Real Talk About The State of Women's Basketball | LeBron James & JJ Redick
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 เม.ย. 2024
- In this preview of Episode 4 of Mind the Game, JJ Redick and LeBron James talk about the state of women's basketball on the heels of the women's college basketball NCAA tournament (March Madness). Between South Carolina winning it all, Caitlin Clark and Iowa's amazing run, Angel Reese and LSU and the UCONN women's team... there's a lot to be excited about
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He is right: women’s college basketball has more icons. Staying 3-4 years really helps create fandom and legacy
You said what I was just gonna say. 🙌🏻
@@SlipreePug 🤝
It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. A few of us have been warning about the decline of men’s basketball for well over a decade and how men players don’t build a brand.
The one-and-done rule is great for the NBA. Not so much for college basketball. I hope the new CBA eliminates it.
@@mc76 I would actually argue it isn't great for the NBA. Most one and done's don't make an impact for the first two or three years of their careers. Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Anthony Edwards. For every nineteen year old rookie that makes an impact there are twenty more who sit the bench and have no clue what they're doing.
Caitlin Clark being extremely fun to watch and likable makes for great TV. And the rivalry with LSU brings even more eyes to the women’s game. Men’s college bball doesn’t have any player rivalries like that
Fact. Without angle Reese running her mouth it would’ve been talked about half as much. Love it or hate it that drama give everything such a fun storyline to follow. Stories make the average person interested
@@sherapower908It added, but tickets are sold out every game they have before LSU, thanks to IOWA fans.
I watched more women’s college games this year than all previous years, combined. One reason, Caitlin Clark. Like her or not, she deserves a lot of credit for the growth this year
I started watching her last year. She deserves so much of the credit
Bs. I've been watching women's ball for years and nothing changed but one particular player gets all this attention when there is literally HoFers they played before her that get any attention she gets.
Don't get me wrong she's a hell of a player, and she will go down as one of the GOATS, but let's be honest if she was white people wouldn't be or watching as much as CC does and that's facts.
@@dburger6093A rising tide lifts all boats tho. Now all these women just gotta support each other going fwd and they might be able to make some headway/money. So far I’ve just seen a bunch of women reminding me of how most girl are just huge jealous haters. It’s not a good look.
@@dburger6093 It's not race. Steph Curry is the most popular basketball player and it's because of the way he plays. Caitlin Clark is popular for the same reason.
@@dburger6093Foolish
I been on the women's game since the Taurasi days but when I heard about Paige Buekers in HS and saw her play i was like shiiiiiit I got to see this...then Caitlin exploded and I've been hooked ever since...now next year I'm excited to see Paige get her shine again and see what Juju does.
Already told my girl we going to see JuJu live next season. I’m a fan of Paige as well.
pullin for Hidalgo to have her top dog year. fun to see ND finally has some competition with a good SC team 😜
I started watching when taurasi played as well
Fulwiley was the most exciting player to watch this season.
Juju is up next in my opinion
The Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese situation brought all the eyes from last season to this season…
Youre underestimating Caitlin rn... Her talent itself was entertaining enough to get people to watch
Definitely not…CC game by itself did indeed bring eyes to the game of women’s basketball no denying that….What you may be underestimating is one of the most prominent sports Colleges Top 5 for sure in the United States LSU and Angel Reese….They were drawing energy and eyes to the game as well being that Angel Reese was dominating at her position as well as being relatable to the young girls really being a girls girl with style plus Kim Mulkey going for her 3rd title as a coach it was a media frenzy for them…So once all of that came together at the National Championship game the energy for Caitlin Clark and the energy for Angel Reese and LSU plus all the antics that happened during that championship game between Clark and Reese….Everyone was left in awe and was looking forward to this amazing women’s basketball season that we all just watched and enjoyed no matter who you were pulling for these girls really entertained us…
@@karrionwilliams92 just googled angel Reese highlights. Would never watch. Caitlins talent seems to match what the guys can do that's why it's entertaining. Angel can't push around male players.
@@andrijastojcic5695I don’t think anyone is underestimating her talent. Just nobody was watching her until last year like that due to the controversy (angel reese, White House). Clark was averaging 27 and 8 her first 2 years and nobody heard much about her until junior year
@@andrijastojcic5695 lol 😂 except you literally just watched to your own admission…
Damn, we're getting a episode 4 preview two days before the episode drops!?! I love it and I love how they're talking about all forms of basketball.
