27 Comments

I could not agree more, Dave. The state of Iowa had a very sluggish history and start promoting the 5 on 5 game of basketball for our girls in Iowa. That put Iowa girls at a real disadvantage to be recruited to play at the college level, especially if you spent your high school career in the guard court in the 6 on 6 game.

Now, Iowa showcases some of the best coaches and players in the country. When those players go PRO, I want to witness their progress, ups and downs and how they face adversity and the challenges of playing at the next level.

Caitlin Clark is an elite basketball player that displays the fundamentals in magical ways. Her intuitive play-making is exhilarating, but her struggles are part of the story too.

Her professional history and legacy should be unfolding before our eyes right HERE in Iowa.

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Thanks, Cherice. Not sure what more Clark could do to get some coverage here. The TV stations do a good job running her highlights.

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Eg freakin sactly! But dropped the register years ago. I’m looking up the Star. Thanks Dave!

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Thanks, Rodger. It’s a lot of value for one dollar.

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I left Iowa years ago to work for Vanderbilt University; I oversaw its athletic communications. Much like the Register's slide, I watched the once-proud Tennessean's sports coverage shrink to where it few experienced writers on the NFL and NHL local beats and perhaps the University of Tennessee while the rest scramble for the scraps. High school coverage? Forget it. Shrinking subscriptions meant massive layoffs and/or hiring less experienced staff willing to work for peanuts. Editors? Forget them, too. So we also see otherwise decent stories ignored or given short-shift. I haven't even mentioned the Nashville Banner, the afternoon paper and longtime home of sport writing legend Fred Russell. It went under in the late 1990's.

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Well said. I couldn't find anything on the ESPY's this am. She won a big award. I found a new app called "Smart News" which scrapes all sights. They really cover all source stories according to my wishes and interest.. Keep writing....

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Thanks, TR. The Espy’s happened after the Register’s deadline, so I didn’t expect them to have coverage of that. Hope you are well.

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Social media has picked up the ball (I couldn’t help that!) and is blasting breathless headlines about Caitlin, supposed rivalries, quotes from detractors and supporters.

This is another example of why print news is losing to Google, Facebook, and other digital sources.

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Hard to resist the sports metaphors. They write themselves! And you’re right about social media being all over the story, although some of that is their algorithms feeding me what they realize I’m interested in.

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Jul 12Liked by Dave Busiek

Go Dave Go. Wish your words could make a difference. I’ve given up on Register. So many other good sources. Barb

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Jul 12Liked by Dave Busiek

We continue to watch Caitlin Clark's rookie WNBA season on television with great joy. For those who still subdcribe to a newspaper, perhaps the Indianapolis publication is a good idea.

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Jul 12Liked by Dave Busiek

Amen Dave!

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I am NOT a Clark fan by any means, except that she is an Iowa girl. Our Iowa media should be giving her a lot of attention. I don't feel Tyrese Haliburton is getting the attention he should be getting either and he's in the Olympics for goodness sakes! And why isn't Tamin Lipsey the new Mayor of Ames? Wow, get me started on basketball and I'll go on and on.

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Ooh, do I detect a Cyclone fan???

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You got it!

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How disappointing! I must say the Cedar Rapids Gazette -- and sports reporter Mike Hlas, in particular -- have done an excellent job of covering Clark from all angles.

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That’s good to know, Amy. I’ll check out the Gazette coverage. Thanks for the recommendation.

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I agree. It hurts my soul that the Gazette is kicking DMR’s butt on this and so many other stories that aren’t football. Hlas recently went to Las Vegas, a great move because that’s a little hotbed of stories and he timed it to when the Fever was (were? I hate conceptual nicknames) there.

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My thoughts daily. The impact Clark has, is and will serve her sport the rest of the century. Iowans are proud of past sport heroes proven by the many times they are subject of DMR articles. Why Clark’s not getting the deserved coverage makes no sense and makes me happy to read my neighbor’s paper rather than paying myself.

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Totally agree! Brooks and I have become Clark fans and are now watching her in the WNBA. I may live in Omaha now but I still follow my home state, Iowa.

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Thank you for addressing this.

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You nailed it!

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Absolutely correct! I’m on vacation, crammed in a small room with 15 adults, from all over the country, cheering on Caitlain! She is a gem and the best ever for Iowa! What a shame she is being ignored by the Register.

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Dave, just a tip: If you use the DM Register app (the one that is a replica of the newspaper layout — like a PDF), you can view every Gannett newspaper. I switch to the Indy Star and many other papers to see what’s going on in their towns — for news and sports.

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Thanks, Dave. I have used that in the past but much like the Register’s ridiculously early print deadlines, the print edition of the IndyStar may not have the latest on a game the night before.

For instance, this morning’s e-print edition of the Star has no coverage of last night’s Fever win over Phoenix.

The digital product has complete game coverage.

Good info for our readers to have, though. Thanks for pointing it out.

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