Tag: #basketball

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports by Christine Brennan

Book Description

America has never seen an athlete quite like Caitlin Clark. Attracting record-shattering attendance and TV ratings, she has riveted the nation with her famous logo threes and thrilling passes and changed how fans across the country view women’s sports. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting, veteran journalist Christine Brennan narrates Clark’s rise—including the formative experiences that led to her scoring more points than any woman or man in major college basketball history—and delivers fascinating new details about Clark’s Olympic snub by USA Basketball, the safety concerns around her that led to charter flights for all players, the WNBA’s lack of preparation for heightened national scrutiny, and troubling outbreaks of jealousy and resentment as a white player became the top story in a predominantly Black league.

The 2024 season was a watershed. Always taking the high road in the face of criticism, Clark proceeded to write herself into WNBA record books as one of the league’s most talented rookies ever. And her winning persona—on full display whether surrounded by children begging for autographs or reporters hanging on her every word—made Clark such a fan favorite that increasingly larger arenas needed to be found to accommodate the hordes who traveled hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to watch her play.

Clark arrived as a sports and cultural icon a little more than fifty years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports in America. On Her Game is a sports story, certainly, but it’s also the story of a nation falling in love with what it has created because of that law—millions of new athletes, led by the magical Caitlin Clark.

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Elise’s Thoughts

On Her Game by Christine Brennan is a portrait of sports phenomenon Caitlin Clark. Brennan has been at the forefront of women’s sports and has been selected multiple times as one of the country’s top sports columnists. Readers will understand why she is a renowned journalist and commentator because she asks tough questions and uses facts for her answers.

The book mainly chronicles Clark’s 2024 WNBA rookie season with the Indiana Fever. It follows Clark as she helped to break attendance and TV ratings records, her extra-long-distance three-pointers, and incredible passes. Brennan does not shy away from the controversies regarding herself, Clark, and the league that also show the hypocrisy of those involved with the WNBA. 

As Michael Jordan said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen,” which is exactly what Brennan has done in writing this book. She has hit nothing but net. 

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why write this book?

Christine Brennan: I was watching Caitlin Clark during her junior and senior years at college. I have covered a lot of Final Fours and WNBA games since the 1990s but was just watching on TV and when I saw her buzzer-beater against Indiana, a crazy, sideways shot, and couldn’t stop watching the replays, I started thinking if a veteran journalist like me was intrigued by her, how about other Americans? I saw how the crowds were standing in line, many times in the cold, to watch a woman play basketball. It was like the lines at a Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, or Beyonce concert. On July 11, 2024, without a book proposal, Scribner offered me a contract to write this book. It came out July 8, 2025. On July 16, 2025, it debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. It all was so magical and whimsical. 

EC: Do you think that women’s basketball is more like old-time basketball?

CB: Yes, it is team game, played below the rim, not so much freelancing as in the men’s game. It is much more a game of fundamentals: passing, teamwork, defense. Also, many top male players leave college after a year. In the women’s game, they stay for four years so fans get to know them.  

EC:  In your first chapter you refer to Title IX and I was wondering if you want to comment on biological men in women’s sports?

CB: People look at the election of Donald Trump as the catalyst on this. There is a certain validity to that because within a few days, the NCAA ruled, based on a Trump Executive Order, that if someone has gone through male puberty they cannot compete in women’s sports. The LPGA did the same thing. In the last few weeks, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee also said basically the same thing, pendingthe decisions of the national governing bodies of every sport. But even during the Biden Administration, the international swimming and track and field federations ruled that if someone has gone through male puberty, they cannot compete in the women’s category at the world championships or at the Olympic Games.I believe this is a good policy, but it’s happening no matter what we believe. Especially in kids’ sports, though, leaders need to move forward with compassion and understanding, combined with science. The name-calling and hatred on this issue need to stop. 

EC: What about refereeing in college and professional women’s basketball?

