I wasn't gonna bring this up, but I saw it, and then I read the article, and to be quite honest with you, I'm disgusted. I'm disgusted with Sue Bird. Okay, Sue Bird, Hall of Fame caliber, Sue Bird WNBA College basketball matter of fact, one of the best people that I've ever met, or one of the best women I've ever met in professional or collegiate sports. I love her, but I didn't appreciate this article that I read. Okay, when it came to her talking about yours truly, because you see farbit, this is the headline job. Sue Bird calls out ESPN hosts for quote hating on WNBA playoff ratings after Caitlin Clark's exit, you said, why what why? Y'all? Really, this is way we have to go. Can we put her quotes up on the screen, please, because I want everybody to know what she said, what she said about your boy. Okay, this is the wonderful, the marvelous suit. I love her to death, love her interviewed a few times. I'm such a fan, but this is what she said. Viewership numbers with Caitlyn Clark are astronomical. She is a big drawer. She brings in all the things. And yes, the games where she's not playing have lower viewership, but in the WNBA playoffs, and we'll use the semifinals where Caitlyn obviously is not in it because her team lost, are still breaking records from previous WNBA years and are still cracking a million viewers, she continues, because she brings up my name. So these numbers are still really high, and they're still really meaningful. And yet some people continue to flip that. I've seen steven A. Smith talk about it. I've seen Shannon Shop talk about it. And what I don't understand is they work for ESPN, So why are you hating on a business ESPN is in. I want to say, the semifinals games are up like one hundred and thirty percent, and that's without Caitlin quote. I'm going to dial it back and be as respectful as I can possibly be once again. Sue Bird is a champion, Hall of Fame caliber and a beautiful person. I am a huge fan of her as a person and a player. One of the great pleasures I've had was interviewing her in the past. I'm only addressing her points about me and what she said in relation to the whole Caitlyn Clark story. Respectfully, Sue Bird, you are inaccurate. It is just that simple. First things First, we cover sports, right, do we cover sports? Looking at one of my versus Serearty, do we cover sports? Do you cover sports? And do we cover sport grift? Do we cover sports? I think we cover sports. So if somebody got arrested, I can't bring that up. When Britney Grinder was taken prisoner and unfairly, we didn't touch that. When ray Rice got in trouble, we didn't touch that. When Ray Carus did what he did that was a crime. He was convicted of killing the mother of his child, of his unborn child. Did we cover that? When rain is it through the roof and we gonna cover it? When DeMar Hamling nearly died on the field, did we cover it? Go outside the world of sports, the popping entertainment coach the world. They ain't talking about p Diddy. The Hollywood Report ain't talking about him, TMD ain't talking about him. Entertainment Tonight ain't talking about him. CNN ain't talking about him, c NBC ain't talking about him. We ain't talking about the story is the story, Sue Bird? What was Stephen A. Smith and Shannon guilty of exactly? You know everybody John Stewart, who I love, by the way, calling Monica McNutt on the show. You know she rolling out there like she just they just made a big Tom movie and she's a guest rolling up on late night television. Why because we got in an argument about the WNBA and Postal don't get dis matches, and there's a whole bunch of people that was produced not for them, My Shane Nahvor. There's a whole bunch of paple I my gun is my gun? Is O? My godness, there's a whole bunch of paypoll out there that's been contributed to the WNBA. What was Shanning and I saying? We were saying, do y'all see these numbers? Thanks to Caitlyn Clark, Indiana led the league in attendance both at home and on the road. The Indiana Fever Nobody Cared about Them average seventeen thousand and thirty five at home this season with Caitlyn Clark and over fifteen thousand and arenas on the road. Four teams four moved home games to bigger arenas when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans. I'm not finished. Attendance for the entire league is up nearly fifty percent this year, according to data from across the Timeline and Indiana LEAs all teams within average attendance of seventeen thoy thirty five up three hundred and nineteen percent from a year ago. All other teams still grew by double digit percentages, but not like that. And then we said. Merchandise sales are also up four hundred and fifty percent for the WNBA, according to Fanatics, and Clark was the top selling player in his fifth amongst athletes across all sports. Fanatics also reported a one hundred percent increase in sales for WNBA specific merchandise. What's the problem, Superb, I didn't know that you gave her props and you acknowledged how phenomenal she was in terms of a drawer. What Shannon Sharp and I were guilty of singing was that not enough folks were appreciating it and riding the tide. A rising tide lifts all boats. People weren't doing it, not you, not most of the league, but some was that not proven by the way Sheryl Swoops acted. We showed it to you now. Stories were exaggerated, stories were embellished, people knocking it into the ground, trying to accuse Carrington or pokingon the eye intentionally, and all of that stuff. We know some of it was excessive. We also know that some members of her fan base can be racially insensitive. Dare I say we know all of that. Guess why we know? Because we covered it. We're in the news business. What do you mean, ESPN? So because I work at my day job on ESPN, I'm supposed to ignore the facts. I'm supposed to ignore the astronomical impact she has had compared to others. How Team USA was stupid for not putting on a team to make sure you help uplift the sport even more. Don't y'all want a greater profile. Don't y'all want more notoriety? Don't y'all want more hype? I understand that