Cowboys 2025 Draft pick shows WNBA support at Wings-Sparks
The post Cowboys 2025 Draft pick shows WNBA support at Wings-Sparks appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Dallas Wings lost 93-79 Friday night to the Los Angeles Sparks in a WNBA Commissioner's Cup matchup. Despite taking the L and dropping to 1-8 on the season, there is some buzz around the team, thanks to 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. And one of the ways you can tell is by looking at who is at the game, and this contest included Dallas Cowboys first-round pick Tyler Booker.
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The 6-foot-5, 321-pound offensive lineman from Alabama is hard to miss, and he certainly looked like he was having a good time taking in a WNBA game, even though the hometown team lost while playing without Bueckers, who missed her third-straight game with a concussion.
Dallas fought valiantly without its superstar, with Dijonai Carrington dropping 16 and JJ Quinerley adding 14. However, the Wings were no match for the Sparks. Azura Stevens led all scorers with 21, Dearica Hamby scored 20, and Odessy Sims left with 19.
As Cowboys OTAs wind down, Booker is making the most of his first-round draft status in Dallas. In addition to taking in the Wings-Sparks game Friday, he also attended a Dallas Stars NHL playoff game against the Winnipeg Jets in early May.
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NFL players, along with other high-profile athletes and celebrities, are coming out to watch WNBA games, which is becoming more prevalent as the league adds more star power. With Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese boosting the league's profile in the sports landscape, the 2025 WNBA Draft class has added even more wattage to the sport.
In addition to Paige Bueckers, Hailey Van Lith, Aneesah Morrow, and Kiki Iriafen are all rookie looking to make an impact this season. And in the coming drafts, the league will add names like JuJu Watkins, Falu'jae Johnson, Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong, Lauren Betts, Hannah Hidalgo, and Madison Booker.
With names like this, the WNBA should remain incredibly healthy and draw more support from NFL fans and players alike.
Related: Candace Parker drops blunt view on fairness of critiquing WNBA players
Related: 2024 WNBA rookie makes surprising Grand Canyon coaching move
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Fox News
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WNBA's TV ratings drop with Fever's Caitlin Clark sidelined due to injury: report
The WNBA has seen a significant drop in TV ratings while Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark remains sidelined with a quad injury. Clark has missed five straight games after she strained a quadriceps during the Fever's 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty last month. Initially, she was expected to miss two weeks, but the second-year guard has yet to be cleared for Saturday's game against the Liberty, which will mark three weeks. Her absence on the court has not only hurt the Fever. It's hurt the WNBA's TV ratings. USA Today reported Thursday that, according to Nielsen data, nationally televised WNBA viewership is down 55% since Clark was injured May 24. The report said nationally televised Fever games are also down 53%. OutKick clarified those numbers, reporting that of the four previous games Clark played in, two were aired on CBS and ABC. A third was broadcast on NBA TV, and a fourth was not rated by Nielsen because it was broadcast on Amazon Prime. Three of the four Fever games after Clark was injured were aired on either NBA TV or ION. And the Fever's most recent game against the Chicago Sky drew an average of 1.92 million viewers, the WNBA announced Tuesday. Those numbers reflect the third-highest viewership for a game carried by CBS. It was also a big increase over the network's average regular season game viewership. But it was a drop from the season opener between those two teams. Fever head coach Stephanie White said Monday the team is ready for Clark to start "ramping back up," but she did not say if she was cleared yet for basketball activities. White added Thursday that Clark and Sophie Cunningham, who's been sidelined since May 30, had "limited" reps during practice. Clark is averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists and six rebounds in four games this season. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
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Caitlin Clark's biceps and the bigger conversation around women and muscles
Thanks to a strain that's left her sidelined for weeks, all eyes are on Caitlin Clark's quad right now. But it's the Indiana Fever star's arms that had people talking in the days leading up to her second WNBA season. It all started in March, when 23-year-old Clark was photographed cheering on her alma mater, the Iowa Hawkeyes, during the NCAA Big Ten tournament. 'Okkkkk hello arms!' one commenter wrote, adding a flexed bicep emoji in reaction to the point guard's noticeably muscular appearance. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bri Lewerke (@brilewerkephoto) Those muscles were on display when Clark's team photo was released in early May, prompting side-by-side comparisons to her 2024 physique. According to Clark herself, she's been intentionally bulking up since last year. 'I try to put on some weight and I've been working hard in the weight room,' she told reporters in August. 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