CB: Interest in the women’s game has never been greater, because of Caitlin Clark, the ultimate attention magnet, yet what do these millions of new fans see? The referees are terrible, and the league seems to be doing nothing about it. I deal with this in the book in a chapter titled ‘Hip Check.’ Last year, Chicago’s Chennedy Carter hit Caitlin Clark with an ugly cheap shot, but the referees did not even review the play on the video monitor. The next day it was upgraded to a flagrant foul, but Carter didn’t miss any games. Fast forward to this year when Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey plowed into Clark with a terrible dead ball foul. She was lucky Clark wasn’t injured because as Clark goes, so goes the WNBA. TV ratings plummet when she’s out. Clark is the economic rocket ship for all the players but again, Mabrey was allowed to keep playing. 

EC: How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s persona?

CB: She is 23 years old going on 40 or 50. She gets tough questions about race and politics but never flinches and answers each one directly. She is a remarkable person: mature, kind, old school — and hilarious. She’s very smart and very funny. She signs autographs for girls and boys before and after every game, which is so rare. Children will be inspired by her for years to come. She is the perfect role model for millions of kids around the world who love sports.

EC: How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s basketball skills?

CB: Great shooter, especially the logo threes, a magical passer, competitive, confident, determined, incredible court vision, a perfectionist. A generational player, and perhaps even a once in a lifetime player. She is unique in sports history: a women’s team sport athlete who isn’t just one of the most popular athletes in the nation, she’s one of the most popular people in the nation.  

EC: What about the quotes from Nancy Lieberman and Billie Jean King about Caitlin Clark; too bad Cathy Engelbert could not have said it?

CB: Part of Nancy Lieberman’s quote from the book is: “I just want to say thank you to you, Caitlin Clark, for just lifting our game up…we shouldn’t hate on her, we should celebrate her, not tolerate her.” Part of Billie Jean King’s quote from the book: “This year is a turning point, and it’s because of Caitlin…with all these sellouts and all this interest…whether you like it or not, Caitlin is the reason…She’s a superstar.  When she does well, everyone does better…This generation has a chance to set this league on fire. Don’t blow it with animosity. Do not blow it. Just play ball. Play hard, but no cheap shots.” I used these quotes because how anyone could look at what was going on last year with the record TV viewership and attendance and minimize Caitlin Clark is just ridiculous. Throughout the book I wanted to use quotes and anecdotes to show just how wrong the naysayers are. 

EC:  Do you agree Caitlin Clark brought higher attendance and ratings to the league?

CB:  It’s undeniable. Facts are facts. In my ‘Overtime’ chapter at the end of the book, I show how the Indiana Fever’s attendance during Caitlin Clark’s rookie year was higher than the average home attendance of five NBA teams last year. That is an unbelievable statistic, and there are many more like it. 

EC:  Then there was Sheila Johnson, the co-owner of the WNBA team, the Washington Mystics, that was so hypocritical. You talk about that in your book?

CB: She told CNN that the whole league should have been put on the Time athlete of the year cover instead of just one player, the player who won the award, Caitlin Clark. That is so bizarre, especially considering Johnson moved the Mystics’ two home Indiana Fever games from her 4,200-seat arena to the huge Capital One Arena, seating over 20,000, so Johnson could make more money off Clark’s appearance. 

EC: Does race play a role in the reaction to her?

CB: Race definitely is a factor because the WNBA is a 74% Black league that was ignored by the male-dominated sports media for years. Now here comes a white woman who gets all the attention — which she deserves, and she is bringing a spotlight that shines on all the players — but there definitely was and is animosity toward her. Legendary civil rights leader Dr. Harry Edwards says in the book, “The league failed the players…. The league needed to do a better job in preparing…to take advantage of the tsunami of popularity that is raising all of the boats.” 

EC: What would you like to say about the controversy that surrounded your question for DiJonai Carrington, after her fingers hit Clark’s eye?  The players’ union called you “indecent and downright insincere.”

