Longtime WNBA Official: 'Our Players Just Don't Get It'
A longtime WNBA official made a telling admission to USA TODAY journalist Christine Brennan.
Brennan, a longtime sports reporter and columnist, took a lot of heat last year for her Caitlin Clark coverage. She asked WNBA guard DiJonai Carrington following an Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun game if she intentionally poked Clark in the eye. The WNBA Players' Association was not happy.
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The WNBAPA called for Brennan, a respected journalist, to lose her media credential.
WNBA Players' Association executive director Terri Jackson was furious. Jackson called Brennan's question "a blatant attempt to bait a professional athlete into participating in a narrative that is false and designed to fuel racist, homophobic and misogynistic vitriol on social media."
She called for USA TODAY to punish Brennan.
"USA Today Sports should explain why a reporter with clear bias and ulterior motives was assigned to cover the league," Jackson added.
Brennan, who is releasing a book, "On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports," spoke to a longtime WNBA official who admitted that most women's basketball players just don't get it when it comes to media coverage.
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WNBA players are now facing the kind of media coverage that NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. players have faced for decades.
"Unfortunately, most of our players have zero idea what real media exposure is," the league official told Brennan.
"They don't know what real coverage is, they have been shielded at college, and then they come to the WNBA not knowing what real questions are. Frankly, our players just don't get it."
UNCASVILLE, CT - JUNE 10: DiJonai Carrington #21 of the Connecticut Sun plays defense against Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever during the game on June 10, 2024 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)As the WNBA increases in popularity, so too, will the media coverage. It's not always going to be positive. And there are going to be hard questions.
That is something the league should welcome, though, as it's a clear sign of growth.
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But will they?
Longtime WNBA Official: 'Our Players Just Don't Get It' first appeared on The Spun on Jul 6, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
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