This is from episode 3 that already aired. Unless they're wearing the exact same outfits for episodes 3 and 4.
@@quince537 it's from episode 4. They record two episodes in one session so episodes 1 and 2 were recorded on the same day, 3 and 4 on the same, 5 and 6 on the same day etc. It also says in this video's description that it's a preview clip for episode 4.
@@rangergaming8316 ah I see, thanks. I couldn't remember that conversation from episode 3, so I thought I was tripping, guess not.
@@quince537 yeah, they upload preview clips a day or two before the new episode drops. This one has a “TH-cam Exclusive” banner on the thumbnail which is new.
Man u need some frans
Lebron and JJ's theory makes a lot of semse. While i do like mens college basketball players getting the opprotunity to support themselves and have a say in decision making, i do think the trade off is that you don't have that same feel you had before with players becoming college icons being recognized for their respective colleges. With womens college basketball, in the last 3-5 years, you have a lot of icons and brand recognition and it feels great really. This past season was especially the vibe i got as well
men's college is a disaster for both the game and the players... all just a short-sighted money grab at this point.
That one and done mentality needs to end.
More years to develop your game in college and prepare for the pros is much better.
Not everyone can succeed from the start of their pros coming from high school like Lebron.
They leave cuz ncaa used to abuse their free labor and IPs, so players found ways not to go through multiple years of ncaa corruption, it’s that simple
@@ychickshateme11 honestly disagree with that sentiment. think both sides are greedy and ruined a good thing. ncaa was greedy in not seeing the future and figuring out some sort of revenue share. players and all of the people who whined about free labor (when only about >3% actually got less compensation than they created) are overvaluing making a few $ right now at the expense of the long term inherent value. Which, I get on the players side, what do they care but the college game is a fraction of what it would have been.
@@vincentbernal635explain to me how developing in college is superior to developing as a pro in the nba or even the g league/overseas?
I think the Angel Reese Caitlin Clark controversy brought in a lot of attention to the game. Honestly 95% of the people watching the game know nothing about basketball. They are just here for the drama, the allegations, to see the villain be upset, the hero triumph, for their personal values to be affirmed in some kind of way. But not to take away from the talent of the women playing because there are some talented women out there and I am glad they’re finally getting the recognition and respect they deserve.
The most important point in all of this is missed.
It did without people needing to hate angel reese, there wouldn't be the love for caitlin clark. She not doing anything she hadn't been doing since she first got to iowa...I hate it but people love getting caught in the black v white junk
This is true. Lebron was being political let’s be honest lol
Well, this was the only reason I started watching. Plus these were the only two players I knew until last night 😅
Facts on facts! - The drama between Angel and Caitlin's was the boiling point for this recent surge in women college basketball game.
Its funny, JJ is 6'4 and even though they are sitting down, looks insanely small next to Bron
JJ has negative wingspan lol and LeBron a long 6'9 too
No diddy
Yes, he looks like a normal 5'9" dude. lol
@@senbimmons4474I think Bron might be 6'10 close for sure
@@thespot5722 maybe he was always listed 6'9, I believe.
I think the women’s game is in a unique position because you have the dynasty programs of Tennessee, South Carolina, and UCONN that will get a lot of eyes on the program regardless but you also see these incredible women wether that’s Clark, Hannah Hildago, Cameron Brink, or Juju Watkins try to build incredible legacies for there programs and because of social media we here of these names way more than ever. Also in basketball if you put up crazy numbers you will get attention. The 41 point triple double in the Elite 8 for Clark was such an eye popping number it made you want to watch how she did it and then you see the talent leap off the screen. That’s why going forward the women’s tournament will continue to get a good amount of attention because there are more stars than ever and are spread out over so many programs.
It’s really cool that LeBron is genuinely a fan of basketball. It’s cool that he’s rattling off all these esoteric college players that he enjoyed watching back in the day.
As somone who has been a fan of women's basketball for a long time, I am so happy to see the popularity grow.
Enjoy it now. Gonna nosedive next year
People really missed out watching Taurasi in her prime. She was unbelievable
A Connecticut legend. I remember going to the games when I was realllly little. And I just thought she was the coolest person ever.
that's why TH-cam was invented - searching "Taurasi" now! 😀
The best players were all going to the same schools in DT’s college days. The 5 players they talk about all are going to different schools now. The rivalries, the drama, the regional stars, the stars that different demographics can relate to. It was a perfect storm.
