Seattle Storm player Lexie Brown has been in the WNBA since 2018, and won a championship with the Chicago Sky in 2021. In recent years, she’s taken notice of how the culture and image of the WNBA has changed since Caitlin Clark’s arrival in 2024.
“Has it changed how people view the WNBA? Absolutely. I think unfortunately, our value, the respect that we got has been directly attached to how much money we make and it’s not rocket science to see that since her arrival, and the rest of that 2024 class, the WNBA has skyrocketed. I’m not gonna act like that’s not a coincidence,” Brown told Fox News Digital.
“I think that people are taking the league more seriously, I think people are taking us more seriously as professional athletes. And I think if you consider that a culture shift, I would say, absolutely.”
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Brown admitted that injuries and her battle with Crohn’s Disease has kept her away from the court over the last two seasons during Clark’s rise, only playing in 40 total games since 2024.
Still, Brown witnessed the phenomena and controversy as a competitor.
“Do I think there were instances of excessive physicality? For sure,” Brown said when asked about the on-court play involving the 2024 draft class. “But I think that happens at all leagues, to rookies, the young players, I think that’s just the competitive nature of things… I feel like if you watch the season, you can come to your own conclusions about that. I’ve seen a lot of other excessive plays throughout my years.”
Brown pointed to when she suffered a concussion during an instance of ‘excessive physicality’ in her third season, as a member of the Minnesota Lynx.
“It happens, unfortunately,” she said.
Clark’s 2024 entry into the WNBA catalyzed record-breaking viewership, sold-out arenas and financial growth for the league.
But along with the growth came viral debate about on-court physicality and media coverage, especially among many of the new fans Clark brought to the sport. A few times during her rookie year, Clark suffered hard contact from certain opponents. Each of those moments ignited heated social media debates.
“She was a rookie that came in, that is super talented, and was number one on everyone’s scouting report. So you’re gonna get the best defender, you’re gonna get the most physical one, and I think it was just something that she had never seen before. And as a year went on, she adjusted and got used to it,” Brown said.
“It was hard at first for her to deal with that learning curve, growing pains, and you know, I think her fans kind of were like a little taken aback by the physicality of the WNBA, but I think like I said before, they allowed her to grow and learn through that, and she came out on top of the end.”
Brown herself has developed a complex dynamic with the hordes of new fans who have come to the WNBA since Clark’s arrival.
“There’s now a greater separation between fans and players… we were such like a niche, small community, tight-knit community for so long, and the WNBA has finally broken into this, like the mainstream sports media space, which is everything that we’ve asked for maybe we wouldn’t have this new CBA, we wouldn’t have these new contracts without it,” she said.
“So I’m not gonna say, I’m not appreciative… these eyes, these new viewers have changed so many of our lives.”
But Brown claims that one of the things she has had to deal with amid the WNBA’s growth in fandom is questioning of her validity as a WNBA player, amid her battle with Crohn’s disease and past injuries.
“I think because this explosion in the WNBA of interest in new eyes has happened in the last two years and I have virtually been not existent on the court because I’ve been dealing with Crohn’s and then last year I just simply didn’t get an opportunity to play. There’s been a lot of eyebrows raised as to how I got here if I deserve to be in the WNBA still, why I’m still on a roster with limited minutes, limited playing time, limited points per game, and the overall lack of empathy and sympathy,” she said.
“For me, it’s just having a little bit more empathy, understanding that myself and so many other players in this league are more than the stats.”
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