this is going on still without her, now that she's out of the playoffs, because the games have been great. But the fact of the matter is she swelled the interest in the sport that made people stick around and want to watch the others, a rising tide lifts or boats, which is what we were saying, both Shannon Sharp and myself when we address that issue. Why would you say a quote like that. We work for ESPN, so I'm supposed to turn a blind down, a death fear to the facts. That ain't what we do. And while I am quite sure, Sue Bird, that you can educate me on a game of basketball, even though I've been covering it for thirty years, because you are phenomenal, You are one beautiful human being. I love you to death. You know I do. You know I do. But I would say this to you respectfully, Sue Bert. You know basketball, I kind of know news, and I damn sure no ESPN. It doesn't matter who we have a league rights deal with, who we have a contract with, what games we air. We cover sports, the in and outs, the good, the bad, the ugly. That's what we do. You've been around long enough to know that that's how it goes. And to imply that we should just ignore the impact that Caitlyn Clark had and still continues to have on this team, this league, this sport, ah, it doesn't work that way. It doesn't work that way, se Bird you are one of the many who have contributed to the upliftment of the sport in a phenomenal, incomparable way. You should have our gratitude, our appreciation. And any time I think about the WNBA, I think about you, I think about Diana Tarassi. I think about a host of other Candas Parkers, Lisa Leslie, Chryl Swoop, Cynthia Cooper. The list goes on and on and on. I get all of that. But you know something, Magic Johnson did great, great things for the NBA. Larry Bird did great, great things for the NBA. But when that brother Michael Jordan came along, they stood down not on a basketball called competing against them, but nobody complained about the shine he received. One reason was because they knew he deserved it. You know what. The other reason was it built the profile of it and made the ratings blow up, and took it off of tape delay and put it on primetime television and ultimately assisted in it becoming and it's a national, globalized brand. That's what happened. That's what happened. And if the ladies, meaning all of you, collectively grasp that concept fully devoid of resentment, you too, shall reap the benefits of somebody like katelen Clark coming along and anybody with a similar impact who follows. Let us all get paid. That's the game. It's a game I like to play. You should too. And by the way, listen, I don't run from conversations, Sue Bert. If you got a point that you want to come on to show, you are welcome on the Steven Asmith Show anytime you like. You know that, and you know I love you, you know I do. I just didn't agree with that tape that you gave, that's all, but I am happy to talk to you about that subject anytime you like. You are more than welcome to come right here on this show to discuss it.

I wasn't gonna bring this up, but I saw it, and then I read the article, and to be quite honest with you, I'm disgusted. I'm disgusted with Sue Bird. Okay, Sue Bird, Hall of Fame caliber, Sue Bird WNBA College basketball matter of fact, one of the best people that I've ever met, or one of the best women I've ever met in professional or collegiate sports. I love her, but I didn't appreciate this article that I read. Okay, when it came to her talking about yours truly, because you see farbit, this is the headline job. Sue Bird calls out ESPN hosts for quote hating on WNBA playoff ratings after Caitlin Clark's exit, you said, why what why? Y'all? Really, this is way we have to go. Can we put her quotes up on the screen, please, because I want everybody to know what she said, what she said about your boy. Okay, this is the wonderful, the marvelous suit. I love her to death, love her interviewed a few times. I'm such a fan, but this is what she said. Viewership numbers with Caitlyn Clark are astronomical. She is a big drawer. She brings in all the things. And yes, the games where she's not playing have lower viewership, but in the WNBA playoffs, and we'll use the semifinals where Caitlyn obviously is not in it because her team lost, are still breaking records from previous WNBA years and are still cracking a million viewers, she continues, because she brings up my name. So these numbers are still really high, and they're still really meaningful. And yet some people continue to flip that. I've seen steven A. Smith talk about it. I've seen Shannon Shop talk about it. And what I don't understand is they work for ESPN, So why are you hating on a business ESPN is in. I want to say, the semifinals games are up like one hundred and thirty percent, and that's without Caitlin quote. I'm going to dial it back and be as respectful as I can possibly be once again. Sue Bird is a champion, Hall of Fame caliber and a beautiful person. I am a huge fan of her as a person and a player. One of the great pleasures I've had was interviewing her in the past. I'm only addressing her points about me and what she said in relation to the whole Caitlyn Clark story. Respectfully, Sue Bird, you are inaccurate. It is just that simple. First things First, we cover sports, right, do we cover sports? Looking at one of my versus Serearty, do we cover sports? Do you cover sports? And do we cover sport grift? Do we cover sports? I think we cover sports. So if somebody got arrested, I can't bring that up. When Britney Grinder was taken prisoner and unfairly, we didn't touch that. When ray Rice got in trouble, we didn't touch that. When Ray Carus did what he did that was a crime. He was convicted of killing the mother of his child, of his unborn child. Did we cover that? When rain is it through the roof and we gonna cover it? When DeMar Hamling nearly died on the field, did we cover it? Go outside the world of sports, the popping entertainment coach the world. They ain't talking about p Diddy. The Hollywood Report ain't talking about him, TMD ain't talking