I always thought she played the game more like a man than any other woman I’ve seen play. But I’ve enjoyed cc more
@@nickymilmilperfect storm is a great way to describe this year + last, right kind of talent pool/drama + solid media exposure + boring men’s year, champ games went from 3-5mil viewers to 19m peaking at 24? that’s absolutely insane. never thought i’d see the day that even the internet grew some respect for the women’s game, so fun to see happen right before our eyes
Basketball is indeed not as popular as Futbol, but nonetheless it is a sport played and loved all over the world.
True, but even in the States, basketball is second to American Football by a wide margin.
Imagine the views if messi/ronalod had a podcast like this. That alone should tell you
Let’s not fool ourselves…. 90% of the viewers never watched women’s college basketball until Caitlin Clark started breaking records
I think most of us know that but those are the things that make people watch though... history being made attracts interest.
I've followed women's on an off for the last several years but CC is absolutely why I'm locked in right now and can list names of other great players.
She's doing something spectacular and I think that's what a lot of people have been waiting for.
The day we get a woman putting people on posters on a nightly basis will create another surge.
Most people who watch NBA today started with Jordan...
Cause the casuals want entertainment in the wkmen game. Thats why they dont watch. Cc brought the entertainment
Thats not true womens college basketball is hype as hell just like the mens college basketball
We dont watch the WNBA
everybody watch the women’s college games especially the tournament
How are we all forgetting that Paige Bueckers at Ucon really brought the eyes first a couple years ago. Caitlyn is a scoring machine but she wasnt noticed first. Paige losing her whole sophmore year messed it up
Made final four freshman year, made championship game her sophomore year even though she was hurt half the season. Junior year missed all of it. Folks forget Paige and UCONN blasted Iowa her freshman year and that was without an healthy Muhl. Paige was “HER” before the injury and if they got anything out of her in the second half UCONN is in the championship game
Glad Paige stayed for her final year so she can get all the attention next year and then JuJu can have the next two.
This may be the fastest growing basketball podcast ever. It's been out for like two weeks and it's already at 500k+
It’s LeBron 😑. If this was a Kobe podcast this shit would be over a million already.
@@quick2mack74mentally ill. Bringing Kobe into this for no reason.
@@quick2mack74WHY the Hate bro
RiP Kobe😢😢
@@MrAlvarez23 There is no hate bro.
@@MrAlvarez23he a rapist
Imagine if Zion and RJ Barret had played together 3 years in Duke, and many others, how amazing would that be.
5-6 years ago I couldn’t even tell you when the wnba started and finished but now I know players going into the draft. It’s definitely coming up
It’s probably because basketball really only has 1 credible league where as in football, they have a few leagues that are credible.
Shoutout to Ed Cota
He was a dawg
It's mostly about Clark. Yes, the other reasons are factors to a degree, but the biggest reason is Clark. So let's see those viewership numbers this time next year, because I have a feeling they will not be close to this year's numbers (which would be unfortunate). Simultaneously, let's see how the Fever's viewership grows...
And Angel Reese. Angel Reese brought a lot of eyes to the game which allowed Caitlyn Clark to get attention. Caitlyn was a good player since her freshman year, but no one cared. So it wasn't only her talent.
Very intelligent answer by both LeBron and JJ on this. The constant transfers and one-and-done on the men's side of things is basically a sing of instability, whereas the women are required to be there for at least 3 years so during that time they get to create a college legacy worth following. JJ is absolutely right that there are no more college basketball icons on the men's side, but the women get a chance to become one (Kelsey Plum, Caitlin Clark, etc)
That's true but let's face it, clark is the main reason why a bunch of men tuned in.
Women's basketball is at a all-time popularity space because if the influx of talent at the collegiate and pro level. Caitlin, Paige, JuJu, Angel and Cordoza are stars. So are Stewie, Aja, and Della Donne. Cheryl Miller, Cynthia Cooper, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, Sheryl Swoopes, Chamique Holdsclaw and many others paved the way.
that doesn't make sense
Everyone you mentioned after the Clark/Reese/JuJu/Cordoza have been around for years and no one took notice, so it's not a great analogy. Clark IMO has brought a lot of attention and while they came for clark, the noticed JuJu can play also. She's the next big thing to carry the torch in NCAAW, but she needs a foil like Reese and Clark had in each other. If she doesn't have another player to play off of, I don't know that she'll be nearly as big or draw the same numbers. Clark was good, humble, and wholesome in all interviews. Gave all the credit to her team and coach, has nothing but praise for Angel Reese and South Carolina and Dawn Staley.
