1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:09,400 Speaker 1: Okay, should the Fever do the right thing and refund 2 00:00:09,560 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: those ticket purchases for all the people who didn't get 3 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: see Kaylin Tark. 4 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 2: Oh, that's a good question. 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 3: A lot of people will be very disappointed because they 6 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 3: bought those tickets hoping to see her play. 7 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 2: And now she's out. Yeah. 8 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,159 Speaker 1: I think I told the story on air. This was 9 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: several weeks ago, a month ago now, maybe more. My 10 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,160 Speaker 1: old pal Ben Verbannik, the most beautiful man in all 11 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: of Terere Hate Television, was up here and we were 12 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: downtown at a well known watering hole and it was 13 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: post a Fever game. It was after the Caitlin Clark injury, 14 00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: and we were talking to one of the bartenders about 15 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: the reaction to her lack of playing. Now, obviously at 16 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: the time they thought she was going to come back, 17 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: blah blah blah. 18 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 2: But this person told they said, there is. 19 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:13,839 Speaker 1: A certain level of unhappiness from people not who bought 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:16,959 Speaker 1: out of the gate, from whoever ticket master, whoever it 21 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: is that sells the tickets now, but from the people 22 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: who bought on the secondary market, because those are the 23 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: people that really paid out the nose to go see 24 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: these games. And let's face it. They're not getting anything 25 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:32,479 Speaker 1: they paid for. 26 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 2: Yeah. 27 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 3: She announced yesterday that she hoped to share better update, 28 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 3: but she won't be returning to play this season. She 29 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 3: went on to thank everybody, and she said she was 30 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 3: proud of how the team had only gotten stronger through 31 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 3: adversity this year and now it's time to close out 32 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 3: the season and claim our spot in the playoffs. And 33 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 3: I saw many people, you know, saying it's not her fault. 34 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 3: They're not blaming her for being injured. But many people 35 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 3: were commenting, oh the fever still play, Like. 36 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: Well, could you okay, really, could you tell me the 37 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: score of the last fevere game? 38 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 2: Nope, Nor couldn't mind. 39 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 3: I couldn't tell you when it was, who they played, 40 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 3: what the score was. Nothing. Yeah, And this is coming 41 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 3: from a household that is. 42 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 2: A fan, right. 43 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: And so by the way, I texted you, I texted 44 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 1: your husband last night and I said, hey, you still 45 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: got all those Kalen Clarks magazines or you get rid 46 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: of those already. 47 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 3: He can't stop collecting magazines. 48 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 2: He has issues. Casey's house is the most he has issues. 49 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, I get it, Okay, Casey's house is great. Like 50 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: the bathroom you walk into the bathroom and you just 51 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: got to walk around just stacks of magazines to use the. 52 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 3: Kid his office. 53 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, But but we talked about this from the 54 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: moment she came into the league. We said, the w 55 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: n b A is a niche sport, and I can 56 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: say this is someone who is a fan of a 57 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: niche sport. I love golf, but I also recogniz eyes 58 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: that golf had a a peak level of popularity between 59 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: the years of nineteen ninety seven and two thousand and 60 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: eight in which Tiger Woods was the dominant force, not 61 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 1: just in the game of golf, but in all of sports. 62 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: Golf will never see again the ratings and the fans 63 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: and the intensity and the corporate sponsorship and all that 64 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: other stuff. Now there may be, you know, more money 65 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: because of Inflation Center, but I'm saying golf will never 66 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: We'll never see that again because it'll never be another 67 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: Tiger Woods. And that was a prolonged thing because he 68 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: was so good for so long and he was such 69 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: a world figure. But you look at hockey, which is 70 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: a knit sport. With Gretzky, it was about a five 71 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: year window when he came to Los Angeles from eighty 72 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: eight to ninety three. The Mighty Ducks movie kept that 73 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: going for a little bit. Boxing with Mike Tyson. It 74 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: was basically what like eighty six to ninety one until 75 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: he went to prison. There's just a window for these 76 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: niche sports when they have these transcendent athletes, transformational athletes, 77 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: and you better get the most out of it, because 78 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: people just get bored with it. They've seen it, they 79 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: move on. They're not a fan of the sport, they're 80 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: a fan of the person or the thing they're doing. 81 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: And with Caitlin Clark, it was the fact that she 82 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: couldn't even and I'm not blaming her. She's injured, fine, 83 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: but she couldn't even give two seasons of it. You're 84 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: already seeing just a lack of interest because she is 85 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: the league, she is the thing, and she's not playing. 