Podbit · PBD Podcast
Caitlin Clark's first WNBA season produced a 186% surge in TV viewership, 600% rise in league-wide merch sales, 242% more sellouts, and a 366% jump in League Pass subscriptions. And some players still want her gone. The numbers are the rebuttal.
Where this was said
At 1:50:50 · chapter starts 1:46:20
Patrick delivers a data-driven segment on Caitlin Clark's impact on the WNBA, citing statistics across every key metric: average national TV viewership rose 186% from 462,000 to 1.32 million per game; total league attendance rose 48% to 2.35 million; sellouts increased 242% from 45,000 to 154,000; ESPN viewership rose 170%; merchandise sales jumped 600% league-wide; and League Pass subscriptions surged 366%. [1] — Patrick Bet-David "Caitlin Clark's first WNBA season produced a 186% surge in TV viewership, 600% rise in league-wide merch sales, 242% more sellouts, and a 3…" 1:50:50 Against that backdrop, media figure Emmanuel Acho argued in a viral clip that the WNBA no longer needs Clark because she's 'already done what she needed to do.' Patrick and Tom counter that the league's jealousy toward Clark stems from the fact that she drove the TV deal and salary increases that other players now benefit from, while some remain openly resentful that she's receiving the credit. A clip of player Sophie Cunningham defending Clark physically — described as a 'Bill Laimbeer' enforcer move — is shown approvingly. Patrick also notes that the WNBA's 30th-anniversary poster conspicuously omitted Clark, and that she continues to face hard fouls that go uncalled. Adam, who self-identifies as 'no fan of the WNBA,' concludes: 'Two things can be true at once. The league is useless, but she's a great player.'
National TV viewership for WNBA games jumped from 462,000 to 1.32 million per game — a 186% rise — in just one year after Caitlin Clark entered the league.
WNBA sellout games rose 242%, from 45,000 to 154,000, in Caitlin Clark's debut season.
League-wide WNBA merchandise sales rose 600% in the single year after Caitlin Clark joined the league in 2023.
WNBA League Pass subscriptions increased 366% year-over-year following Caitlin Clark's debut season.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.