Other players could learn from that and take a similar humble tone. It gains you admiration and love of your audience. Especially when you play a slightly less talented version of basketball, IMO humility and love for the fans would go a long way to build the sport.
Football is the most popular sport by far, but basketball is still pretty popular
In america. Globally basketball is much more popular than football
I hope they are referring to real football, not the fake one played with helmets
Thanks for the update.
@@murdock9916 I'm pretty sure they're talking about European football which is the most popular sport in the world.
Football is most popular sport, but NBA is the most popular sports league and it's not even close. The next closest is the Premier League maybe.
I believe Angel Reese had a lot to do people watching women’s basketball game. Last year when LSU won the championship put women’s basketball on the map. For reason people don’t want give Angel Reese enough credit the popularity she and the whole team created was amazing!!!!!👍👍👍
An extremely talented player for whom many fans could see themselves in her.
💯❤️🙏🏾
Facts! No one knew Clark until Angel started with her antic during the Elite 8 and Finals.
Idk anything about women's basketball aside from Caitlin Clarks highlight reels. If angel Reese or any other player was entertaining to watch I would've seen it and I havent
Check the number of views of televised LSU games and then check the ones of any game Caitlin Clark was in. Clark is the one that brought the views.
Caitlin Clark is growing the women's game!
Not just her. Paige, Juju, Cardoso, Angel, so many ballers lifting up the game
@@DocNinini tessa johnson gonna eat next year
Not just her
@@DocNinini this is getting annoying. no we only started to watch because of clark. now that shes gone from college. will it be the lebron effect? whos going to keep the torch alive. paige boring as hell. i hope its juju. but we will see next year. but for now. the torch left with clark.
@@Mrjamel-uk2ev It is just her ... For now.
Breanna Stewart doesn’t get enough love because UCONN was dominant before she got there.
It's tough to appreciate any one individual on a dream team like team. Stewart was the best on a team of 5 of the top 10 prospects in the country. It's not a surprise that when she was on a stacked UCONN team who's second team was better than 95% of the country, that she says Clark had to win a ring to cement her legacy. Not everyone is recruited to a super team born halfway between third base and home plate thinking they hit a homer.
Say what you want but Lebron James knows his basketball 🏀
Definitely
wow i bet messi knows his football too
also the sky is blue
😅
@@chase8dI mean if you listen to Gilbert arenas you would see not every basketball player actually know ball! Lol 😂
I watched cause of Clark but really enjoyed the fundamental basketball. There was a lot less foul baiting, complaining, and spam 3 pointers.
I actually liked it more than a lot of NBA games I watched this year.
The only jarring thing is when the girls randomly fall down lmao.
My school only has one D1 sport (hockey) and we just lost our leading scorer and our goalie to bigger schools, and that's combined with our other leading scorers all running out of eligibility. The portal is tough man :(
Be the new leading scorer that simple right?
@@jeeperskreepers3967 i ain't on the team but you're right. time to lock in 😤
I loved Ed Cota too. I used to go out in my driveway to practice the Cota Floata 😂
it’s hard to get attached to a team when the roster turns over every single year. even with all the 1 and dones, there used to be juniors and seniors that stayed for years and became campus legends. that is pretty much gone outside of a few exceptions (zach edey, filipowski, bacot)
They neglected to even mention Zach Edey. Like him or not, he stayed four years at the same school, in a major conference, won back-to-back Wooden Awards for POY, and as a Senior lead his team to the national title game and was dominant throughout the tourney averaging 30 pts and 15 boards in those six games. That's the closest we will come to seeing a men's college basketball "icon" ever again.
LeBron was right, I'm up in CT, we don't have our own pro teams, Huskies are king up here. We still follow close by teams for pros like Boston or NY, But it's a big reason some of the best college programs are from states with no pro teams. Alabama football is the same thing.
