It seems like the Sue Bird vs. Stephen A. Smith controversy isn’t cooling down any time soon. We have seen Bird representing her sport for 20 years, and now, post-retirement, she continues to take a stand off the court. But when Smith started talking about Caitlin Clark’s impact on WNBA viewership, things got a little heated, and now, Dan Dakich has stepped in to make his case. 

Smith had been hyping up CC’s massive contribution to WNBA’s viewership. But Bird wasn’t too happy about how Smith and Shannon Sharpe seemed to be hinting that the league’s viewership was only strong because of Caitlin. She took to her “A Touch More” podcast, calling them out. 

Now, after listening to her podcast, the sports radio personality Dakich didn’t hold back, saying, “Sue Bird’s making a point. Her opinion is great. She’s fighting for women’s sports… but did you hear how she had to end it? She had no answer for herself when she said ‘he can have his own opinion.’” 

“So what Sue Bird is basically saying is this, ‘look ESPN, you show women’s games on ESPN, you broadcast women’s games on ESPN, you are in the WNBA business, so the people that work at ESPN aren’t allowed to have an opinion,’” the Don’t @ Me host added on the OutKick YouTube video. 

While backing his fellow TV personality, he made a strong point that when people are interested, it isn’t always going to be flowers. “Stephen A Shannon Sharpe, me, sue bird, whomever, we have our own opinion, and for the first time, that opinion is now centering on the WNBA and because of Caitlin Clark. There actually expectation; there’s actually a high bar. We’re actually doing some comparison,” he asserted. 

This came after the 43-year-old said on her podcast, speaking about the Fever’s young star, “The games where she’s not playing still break records! Semifinal games without Caitlin are up 130%, and that’s without her (CC) team in it!” But the ESPN host wasn’t having it. On The Stephen A. Smith Show, he fired back, saying he was “disgusted” with Bird’s comments.

“The story is the story, Sue Bird! Shannon and I were just pointing out how Caitlin’s impact is undeniable.” He even compared the situation to the NBA’s glory days, when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird didn’t resent Michael Jordan’s rise but celebrated it. He simply meant that the Indiana Fever guard is helping to raise the whole league’s profile. So, they should embrace it.

Is Caitlin Clark the only reason for the WNBA’s rising viewership?

Caitlin Clark is a force, no doubt. She’s drawn millions of eyes to the screen during WNBA games—especially during the Indiana Fever’s playoff run, where Game 2 against the Sun pulled in 2.5 million viewers. And yet, even without the 22-year-old, viewership remains impressive. 

For instance, the 2024 WNBA Finals Game 1 (between New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx) hit 1.14 million viewers—the highest since 1998. The league’s viewership has been on the rise for a few years now. Whether it’s the intense rivalries, big personalities, or improved coverage, people are tuning in. 

Sure, the 2024 ROTY is a major factor in the WNBA’s growing popularity. But the league itself is on an upward path. With upcoming talent, competitive teams, and more media attention, the WNBA is going to gain more attention in the coming times.

But again, as Dakich puts it, “When people care, they talk about the positive; they also talk about the negative without fear because it’s facts.” For the time being, with Bird and Smith on opposite sides of this debate, this one isn’t going away anytime soon. Let’s wait and watch who jumps into this next!