about him. Entertainment Tonight ain't talking about him. CNN ain't talking about him, c NBC ain't talking about him. We ain't talking about the story is the story, Sue Bird? What was Stephen A. Smith and Shannon guilty of exactly? You know everybody John Stewart, who I love, by the way, calling Monica McNutt on the show. You know she rolling out there like she just they just made a big Tom movie and she's a guest rolling up on late night television. Why because we got in an argument about the WNBA and Postal don't get dis matches, and there's a whole bunch of people that was produced not for them, My Shane Nahvor. There's a whole bunch of paple I my gun is my gun? Is O? My godness, there's a whole bunch of paypoll out there that's been contributed to the WNBA. What was Shanning and I saying? We were saying, do y'all see these numbers? Thanks to Caitlyn Clark, Indiana led the league in attendance both at home and on the road. The Indiana Fever Nobody Cared about Them average seventeen thousand and thirty five at home this season with Caitlyn Clark and over fifteen thousand and arenas on the road. Four teams four moved home games to bigger arenas when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans. I'm not finished. Attendance for the entire league is up nearly fifty percent this year, according to data from across the Timeline and Indiana LEAs all teams within average attendance of seventeen thoy thirty five up three hundred and nineteen percent from a year ago. All other teams still grew by double digit percentages, but not like that. And then we said. Merchandise sales are also up four hundred and fifty percent for the WNBA, according to Fanatics, and Clark was the top selling player in his fifth amongst athletes across all sports. Fanatics also reported a one hundred percent increase in sales for WNBA specific merchandise. What's the problem, Superb, I didn't know that you gave her props and you acknowledged how phenomenal she was in terms of a drawer. What Shannon Sharp and I were guilty of singing was that not enough folks were appreciating it and riding the tide. A rising tide lifts all boats. People weren't doing it, not you, not most of the league, but some was that not proven by the way Sheryl Swoops acted. We showed it to you now. Stories were exaggerated, stories were embellished, people knocking it into the ground, trying to accuse Carrington or pokingon the eye intentionally, and all of that stuff. We know some of it was excessive. We also know that some members of her fan base can be racially insensitive. Dare I say we know all of that. Guess why we know? Because we covered it. We're in the news business. What do you mean, ESPN? So because I work at my day job on ESPN, I'm supposed to ignore the facts. I'm supposed to ignore the astronomical impact she has had compared to others. How Team USA was stupid for not putting on a team to make sure you help uplift the sport even more. Don't y'all want a greater profile. Don't y'all want more notoriety? Don't y'all want more hype? I understand that this is going on still without her, now that she's out of the playoffs, because the games have been great. But the fact of the matter is she swelled the interest in the sport that made people stick around and want to watch the others, a rising tide lifts or boats, which is what we were saying, both Shannon Sharp and myself when we address that issue. Why would you say a quote like that. We work for ESPN, so I'm supposed to turn a blind down, a death fear to the facts. That ain't what we do. And while I am quite sure, Sue Bird, that you can educate me on a game of basketball, even though I've been covering it for thirty years, because you are phenomenal, You are one beautiful human being. I love you to death. You know I do. You know I do. But I would say this to you respectfully, Sue Bert. You know basketball, I kind of know news, and I damn sure no ESPN. It doesn't matter who we have a league rights deal with, who we have a contract with, what games we air. We cover sports, the in and outs, the good, the bad, the ugly. That's what we do. You've been around long enough to know that that's how it goes. And to imply that we should just ignore the impact that Caitlyn Clark had and still continues to have on this team, this league, this sport, ah, it doesn't work that way. It doesn't work that way, se Bird you are one of the many who have contributed to the upliftment of the sport in a phenomenal, incomparable way. You should have our gratitude, our appreciation. And any time I think about the WNBA, I think about you, I think about Diana Tarassi. I think about a host of other Candas Parkers, Lisa Leslie, Chryl Swoop, Cynthia Cooper. The list goes on and on and on. I get all of that. But you know something, Magic Johnson did great, great things for the NBA. Larry Bird did great, great things for the NBA. But when that brother Michael Jordan came along, they stood down not on a basketball called competing against them, but nobody complained about the shine he received. One reason was because they knew he deserved it. You know what. The other reason was it built the profile of it and made the ratings blow up, and took it off of tape delay and put it on primetime television and ultimately assisted in it becoming and it's a national, globalized brand. That's what happened. That's what happened. And if the ladies, meaning all of you, collectively grasp that concept fully devoid of resentment, you too, shall reap the benefits of somebody like katelen Clark coming along and anybody with a similar impact who follows. Let us all get paid. That's the game. It's a game I like to play. You should too. And by the way, listen, I don't run from conversations, Sue Bert. If you got a point that you want to come on to show, you are welcome on the Steven Asmith Show anytime you like. You know that, and you know I love you, you know I do. I just didn't agree with that tape that you gave, that's all, but I am happy to talk to you about that subject anytime you like. You are more than welcome to come right here on this show to discuss it.