Dallas Cowboys Win-Loss Game With TJ

20:06Rich Eisen:and I know fantasy and reality are different, but come on. We've got our BBC. We're going to have a couple guys toting the rock. Okay, that would be good. Did you see Dax... And I'm not... By the way, don't get fooled. That was an old video of Brandon Cook's, TJ. First take, I got fooled by it. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, I just saw the pass. Everybody got full bite. George Pickens is incredibly talented. George Pickens can make catches like that, and he will make catches like that. Steelers let him go for a reason. Correct. We'll see if the Cowboys can do something. Look, sometimes the change of scenery makes all the difference in the world.

20:37I am excited to see it. That's true. I don't think 11-6 is in any way me being like, oh, I can always see the comments. I'm out of my mind, but I think I was pretty reasonable.

20:48Rich Eisen:I agree. 11-6, I think, is at the high end. We'll see. We'll see. All right. Happy birthday, gents. That was great. Awesome. 844204-H is the number to dial right here on the program. When we come back, Christine Brennan has written a tome that is highly popular. USA columnist. On her game, Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports, when we come back.

21:19Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here with some advice. If high-interest credit card debt is grinding you down, it might be time to call an audible with a SoFi personal loan. It consolidates your debt into one low monthly payment with no fees required. And with as soon as the same day funding, you can make the right play fast. Call an audible on your debt today at SoFi.com slash debt play. Loans originated by SoFi Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. NMLS 696891. Fast funds terms apply at SoFi.com slash debt play. It's Saturday. Kickoff's getting close, and your weekend project just hit a wall. You're short on materials, or you need one more tool for the job.

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22:19Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com slash Eisen. Terms and conditions apply. She was an outstanding guest for Women's Sports Now last week's episode.

22:55Rich Eisen:This week's episode is being recorded today, and it will be seen on Roku, which you can check out all the time, all past episodes of Women's Sports Now. On her game, Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports is available now wherever you get your books. USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan here on The Rich Eisen Show. Good to see you, Christine. How are you? Well, great to see you, Rich. I'm good, thanks. How are you doing? I'm doing great. Thanks for coming back on this program. And it was great to see you on Women's Sports Now last week as well. So walk me through this book and how much, I guess, Caitlin Clark's.

23:28Rich Eisen:Was there any cooperation, any reach out to her at all, Christine, for this book? Oh, yes. Oh, yes. She answered 40 to 50 questions that I asked. Yeah, she's great. She's better in person than you'd hope. Yeah, what happened was right around the time, actually, you and I spoke, which was the Olympic snub, which, by the way, is a chapter title in the book. And I have even more reporting on that abysmal decision and that continue to report it. So there's breaking news within the book on that chapter alone, as well as there's lots of things. But within a few weeks, I was, you know, just early July thinking, you know, gosh, should I maybe do a book on this?

24:07I hadn't written a book in a long time. And this has become my eighth book, Fourth with Scribner. Literally 54 weeks ago, there was no book. And now we're number two on the New York Times bestseller list. So, you know, it's it's it shows what it shows, Rich, is the incredible power appeal of this 23 year old woman who is changing the face of sports, not just women's sports, but the way men, you know, we know those guys. Right. The guys that wouldn't have been caught dead watching women's basketball when I would be on radio shows or, you know, you and I might be talking on various various things.

24:42You know, guys would laugh like you're not covering the women's final four, are you? Like, why would you go to the women's Olympic gold medal game at all the Olympics I cover? You know, what a waste of time. It's not good basketball. It's below the rim. They're rolling around on the floor. You know, it's jump balls. These are the things I heard. I was laughed at as I would advocate the coverage of women's basketball, among all the other things that I've been able to do, men's and women's, right? Sports. And honest to goodness, to see now those guys that would have been calling into sports talk shows around the country laughing, they're the guys now buying the number 22 jerseys.

25:14They're wearing them not only to games, but to the grocery store and the gas station. They are Caitlin Clark's biggest fans, and they are the reason that these TV ratings are through the roof. The reason that the Indiana Fever home attendance, average home attendance last year, first year of Caitlin Clark, was higher than the average home attendance of five NBA teams. I cannot even believe I said that sentence, and I researched it, and it's in on her game. Point being, this has absolutely been a sea change, the likes of which I did not envision seeing in my career. That's how big a deal. And I chronicled the whole thing.

