the wnba had perhaps their greatest season ever in 2024. the arrival of caitlin clark had an expected, yet amazing impact. listen at :30 in this video as 60 minutes reports…
sports have a knack for bending stats to fit desired narratives but the [wnba]’s growth figures astound. tv ratings have spiked 153% from last season
bend means transform. fit means correlate, support. a narrative is a story. growth is the noun equivalent for grow. it menas increase. astound means shock. spike is increase suddenly. a knack is a tendency. u might recognize it as the name of the band famous for the song my sharona…
at minute 4, the 60 minutes video speaks to (talks about) the wnba’s stability issues
from the jump franchises came and went. the houston comets won the first four titles only to fold. but amid the instability the wnba was giving a generation of girls aspiration and inspiration
from the jump means from the beginning. fold means go out of business. stop existing. amid means in the middle of. come and go (came and went) is frequently used to emphasize temporary as in (for example)…
the title of this juice wrld/marshmello track
the chorus of this huge hit by culture club…
karma, karma, karma, karma, karma chameleon
u come and go, u come and go
and this verse by john mellencamp that appears at 1:45 in the song…
cause they told me when I was younger sayin’, “boy, you’re gonna be president”
but just like everything else, those old crazy dreams just kinda came and went
at 4:15 in the 60 minutes video, clark shares a story from when she was younger…
when clark was growing up in iowa, already running circles around the boys, her dad took her to see a wnba game in minnesota. she returned home hellbent on adding distance to her jump shot. “i’m like begging my dad to like tear up some grass and pour more concrete so i could have an entire three-point line in my driveway”
grow up is the process of going from a child to an adult. run circles around is an idiom that means dominate. hellbent means very determined. beg is intensely or desperately request. both uses of like are “fillers”–they are not essential but indicate emphasis and informality. tear up means remove. pour means flow out of a container. a driveway is the pavement that goes from a public street to the garage of a private home. it’s common in the u.s. to have a basketball hoop in the driveway.
this crew has already poured the concrete and they are paving the driveway
clark reinforces the impact that the wnba had on her as a kid at 6:30…
a lot of these players are who i grew up watching on tv and wanting to be like and now i get to play against them…it’s pretty cool
like in this context is similar to. get to means have the opportunity or privilege. pretty is not always easy to understand because it depends on context and tone, but based on what we know about caitlin clark, we can take this to mean that she thinks being in the wnba is super cool.
the best of the 2024 rookie class
there was an intense level of hype (publicity) surrounding the rookies (first year players) who entered the wnba this year with caitlin. were they able to manage all the hysteria? listen for this observation at :21 on the 60 minutes video
a rookie class as good as advertised has made a seamless transition from college to the pros blending with established stars
a rookie is a first year player. as good as is a comparative that means equal to. as good as advertised means that they did indeed live up to the hype (meet expectations). seamless means smooth, continuos. it is frequently used in the phrase seamless transition. college means university NOT a school before university level. blending means mixing, combining.
caitlin and i went to college at the same place 
despite caitlin’s consistent praise (admiration) for the wnba players to come before her, there were several moments during the season when the blend between rookies and established players/legends wasn’t perfect . this tension is the theme in this short from my youtube channel…
take another look and check out this remarkable (amazing) vocabulary in the short 👉rookie (also appears above), meant, rub the wrong way,push back, old guard, steadfastly, vitriol (also appears below), remiss, take away, have got structure, ain’t, double negatives, box office, y’all, poo-poo(v), let it slide, superlatives, big dog and sink in.
a comment in the 60 minutes video at 9:04 points out (specifies) another type of vitriol that the wnba commissioner cathy engelbert was forced to deal with (confront) this season…
though the commissioner touts league rivalries, competition has also brought out a certain ugliness. this season saw an onslaught of vitriol, often racist, targeting players. this in a league that is 75% black
first team all-wnba and olympic gold medalist alyssa thomas said wise words in response to the vitriol. watch it in this short…
the vocabulary presented in this vid includes: every rose has its thorn, shit expressions, turn out, whatsoever, spent, troll, unsung, harass, threaten, nonsense, career, throughout, head and degrade
in the short alyssa thomas is defending her connecticut sun teammate dijonai carrington who is recognized as one of the most stylish players in the league. the 60 minutes video highlights the importance of drip (style) for promoting the league. listen at 10:30…
the arrival walk to the locker room is now a fixture in pro sports. [wnba] players absolutely own this space– social media rocket fuel that engages fans
the locker room is where players change into their uniforms. fixture means permanent part. own means they are very good at it and have attracted a lot of attenion. rocket fuel means it is extremely powerful on social media. engage means involve, attract.
dijonai carrington’s drip
as a union leader napheesa collier will be at the bargaining table. the nba shares revenues with its players roughly 50/50 and she wonders is the w willing to do the same
do u agree that caitlin clark is box office? did she motivate u to watch the wnba this season? share your thoughts under leave a reply
