Fans slam 'disgusting' Unrivaled for hinting Caitlin Clark had joined breakaway league in 22-minute video

Unrivaled, an upstart 3-on-3 hoops league, announced its inaugural rosters connected Wednesday. Only to the disappointment of fans, Caitlin Clark was not named arsenic a participant. 

The Indiana Fever prima and league's Rookie of the Year was rumored to beryllium revealed arsenic 1 of the 36 players joining the circuit during WNBA offseason. But contempt some dense hints leading up to Wednesday's rotation out, Clark was not listed with immoderate of the league's six teams consisting of a fractional twelve players each. 

There is immoderate hope, though, arsenic determination remains 2 unnamed 'wildcard' roster slots, 1 of which whitethorn precise good beryllium to beryllium Clark. What's more, Clark could squad with rival Angel Reese, whose team, the Rose, is 1 of 2 with a 'wildcard' roster slot inactive vacant. 

Regardless, fans online were displeased to accidental the least. 

'Unrivaled truly dragged each this retired for clicks lone to person 2 unnamed wildcards,' 1 instrumentality wrote. Beyond frustrating. Caitlin is not joining the league, period. They ran retired of clip and players, truthful they’re teasing to support her fans engaged. '

Unrivaled appeared to driblet a large hint astir Clark earlier successful the day. The league posted a signifier missive connected its X page, telling followers 'to nonstop this to your boss' and reminding them to ticker the nine enactment amusement astatine 11am EST connected Wednesday.

Underneath the logo of State Farm car security – a institution endorsed by Clark – the signifier missive dropped a bid of hints astir the latest summation to a subordinate excavation that already includes WNBA stars Brittney Griner, Reese and Clark's Indiana Fever teammate, Aliyah Boston.

'Dear Management,' the signifier missive begins. 'What mightiness look similar an mean Wednesday successful November is successful information a momentous juncture for those who travel women's nonrecreational basketball.'

It is astatine this constituent successful the missive that Unrivaled begins dropping the fig '22', which happens to beryllium Clark's jersey astatine some Iowa and with the Fever.

'Please excuse [blank space] from 11 a.m. to 11:22 a.m. ET truthful that they tin ticker Unrivaled's Basketball Club Selection, presented by State Farm.

Of course, Clark wasn't the lone anticipation if we're speechmaking the beverage leaves. After all, three-time league MVP A'Ja Wilson besides happens to beryllium No 22 successful Las Vegas. Furthermore, Wilson has her ain woody with State Farm.

And determination stay immoderate bully reasons wherefore Clark mightiness opt against joining Unrivaled. 

Mainly, she's been playing much oregon little non halt since the opening of her elder play astatine Iowa successful 2023-24. Since past she became the archetypal prime of the WNBA Draft and was launching her pro vocation conscionable weeks later. 

Clark has reduced her engaged docket somewhat since the Fever were eliminated from the playoffs. She precocious appeared astatine a pro-am play tourney successful Florida, and adjacent scored tickets to a Taylor Swift show. 

But with the WNBA disconnected until May, galore had wondered however America's astir celebrated 22-year-old would beryllium spending her offseason. And of course, Tuesday's revelation did thing to reply that question. 

Of course, fans are already losing patience with the league aft Wednesday's announcement. 

'That was the stupidest happening ever,' 1 instrumentality wrote. 'Unrivaled teased and clickbaited truthful hard.' 

'Unrivaled rotation retired was perfectly disgusting,' different added. 

One professional predicted that 'the time earlier the archetypal game, they inactive won't person the last player. '

Wednesday's roster revelations began on YouTube with the league’s archetypal six coaches dividing up the players who’ve already been announced.

The archetypal pod of players, mostly considered to beryllium the champion of the bunch, included league co-founders Napheesa Collier (Lunar Owls) and Breanna Stewart (Mist), arsenic good arsenic Clark’s Indiana Fever teammate Aliyah Boston (Vinyl), Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese (Rose), the Dallas Wings’ Satou Sabally (Phantom) and Connecticut Sun seasoned Alyssa Thomas (Laces).

Thanks to immoderate aboriginal media deals, Collier announced connected societal media past period that the league volition summation from 30 players to 36, allowing each squad to person six players.

'We're capable to bash this due to the fact that we outperformed our fiscal projections, and truthful present we get to bash thing that we wanted to bash successful the future, which is springiness much radical spots successful Unrivaled,' Collier said successful a societal media video. 'This is specified an astonishing clip successful women's sports and we're truthful thankful to each the affirmative radical who person travel retired and supported us.'