4:55 - "I fuckin' LOVED Ed Cota." Me, too. Ed Cota was awesome. There's something to be said about the people you remember at the college level, even when they don't transcend into the next level. It doesn't diminish Ed Cota one bit as a college player.
This is my favorite podcast right now
Some others I watch are 😊
Podcast P
Gil areana
All the smoke
Carmelo Anthony’s
But hearing lebrons insight on the game is so great 😮
Oh no… you watch Gil’s arena? Oof.
@@limitedbom2206 hating on what I watch ? Hmm
Shoutout to the women
Simp
@@Maxjuliann😂
@@Maxjuliann shrimp* dummy
@@MaxjuliannThere's nothing wrong with being a homosexual just don't shame the rest of us for liking women
Knickstape 💪🏾
Caitlin is the reason why there is such a surge in women's basketball!! Its undeniable!! The ratings have never reach this level before in history!
The last yr buzz with Angel..and the losing team visited WH😅😅😅.but lets pretend she's the only reason
People are saying they only watch because of Clark, but they wouldn't have heard about Clark if it weren't for players like Reese bringing attention to women's NCAA basketball.
It's a star driven sport really. The last time it was worth watching and religiously following Men's bball was back in 2018-'19 with Zion and Duke.
Back in the day. I followed Pat Ewing at Georgetown, Chris Mullin at St. Johns , Hakeem, Clyde Drexel at Houston. The 80's had great college teams.
LeBron nails it. I got back to when Ewing was at Georgetown and Ralph Sampson at Virginia. MJ and James Worthy at UNC. Stars being born.
JJ always gets it. He’s such a great analyst ✊🏾
I think another thing is that the stigma of women's sports is hugely going down, it isn't criticised nearly as much and real fan bases are starting to form, rather than there just being the existence of a woman's version.
Incredibile, bring a good product on TV, with recognisable stars, and "hard fought" games and people actually watch it.. Bring a bad product, and nobody cares, regardless of men or women.
@@12gark I generally agree, but there was also a lot of the classic men bashing the women’s sports because it was women not just because it was bad, although I think the increase in respect is also because of the increase in skill
@@sammcdermott78 that's true but to be fair, some female player just sounder really corny and really stupid. Like the Britney Griner "I can beat Boogie 1v1" and the Aerial Powers angry at Iggy for referring to her with her jersey number (imagine Wemby getting offended because of another player saying "number 1 is the real deal" during a Spurs game), like wtf is this shit?
Instead, now we had the amazing Sabrina vs Steph, with her shooting from the NBA line and going toe to toe with the greatest shooter ever, and we have Clarke and Reese going at each other with the right intensity, that's a whole different impression than won over most skeptics imho.
Sure, there is some old dude angry at women playing sports and so, but most basketball fans are drawn to good basket, and if you play your cards right, you can absolutely get the attention.
To me, tennis is the best example: they have double, they have very skilled and recognisable players, they avoid stupid comparison as much as possible (after the famous 1970s situation) and they have a good show for the public.
@@12garknail on the head, it is insane to assume suddenly a lot of people are a lot “less bigoted” in a short amount of time. Negative attention came because some of the leaders in women sports kept comparing themselves to the men, be it skill or compensation or recognition. Generally the public opinion doesn’t like these comparisons especially when they are rooted on a false premise (griner vs boogie) (usa women’s football complaining about compensation). Those leaders themselves made headlines for making these comparison and drawing controversy, controversy is not a bad thing for attention necessarily, but it has to be kept in the sport itself and not become a biological or political debate outside the sport. These new youngsters have hit perfect timing in the vacuum left by the lack of excitement around men’s college prospects, and at the same time are busy pushing the envelope in their own dimension. As mentioned in the video people want to see legacies unfold, rivalries to exist and simply someone to root for. This is what happens when people are given a garden and those same people put effort to make it beautiful instead of looking at another garden and bicker why the grass is greener.
@@12gark yeah I completely agree
What I love about this is that the growth for the women’s sport is organic. It’s not a bunch of people complaining about wanting equal pay without any actions to support it. The sport was fun to watch, and the public responded. Trust me, we would have no problem as a society paying more and giving players in the WNBA more if the sport was this exciting to watch. We’ll see what happens. But I just wanted to point that out that the organic growth is something that is amazing to watch.