CB:  I am a journalist who covers the WNBA just like I cover the Olympics and the NFL. They all deserve my respect as big-time sports, yet the WNBA was utterly unprepared for this moment of national scrutiny. After Carrington’s fingers went into Clark’s eye in the playoffs, millions of people on social media accused Carrington of purposely hitting Clark, so you must ask her if she did — which I did in two basic questions. Then the player’s union tried to banish me for asking the questions. I’ve asked male athletes hundreds of tougher questions. Is the union saying that women cannot handle those types of questions? Is that the message they’re sending, that women deserve easier questions? Most athletes want those kinds of questions so they can clear the air and hit it out of the park. By the way, I was not banned. The player’s union embarrassed themselves, their league, and their players. 

EC:  Will the lightbulb ever go on in this league where those in the WNBA will wake up and embrace Clark?

CB: There needs to be a leader who leads. If Cathy Engelbert can’t do it, get another commissioner. The players’ agents also are not being honest with their players about the impact of Caitlin Clark. Nor are some of the beat writers who cover the WNBA. I take a journalistic look at everything in this book. I tell stories and anecdotes that show that the league had no idea how big Caitlin Clark was. Unbelievable, but true. 

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Kingdom on Fire: Kareem, Wooden, Walton, and the Turbulent Days of the UCLA Basketball Dynasty

Book Description

Few basketball dynasties have reigned supreme like the UCLA Bruins did over college basketball from 1965–1975 (seven consecutive titles, three perfect records, an eighty-eight-game winning streak that remains unmatched). At the center of this legendary franchise were the now-iconic players Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bill Walton, naturally reserved personalities who became outspoken giants when it came to race and the Vietnam War. These generational talents were led byJohn Wooden, a conservative counterweight to his star players whose leadership skills would transcend the game after his retirement. But before the three of them became history, they would have to make it—together.

Los Angeles native and longtime sportswriter for the Los Angeles Times, Scott Howard Cooper draws on more than a hundred interviews and extensive access to many of the principal figures, including Wooden’s family to deliver a rich narrative that reveals the turmoil at the heart of this storied college basketball program. Making the eye-opening connections between UCLA and the Nixon administration, Ronald Reagan, Muhammad Ali, and others, Kingdom on Fire puts the UCLA basketball team’s political involvement and influence in full relief for the first time. The story of UCLA basketball is an incredible slice of American history that reveals what it truly takes to achieve and sustain greatness while standing up for what you believe in.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Kingdom on Fire by Scott Howard-Cooper is a wonderful book to read during March Madness.  College basketball has changed over the years, but not for the better with the days of selfish players, and defense being a strategy of the past.  This is why this book is so relevant today because it shows how the game used to be played and what is missing in basketball today.

The unlikely trio of John Wooden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly known as Lew Alcindor), and Bill Walton created one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. From 1964 to 1975 the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) basketball team won 10 national championships, including seven in a row, and amassed four perfect seasons. This seems like today an unheard feat considering college basketball teams are hampered by the “NIL”, the portal transfer and “one-and-done.” The three together had a winning attitude set against the turmoil in America of the 1960s and 1970s. 

This is a must read that captures the basketball history of that era and the cultural unrest regarding civil rights and the Vietnam War.  The author fascinatingly weaves together sports, politics, and history within the contexts of UCLA basketball.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why the title?

Scott Howard-Cooper: The title came about because I was struck that the UCLA Bruins obviously had this empire, this kingdom, and this program at the peak for so many years.  I also wanted to put it with the backdrop of the times in America of the sixties and seventies.  There was so many things going around the Bruin basketball players. The meat of the book is the arrival of Lew Alcindor before he became Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, through the departure of Bill Walton. 

EC:  Why write it now?

SHC:  I wanted to write it now because this season that just finished is the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the seven consecutive championships. One year from now will be the fiftieth anniversary of Coach John Wooden’s last year.

EC:  Do you think Coach Wooden was the best basketball coach ever?

SHC:  I do, but I also think he would not think so. He was not a great coach in basketball strategy and was the first to say he was not a good x’s and o’s coach. He was not the guy who would ‘rule the chess board’, never would outsmart someone. Looking at the preparation and the system he had in place, the way he was able to mesh talents and personalities for so long, year after year, is remarkable. The times need to be factored in. He kept everyone focused.  He also had the greatest coaching staff of all time.  His assistants were invaluable in the strategy and the recruiting.