86 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 3: So data shows that Fever games without her average fifty 87 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 3: three percent lower ratings, down to eight hundred and fifty 88 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 3: thousand viewers from their peak at one. 89 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 2: Point eight million. 90 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,279 Speaker 3: The league averages are still up overall, but there's been 91 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 3: a whole lot of money that has been poured into 92 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:46,840 Speaker 3: the league to get them to that numbers. Now, my 93 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 3: question is this happened yesterday, on the same day that 94 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 3: they broke ground for a seventy eight million dollar performance 95 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 3: facility for the Indiana Fever. 96 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: Well, so let's come back to what you just said, 97 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: because you made a good point. Yes, the ratings are 98 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 1: up because there has been an onslaught of coverage by 99 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: the media, and the one thing that this league will. 100 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 2: Have going for it is the media now is. 101 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: Wholly invested in its quote unquote success, like it will 102 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 1: never be outside of Caitlin Clark successful, just like the 103 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: other niche sports struggled when the phenom or the you 104 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:27,159 Speaker 1: know this once in a lifetime person was at their peak. 105 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 2: But the media will not let it go. 106 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,760 Speaker 1: Like whether she comes back next year and is a 107 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: world beater, the media won't let it go. Now doesn't 108 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: mean the public's going to be interested in it. 109 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 2: It doesn't mean the. 110 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: Public's going to buy it anymore. I think from a 111 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: just a no matter, take the media manipulation out of it. 112 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: She better have the greatest year in the history of 113 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: the league next year or people are going to just 114 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 1: completely lose interest. 115 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 3: Okay, Now, this is on the heels of her revealing 116 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 3: her new logo right in her new sponsorship deal but 117 00:05:59,279 --> 00:06:02,799 Speaker 3: a lot of people are pointing out Michael Jordan missed 118 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 3: eighty percent of his second year as well. So will 119 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:10,359 Speaker 3: she come back next year and be bigger and better 120 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 3: than ever? 121 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:14,160 Speaker 2: Wait? Wait wait wait wait, yeah, yes I did. I 122 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 2: just compared her to Michael Jordan. 123 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 1: There were a couple guys named Bird and Magic that 124 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 1: I think had the NBA rolling in a pretty good 125 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: fashion when Jordan showed up on the scene. And this 126 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:27,159 Speaker 1: is what we come back to. Jordan became the face 127 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:29,480 Speaker 1: of the league, and he's arguing he's the greatest basketball 128 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: player of all time, arguably the greatest athlete of all time. 129 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,280 Speaker 1: He's certainly on the Mount Rushmore and part of that conversation. 130 00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 2: But he inherited. 131 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 1: He became that figure on a league that was a 132 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: financial juggernaut because of the emergents and surgeons of Bird 133 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 1: and Magic in the eighties, and they lifted that league right. 134 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 2: It wasn't a niche league. Just like in the NFL. 135 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,479 Speaker 1: If Pat Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes goes down in his game tonight, 136 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: Week one, he's the best player in the league, but 137 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 1: the league is going to roll because the NFL, the 138 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: National Football League, is a financial freight train right, it's 139 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: everywhere people love football. There's the league itself is bigger 140 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: than any individual player. In the case of Clark, she's 141 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: far bigger than the league itself, and people are gonna 142 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: they are clearly have lost interest in the league despite 143 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 1: all this mass media promotion. And unless she comes back 144 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:28,440 Speaker 1: next year, even if she's just pretty good, which it's 145 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: hard to recover from these injuries, that league is in massive, 146 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: massive trouble unless she can figure out a way to get. 147 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 2: It together next. 148 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 3: Do you think that the Sigmons are now regretting their 149 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 3: seventy eight million dollar investment one hundred and eight they 150 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 3: lose the couch cushion, so no big deal for them. 151 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 2: You know what they should do? Give that money to us. 152 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 3: By the way, the center is scheduled to open before 153 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 3: the twenty seven WNBA season. Will people still be interested 154 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 3: by that? 155 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: A lot of stuff and this stuff is political correctness, 156 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: and they're doing it to check a box. And look 157 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: at how we treat the WNBA team. That league was 158 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 1: a financial dumpster fire before Caitlin Clark showed up, and 159 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:10,840 Speaker 1: people will lose interest and no matter how much the 160 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:12,000 Speaker 1: media tries to save it. 161 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 2: They do this stuff all the time. We're just gonna 162 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 2: be like, it's a niche sport. 163 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: If you like it, great, but it's not something the 164 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: public in mass is going to consume. 165 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 2: And I can say all this because I'm a huge 166 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:23,119 Speaker 2: fan of a niche sport.