Clark is like the Larry Bird of women's basketball, or Curry
I think the fact men’s college basketball is 1 and done created this opportunity as well. There aren’t men’s college stars like when JJ Reddick was at Duke per say. Almost every college would have a 4 year senior making a run in the tourney now you can’t really get locked in as much cause every year it’s a whole new team damn near
ESPN should be thanking Caitlin, ratings off the charts,,, she was just incredible at Iowa,,, so fun to watch---Lebron gets it too-- just good for the game of Basketball--- better little leagues, more interest, more fun..
JJ is spot on!!! It is a trend and I actually think the WNBA right now is approaching where the NBA was in the 80s where they really learn to market their superstars correctly. Clark, Reese, and Brink really have an opportunity here to increase the viewership of the WNBA. That brings more revenue and increases salary. I just hope the execs at the WNBA are prepared and ready. And the current players are going to be open to this new change.
My Mom starting watching basketball because of MJ. My Mom never would ever have imagined she would watch this sport. She started watching him with me during the Bulls playoffs and became entranced. I watched Golden State launching 3s hitting from every direction for how many years...Yes, Curry obviously mainly and I was and still am blown away.
Similarly, Caitlin can SHOOT AND ASSIST. Scoring off a quick pass, and can back off from height disadvantages without a problem.
I feel like she is a generational talent and is going ro help the sport tremendously.
Agreed. Also, there's so many routes to the nba now. young talent don't look at the ncaa as the be all and end all anymore. Nowadays I'm looking at draft predictions and half of the talent isn't even from college ball. You've got overseas ball, g league ignite and all these other leagues having a crazy influence now.
The only reason i watched the women's final this year is because of Caitlin Clark, she's fun to watch and not annoying.
Exactly,the arrogance of the women pro is off putting
@@fujidenzo_kid4147what arrogance? Is cause they’re women? Cause I don’t see this on the men’s side when they do the same
@@theklr When Iguodala said #7 is nice for a specific WNBA team the response from her was "put some respect on my name" That's arrogant, it's not gracious.
They demand respect, act like they are the best doing what they do, when my high school men's team could have run them out of a gym.
They are good... for women, but they take themselves far too seriously and if I want to watch better basketball I can watch NBA, NCAA, high level high school men's, FIBA, Euroleague, etc. On top of that the NCAAW is more entertaining because of the love of the game and they don't take it so seriously.
The WNBA take themselves far too seriously and just ignore the entertaining aspect of the game and are like a fat stripper on stage stomping their feet demanding you come throw dollars at them. Like, yes it's technically the same game, but you are not playing on the same level.
As for the Men being arrogant. Most people don't mind because when a 6'5" dude runs down and dunks on a 7 foot guy and then acts like a savage, everyone at home thinks he is because they (including I) could never do that. So it's impressive as hell. Those moments never exist watching the WNBA. They don't make moves where you are like "OMG, I could never do that" because in high school I was able to easily dunk 2 hands without moving aside and just letting me do it, so it's just not impressive, combined with the arrogance that acts like they are entitled to your viewership and shaming those who don't watch them.
@@robertdouth8979 Men do that all the time. Don't see the wining with Luka, Embid, or even Trae. Bet you can't even name five women who's "arrogant" currently in the league. Everything you stated shows you're not actually watching games your watching reactions, and that's fine do you. Just stop acting like you're in a winning game. Game is growing YoY before Catlin is joining. . No one is reading your misogyny manifesto. Continue to hate and just watch the game grow. Enjoy that 6'5" member in your mouth
@@theklrno it’s not because they’re women. Have you seen the past handful of years in women’s sports in general? USA women’s soccer and wnba players were all over the place yapping about this that and the other, and if they got any pushback they called everyone sexist. It was everyone else’s fault for not watching them play. It’s not a women’s thing, it’s a group of people pointing the finger at everyone and insulting them because they don’t care about their league as if I’m obligated to watch or something.
I started watching college again because of Angel Reese. Once Clark and Reese started their rivalry, it became intense and electrifying ❤
We’ll probably see men’s basketball getting a boost next year, with Cooper Flagg at Duke. But outside of the big big star at a school like Duke/UNC/Kansas, with all the transfer movement and one and dones it’s hard for the men’s side to grow.
I wore my ed cota jersey all the time😅
I think the style of play is also a factor. I watch games and women’s college looks more like 90s basketball than modern NBA. Some people enjoy that.
