The WNBA has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, with viewership skyrocketing and arenas consistently selling out. And while that\u2019s great news for everyone associated with it, there\u2019s a downside that trailblazer Caitlin Clark\u2019s teammate Aliyah Boston recently spoke about.<\/p>\n
Perhaps giving Clark 100% of the credit for the WNBA\u2019s increased popularity would be unfair to the other incredible athletes in the league. But the second-year sensation was a huge draw in college for Iowa and was already the most talked-about star in the country even before she made her WNBA debut. When she started playing for the Indiana Fever<\/a>, the game changed.<\/p>\n People, especially casual viewers, forget that Clark has teammates, and sometimes those teammates are under pressure for not delivering due to the extra amount of eyes on their game. Fever center Boston discussed this with WNBA legend Sue Bird<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody loves Caitlin. They love watching Caitlin. I think that just brings so much eyes. For our league, that\u2019s great. That\u2019s great for us,\u201d said Boston, after Bird brought up Clark\u2019s star power. \u201cThey might come in for Caitlin, and they leave like, \u2018Dang, this girl is a hooper too. Oh, I like her.\u2019 Everyone says it, and I think you just kind of embrace that.\u201d<\/p>\n Boston, of course, has to deal with negativity on social media as well, a trend that\u2019s become far too common<\/a> in the sport.<\/p>\n She said, \u201cWhen it comes to social media, a lot of it to can be people that are trolling. But for me, it\u2019s like, I am someone that already puts so much pressure on myself. And for you to come in and tell me like, you\u2019re like the worst big I\u2019ve ever seen in my life, it\u2019s like, \u2018You know what? Hear me out, I\u2019m gonna leave.’\u201d<\/p>\n Social media, for better or worse, gives the entire world the ability to share their opinions on any subject at any time. While there are plenty of respectable users, it has also become a cesspool of trolls who try to diminish people\u2019s successes. Boston doesn\u2019t let it bother her, but she does wish they understood the context of the Fever\u2019s performances.<\/p>\n For instance, Boston<\/a> hasn\u2019t been playing with Clark for very long and explained that it takes time to build rapport with a teammate. \u201cWe weren\u2019t given that grace period of like getting to play with someone you\u2019ve never played with. The way we played the year before was, lot different. The way we play with Caitlin is, completely different dynamic,\u201d she stated<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople also forgot who chose to ignore the fact that this is my second year. I\u2019m not a six-year pro, I\u2019m not even a five-year pro now. I\u2019m in my third year. When people are placed on a new team, give them a second.\u201d<\/p>\n Again, this is probably the kindest way any athlete, particularly Boston, could respond to the situation. There is already enough stress in the league for the 23-year-old star without having to worry about that.<\/p>\n