right?

But if we have a conversation about the societal totem pole, if you will, black women, a large representation of queer women, like, these are all things that sit at intersectional identities that... we just opened up your show. Talking about valuing these things, right?

But if we have a conversation about the societal totem pole, if you will, black women, a large representation of queer women, like, these are all things that sit at intersectional identities that... we just opened up your show. Talking about valuing these things, right?

And so there are all these isms that have made the WNBA beautiful for 28 years, including this season. And even the WNBA has had to have its arc in terms of growth and leaning into who they are and who these women are both on and off the court. But it is at the base of it. If we for a second can take all that out, you're really about to tell women how to compete and you just got here?

And so there are all these isms that have made the WNBA beautiful for 28 years, including this season. And even the WNBA has had to have its arc in terms of growth and leaning into who they are and who these women are both on and off the court. But it is at the base of it. If we for a second can take all that out, you're really about to tell women how to compete and you just got here?

What are we doing?

What are we doing?

outside of the fault lines of regular society and isn't a reflection of those things and a continuation in some respects of those battles that existence is for probably like 20 of men's sports and then you got to deal with race and then there's other things that you got to deal with but like we said women's sports sits right in the midst of all of that

outside of the fault lines of regular society and isn't a reflection of those things and a continuation in some respects of those battles that existence is for probably like 20 of men's sports and then you got to deal with race and then there's other things that you got to deal with but like we said women's sports sits right in the midst of all of that