Over the past fewer months Unrivaled has unveiled a roster afloat of WNBA endowment done societal media. Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever was the 30th subordinate announced Thursday, joining players specified arsenic Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd and Angel Reese.

Earlier successful October, the league announced a multiyear concern with TNT and its sports platforms to amusement much than 45 games erstwhile the play begins successful January. Matchups volition beryllium shown 3 nights a week with twice-weekly games connected TNT connected Mondays and Fridays. Games that are played connected Saturday volition beryllium shown connected truTV.

Games statesman connected January 17 and volition beryllium played successful Miami.

The league besides announced earlier successful the period the names of the six teams: Laces Basketball Club, Mist Basketball Club, Phantom Basketball Club, Lunar Owls Basketball Club, Rose Basketball Club and Vinyl Basketball Club.

Collier and co-founder Breanna Stewart said that each salaries volition beryllium six figures and that players volition besides person an equity involvement successful the league.

'It's truly important to us,' Collier told The Associated Press successful May. 'Compensation is simply a immense portion of Unrivaled arsenic a league and a business. All the players successful this archetypal twelvemonth volition person equity successful the league. For players to person a portion of the pastry fundamentally to turn their generational wealthiness is thing we're truly excited about.'

Stewart said that compensation was cardinal for players, galore of whom person spent their offseason overseas supplementing their WNBA incomes. The mean WNBA basal wage is astir $130,000 with the apical stars capable to gain much than $500,000 done salary, selling agreements, an in-season tourney and bonuses. 

'It's amazing, not lone for the salaries to beryllium akin oregon much than your WNBA salary, but to beryllium capable to physique marque partnerships that can't travel into the W oregon the NBA,' Stewart said. 'It's much than conscionable an archetypal salary, but showing these companies who you are arsenic a player.' 

The league, which was archetypal announced past summer, volition tally for 8 weeks with the 36 players divided into six teams. The squads volition play 2 games a week with the contests taking spot connected a tribunal astir two-thirds the size of a WNBA one. The teams volition enactment the aforesaid passim the season.

Games volition beryllium 4 quarters agelong with little clip successful each 4th than a WNBA contest. Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell said that the rules volition beryllium released astatine a aboriginal date.

'This was built arsenic a product,' helium said. 'It's meant to lick immoderate of the things that I deliberation conscionable from an mean fan's position watching women's hoops that is missing. It's space, it's pace. Some of the things that marque the assemblage crippled and NBA large to watch. At the aforesaid clip it's not an All-Star crippled with trading baskets and everyone having fun. It's meant to bring retired the champion of the champion to compete.'

The rosters volition besides beryllium announced astatine a aboriginal date, but Stewart and Collier some said that a fewer WNBA All-Stars person already signed on.

Players volition beryllium housed astir 15 minutes from the facility, which is simply a soundstage successful Miami that's being built up.

'Stewie and I some person families and recognize the value of childcare,' Collier said. 'Make definite the parents successful the league are taken attraction of.'

Collier besides said determination volition beryllium value rooms and betterment rooms truthful that players tin instrumentality attraction of themselves.

The league added a beardown radical of investors to money the launch. Theye see Carmelo Anthony, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Michelle Wie West, Ashton Kutcher, Steve Nash and Geno Auriemma.

'It's not conscionable astir the dollars, but the relationships they have. We've been precise selected with the radical we brought in,' Bazzell said. 'Investing successful women's sports there's a ROI for it now. We wanted to person a radical of radical we could telephone up and accidental 'Hey tin you assistance successful this area?'

Former ESPN President John Skipper and erstwhile Turner President David Levy are some investors and volition beryllium spearheading the league media rights deal. Levy, who is the co-founder and co-CEO of Horizon Sports & Experiences volition enactment connected Unrivaled's sponsorship income efforts.

'I've ne'er seen a win, win, triumph similar this connected each aspects that determination are nary losers,' Levy said. 'The fans win, the media companies win, the leagues win, the ladies win. It seems antithetic to get each that lined up astatine a infinitesimal successful time. It's similar a penny banal that tin spell to a $10 in, you know, a twelvemonth from now, 2 years from now.'

Levy said a fewer factors are driving this inflection constituent for women's hoops that see attendance, viewership, sports betting, engagement and branding.

'I don't deliberation this is simply a one-off,' helium said. 'Women's hoops and astir apt women's shot are taking disconnected successful a precise large way.'

Stewart said that the league has travel a agelong mode since the archetypal meal 2 years agone erstwhile the thought of the league was archetypal hatched.

'There's thing not to similar astir it, the lone happening radical are frightened of is that it's successful its archetypal year,' Stewart said.