Also, without a ton of money in the women’s sports yet I bet some people feel it’s more “pure”. But I know that money is gonna be coming now
It's pure at the college level. That's the problem. It's not at the WNBA level unfortunately. It's really a toxic culture if you look into it.
LeBron has a great point about timelines. NCAAB was at its strength in 80s/90s when guys were playing 3-4 years with one program.
In female NCAA we get that still and it's better for fan engagement.
But I think transfer portal isn't nearly as big a factor as no stars staying longer than a year.
I had no idea these two were doing a podcast. Subscribed...
simple answer … Caitlin Clark
Bronnnn🔥🔥🔥💯
W Early release 🧠🏀
GoodjobMindThegame
Caitlin’s rivalry with Angel Reese is the only reason that I started watching, I saw that national championship game and I said, yup this is it. This year I watched the entire women’s March madness and I am now a fan, I will 100% start watching the W just to keep watching the girls that were just drafted, I literally do not care about the women that were there prior to this draft, and I believe they are part of the viewership problem.
Men’s college hoops now if you stay after your 2nd year everybody assumes you ain’t good enough for nba
Women's basketball is in a great place.
Caitlyn Clark is the primary reason/catalyst people started watching. And once they did, they also became big fans of the other stars (Reese, Bueckers, Cardoso, etc etc)
05:43 Was waiting for that question to pop up :D
The football take is wild, i wonder what he means
He was talking about soccer.(futbol)
man yall feeding us good
The growth is also because there are so many fans of basketball that have yet to discover how fantastic women's basketball is. The growth will only continue.
Wow this was actually a great discussion and Lebron with the awesome throwback names. I remember Ed Cota. He was a great PG.
The girls are a beast!
Smh the youth dont wear hoop shorts at all times anymore, we're losing the recipes
I’m 23 and most dudes I know still do this
The icons really carried the Women’s tournament. It was awesome to watch them develop and storylines progress over the years.
Men’s college just doesn’t have it. It’s all about being an NBA prospect 1&done
I been telling ppl this. WNBA is on the same trajectory the NBA was on. 25-30 years in, NBA was on tape delay and had a serious drug problem, they merge with the ABA, Magic and Bird get drafted and the rest is history. WNBA 25-30 years in, they get hit with the pandemic, struggle to make it through that year, since then ratings and attendance have increased year over year every year and now they have Caitlin, Angel, Paige, Juju, etc all coming in over the next few seasons.
I agree with this statement. And just want to add in there Hanna Hidalgo, Fulwiley, Tessa Johnson.
Lebron Football ⚽️ is the biggest sport!
I love Bron but I have to respectfully disagree with his take about basketball being the most popular sport in the world as that's not true. The two most popular sports in the world are football and cricket.
Who cares
@@ryanhines7184 I care and I just stated my opinion which is based on facts.
@@rangergaming8316how exactly is popularity measured
@@MrYim123 by the number of fans each sport has based on viewership numbers and football and cricket have fans that are in the range of billions.
Futbol (Soccer) for number of countries where’s the top sport. Cricket for sheer number of fans. You can see he said it jokingly after he said “football”
Kobe was paving the way for the women, the four years he was able to spend investing in WBB shouldn't go unnoticed. He helped create a lot of buzz on the west coast and I believe he made the skill level go up greatly. It's a shame he's not around to see the girls and the product he helped to create.
The best podcast out here
LBJ my man... the numbers don't lie. FOOTBALL (Soccer) worldwide is head, shoulders, chest, belly, waist and part of the hip above the rest.
Viewership is being pulled from different directions which is what creates such a HUGE number of people watching. There was a huge number drawn to watch Caitlin Clark play (imo this is what drew most men to watch) but there’s also a huge number drawn to the drama and entertainment from the personalities of the other players like Angel Reese. It’s not just one reason or one player. Girls playing sports is also growing at the same time as more and more programs are becoming accessible and it’s now more respected than ever for girls to dream playing in sports causing the kids and their families to tune in! Social media is also huge. We don’t just rely on the big sports networks to tell us what’s important to watch, cuz we can share and post and create interest in players ourselves. These girls are talented, entertaining and demonstrating that women don’t need to stick to one lane. So many reasons to watch and that’s why the numbers are so high. It’s not just Clark, it’s not just Paige, not just Reese… so many reasons for viewership!