EC: Isn’t one of the things that made him great is his ability to know his weaknesses and hire assistant coaches to supplement that?

SHC: This is one of the reasons he was so great.  He did not want yes men. He wanted people to disagree with him.  He wanted smart people around him. Assistant Coach Jerry Norman played a role in the early strategy sessions. Another assistant coach, Gary Cunningham, was Lew Alcindor’s first coach of the freshman team.  Other great assistant coaches were Denny Crum and Frank Arnold. He wanted to know what his assistant coaches were thinking. I do not think it was just a coincidence that Cunningham, Norman, and Crum played for Wooden.

EC:  Do you think he had the players leave their politics at the door?

SHC: Yes and no. The politics and the issues going on in society were always with the players. Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton could have brought the whole dynasty down if they were about ego, worried about how many points they were getting, or wanting to bring the protests to the courts, which they could have done.  I do think John Wooden was worried when Lew Alcindor came out from New York, that he would want to dominate the ball and the headlines. As it turned out, Alcindor and Bill Walton were the definition of selfless and team first.  They had no egos.  They did not care about the spotlight and in fact hated it. They would talk about their teammates. They cared about the win and playing right. Once they stepped on the court, they were selfless. 

EC:  Were there any players who tried to fuse their causes with basketball?

SHC:  Yes.  A player, Andy Hill came to Wooden during the National Moratorium Protest in 1969 and asked him to cancel practice to show people how UCLA basketball is standing up for a cause. This did not go over well. Wooden did not cancel. He looked at Hill and said ‘Andy you do not have to be at practice today.  You do not have to be at practice ANY DAY.’ There were moments after the games where players protested.  They did not silence the beliefs but knew how to keep them in check.  They knew when and where. Bill Walton believed in Bruin basketball.  While Walton and Alcindor had their stands on civil rights and the Vietnam War, they also had their stands on the greatness of UCLA basketball.

EC: Were there any examples of discontent?

SHC: Jim Wooden, John’s son, a proud Marine, told me how angry he was at Walton for protesting. He wanted to confront Walton. This was not a cocoon, but everyone knew where to draw the line and not cross it.

EC: How would Wooden have reacted to the way the NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) is structured?

SHC:  He would have reacted from afar.  John Wooden would not be coaching in today’s world. He hated to recruit but did recruit Lew Alcindor.  Weekends were family time for him and his assistants.  Now players are recruited but must be re-recruited to make sure they do not transfer. He would not have had anything to do with this version of the game: the recruiting, the money involved, and the emphasis on individual stardom.  He would have either have gone into retirement or he would have become a high school English teacher somewhere. He was old school even then. He would never compromise the basketball side. He wanted the ball to be moving. The people who wanted to play fancy and who needed to take the shot were the antithesis of what John Wooden wanted.

EC: Would Wooden have like the style of UCLA’s current coach where he yells at his players?

SHC: He would not have approached him.  But if someone around the current coach initiated the conversation he would have commented. One of the interesting parts of the book shows how people need to suspend what they know about Wooden in the 21st century.  He was a yeller. He would ride his players in practice.  He was on officials during games.  He would even rag on opposing players. He was fierce and driven as a coach. He would do whatever was in the rules to win the game.  The John Wooden, America’s grandfather, was not Coach John Wooden of the sixties and seventies.

EC:  Who would you consider the best UCLA player ever under Wooden?

SHC: Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton are impossible to decide. Most people feel that Kareem Abdul- Jabbar is the best player in college basketball history. Through my research I found out that is just not the case. Bill Walton has a very strong case. He does not like to be put on the same plateau. Other coaches and John Wooden and opponents said that it would be easier to play Alcindor than Walton. There is not a clear-cut number one the way most people believe.

EC:  Are you writing another book?

SHC:  I am scratching out a few ideas and would like to write another book.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.