WNBA needs to harness star power of Caitlin Clark, says former USMNT star Alexi Lalas

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NEW YORK – Former U.S. men’s soccer star Alexi Lalas isn’t one to find himself watching professional basketball at any level – let alone the WNBA. 

But he says that’s what Caitlin Clark is doing for the league: getting the attention of those who wouldn’t normally watch a random regular-season game in the middle of May or in early June.

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Alexi Lalas (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images/File)

Clark’s star power is breathing new life into the league like it never has before. Lalas told Fox News Digital in a recent interview that it’s something the WNBA has to harness instead of some players turning it into "resentment," which has been on full display in recent games.

"I think there is a real human element to the reaction that we are seeing, and maybe it manifests even more so in sports in that, you know, there’s the same pettiness and [jealousy] and resentment that we have in real life; that can certainly happen in sports," Lalas said. "I think that you have to have a perspective and a maturity to look at this situation and recognize that while you may have been working you’re a-- off before, and you might have the feeling that she is just coming in and hasn’t ‘paid her dues’ or anything like that … I don’t watch basketball, and I sure as hell don’t watch WNBA, and yet I am now finding myself tuning in. That is the power of the stardom that is Caitlin Clark."

"And not everybody’s going to stay, including me, this will die down. But ultimately, if you are left with more people that came into the tent, I think from a soccer perspective, we talk about this all the time … the last