Glad to see the narrative changing with women’s sports. Women’s rugby and football are both excellent products as well.
Hey JJ in one of your next episodes can you ask LeBron about characters like Pat Bev, Dillon Brooks, and especially Lance Stephenson and what kinda of roles those people play on teams. Cause I was rewatching a pacers versus heat game where Stephson blew in his ear and I think it would be funny to hear Brons thoughts on that moment and those kinda players.
Having played basketball 20 years ago, I can tell you it was slightly depressing because we always knew that Tennessee or UConn would win the national title. This is quite defeating to other teams. The separation between the top 2% talent and the rest was EXTREME 20 years ago. As a fan, that's just not that exciting. It's almost like before the season starts, you already know who's going to win the national title. What has been the driving force has been the change equality across the spectrum nationally. Now you see amazing players like JuJu, who are deciding not to transfer to the University of Connecticut because they truly feel that they can get their home team to the national championship. Clark may be the figurehead for this type of movement, since she stayed Iowa. I'm really not bashing on "super teams" like South Carolina was this year, but it's just more enjoyable to watch close games instead of total blowouts. Let's be honest, when it's a blowout game and the same team always wins the chip, you tend to change the channel. The only people that watch those games are the people that live in the state of the blowout team. . . . Even South Carolina, who is really good, still had some close games this year. I think it's great for the status of women's basketball. I hope young women all over the country choose where they want to go, based on what kind of education they want to receive, where they want to live, and family factors (as well as coaching quality) because in today's sport, if you go anywhere with a few good players, you have a chance!! ❤
Ed Cota was the man. My favorite player as a kid too
I was a big Syracuse fan because of Travis Best.
It's the story of the team and players. That is what keeps people coming back. I remember those duke and UNC days from the 90s. Players just stay and play.
Ngl I only watched only to watch Iowa and Caitlin Clark
Damn Ed Cota... Forgot about him. Was solid 😎💪
There are a few factors besides Caitlyn Clark that's contributing to the popularity of womens basketball. #1 They are playing at a higher intensity. Last year LSU scored 102 points against Iowa, the most points ever in a championship and an inspiring performance from Jasmine Carson. #2 The players are starting to truly embrace their femininity and are not afraid of being girlie. #3 Angel Reese and Flaujae Johnson are extremely popular and have been everywhere, putting more of a spotlight on the sport.
I’ve been watching ever since I seen a highlight video of Caitlin Clark on Twitter. I’ve never seen a woman play like her before, she’s incredible. 🎉
The personalities and the storylines help the women's game, I believe.
I think with the way things are with Clark and Reese. They got all of media wrapped around their finger. And with them going go over to the WNBA, they’re going to help it grow immensely and I’m all for it.
I wanna know more about this game in 79 vs magic and Larry? I’m so intrigued
National championship game. Larry was at Indiana State (not Indiana Univ; he tried that and hated it), and was their only good player. Undefeated season going into the NCAA finals. Magic was at Michigan State, with a much better group of teammates. Michigan State won, in what at the time was the most watched college basketball game ever. I haven't looked, but it is probably on TH-cam.
Zach Edey, Burns, RJ
So true, when I was a kid men's college basketball had hero's and we all paid more attention to the school and the program. The women athletes in college are more interesting and polarizing, absolutely because they are around long enough to cheer for. I think the WNBA is going to snowball and snowball, those ladies are amazing.
That last take was reasonable I watched WNBA in the 90’s not again until Tarausi I wanna see these next few yrs play out
I watched the women’s final for the first time ever. South Carolina played good sound basketball. I enjoyed the game.
Very good LBJ ur explanation 3:14 on the women's game
im surprised they didnt mention the social media aspect
But the real reason women’s basketball is through the roof is because of one icon in particular: Caitlin Clark.
I have not been interested in women’s basketball before but hearing about Caitlin Clark made me want to watch her. All of the other names JJ and Lebron mentioned are unknown names to me personally.
If the women’s game doesn’t have another superstar like Clark next year, their ratings will plummet
LeBron spent two minutes talking about why it's grown when all he had to say was two words: Caitlyn Clark.
Havent watched a single col mens game other than highlights of the final 4 other then the final. For 3 years its been ncaaw. You just see progression. Mostly new rodters with the college men