Caitlin Clark giveth, and the WNBA taketh. Since its founding in 1997, the WNBA has been a massive money loser. This year will bring more red ink with the WNBA betting odds. The WNBA is a welfare case that the NBA has subsidized since opening tipoff. But the arrival of Caitlin Clark could change that. Yet all Clark is getting is grief and thuggish fouls against her. There is an enormous amount of jealousy regarding Clark. The quest to run Clark out of the league will further damage it. Indeed, the WNBA may self-destruct with hate.
2024 WNBA Season
| Dates: | Now through September 19, 2024 |
|---|
2024 WNBA SBG Championship Future Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Las Vegas Aces | +105 |
| New York Liberty | +170 |
| Connecticut Sun | +1200 |
| Seattle Storm | +1800 |
| Minnesota Lynx | +2200 |
| Dallas Wings | +3300 |
| Phoenix Mercury | +3300 |
| Atlanta Dream | +4000 |
| Chicago Sky | +5000 |
| Indiana Fever | +6600 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | +10000 |
| Washington Mystics | +15000 |
Reese is No Angel
Caitlin Clark’s bitter arch-rival is Angel Reese. The past two years in women’s college basketball saw Clark and Reese battle in the Final Four. Reese could not contain her rage and resentment towards Clark. Reese and LSU scored an online wagering win over Iowa and Clark for the 2023 national championship. In turn, Reese taunted Clark, who blew her off by ignoring her. In 2024, Iowa and Clark got revenge on LSU and Reese in the national semifinal. Counter to Reese, Clark was cool and made no big deal of it.
Since Caitlin Clark and Reese arrived as rookies for the current WNBA season, there has been plenty of horror by Reese. For example, Reese Tomahawk chopped Clark in the head when Clark was going in for a layup. The flagrant foul by Reese but Clark on the floor. Clark made no issue of it but Reese keeps whining that Clark gets all the credit.
The WNBA players who once flew coach and were ignored now get comfortable charger flights. Once empty, the arenas are now full. And TV games that once drew less viewership than infomercials are now getting record ratings. Yet the layers in the WNBA don’t care. Instead, they are consumed with jealousy and hate.
Of course, the question that keeps getting asked is why the hate. Ultimately, that is everyone’s responsibility to decide for themselves what their motives are. But what all rational fans and gamblers can say is that the negativity will kill a potential golden goose.
WNBA League Betting Update
So far the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun are interesting case studies with the WNBA lines. New York is 14-3 straight up up has covered only six out of 17 games. In the same way, Connecticut is 13-2 straight up but 7-8 versus the oddsmakers. On the other hand, the Minnesota Lynx is 13-3 straight up and 12-4 against the spread. Meanwhile, the Seattle Storm is 9-6 straight up and 9-6 against the spread.
Namely, Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever is 7-10 straight up but 13-4 against the spread. Correlate the strong betting value offered by Indiana. Despite Caitlin Clark’s public popularity, it has not been a drag on their profitability.
Thus far, the 2-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces are 8-6 straight up and 5-9 against the spread. The Aces are suffering from a championship hangover and the improvement of the other teams.