25:50And Caitlin answered every question, tough questions, looked you in the eye, goes on and on with answers, goes off on a tangent, comes back and finishes the answer. I mean, she's just a delight and so available. And as I said, nothing, no holds barred. Nothing was off limits. You know, good, bad and different. All of it's in there. But I will say there's a lot of logo threes jumping off the page in the book because she truly is an entertainer even more than a basketball player. Very similar to Tiger Woods with golf, right? Where people who would never watch the sport now tune in to see her.

26:24Rich Eisen:Yeah, no doubt about that. But a few weeks ago, Christine, the top story on this program and also, I believe, wound up being the most viewed video on our YouTube page in June was when J.C. Sheldon and Marina Mabry treated Caitlin Clark like a pinball in the Connecticut Sun game. And then Sophie Cunningham treated Sheldon like she was a wide receiver that needed to be tackled before the end zone. And, you know, and it was it was awesome. It was it was awesome. It's the competition. It's the heated competition. And it also plays into the conversation of what is going on with Caitlin Clark and her colleagues in the WNBA, whether it is just another moment where a superstar comes in from college and gets treated, you know, physically, as clearly Michael Jordan was back in the day.

27:22Rich Eisen:Right. Like, let's not forget, it's not specific to just the WNBA and Caitlin Clark. Or is there some form and format of of jealousy happening here, Christine? And where do you stand on that subject matter? Yeah. Muffet McGraw in the book, I quote her. She talks about the petty jealousy that she was seeing. She's, of course, sent a ton of Notre Dame players to the WNBA and has watched very closely and follows Caitlin Clark very closely and thinks, you know, so highly. Well, she recruited her. She had Caitlin Clark for a while until Caitlin said she didn't want to go to Notre Dame. She wanted to go to Iowa.

27:54And how different that would have been if she she would never have been Caitlin Clark trucking it from the parking lot. You know, it's going in Notre Dame. You know, Muffet wouldn't have allowed that. But but anyway, yeah, there's certainly it is that when when Marina Mabry did what she did. And by the way, I've interviewed Marina Mabry and she likes Caitlin Clark. She gets it. At least I thought she got it. But when she did that, I mean, Sheldon and and Caitlin go back a long way because of Iowa. in Ohio State through the Big Ten. And so, you know, there's chippy play. And Caitlin Clark does not need me or you or anyone to defend her.

28:24She's not a victim. She gives it as good as she takes it. She's tough. She's strong. She's revving up the crowd. She loves it. And people love her for that. But when Marina Mabry plowed into Caitlin Clark like a freight train, if that did not injure Caitlin Clark, as far as we know, although now she's had these four injuries and the last time she missed a game was sophomore year of high school. So bizarre, absolutely bizarre what's happening and so obviously disheartening for Caitlin Clark and so many of her fans. But when Marina Mabry does that, you know who she's hurting at the end of the day?

28:55She's hurting Marina Mabry and her earning potential. Because when Caitlin Clark is injured, the first time she was injured this year, she would miss five games. During those five games when she disappeared, more than half of the viewership of the WNBA, not just the fever, but the WNBA, more than half of the viewership also disappeared. That is falling off a cliff. Tiger Woods, I looked it up when he would be out of a major tournament or missing something. It would drop a little. Michael Jordan, when he went to baseball, dropped a little. You know, others over the years, over half of your TV audience just disappears.

29:32That is devastating to the WNBA and to its financial future and all those players with the CBA now up and they're having these negotiations. they need to realize sooner than later, not that you treat her like kid gloves, but that that Caitlin is to them even more important than Tiger was to men's golf, because men's golf had already had Arnie Jack, Byron Nelson, you know, Sam Snead, going all the way back to Bobby Jones. It already had the commercials and the standing within the sports culture. WNBA in our male dominated sports world never has had that. Now Caitlin gives it that. It's like it's a fever or like a men's pro sport, men's major league sport in terms of interest and following and everything about it.

30:13And then these hits. So I would say, yes, it is like that kind of rite of passage, except let me know when women's basketball players make the same as men. Let me know when the TV contracts are the same, when the attendance is the same other than for Caitlyn. Point being that the WNBA needs this woman to be there, to be playing well. And that spotlight that shines on her, Rich, shines on all these other players who never got the attention they deserve. Majority black players, 74 percent black league. And now they're getting that attention because Caitlyn Clark and because now the media is covering it really for the first time in a major way.

30:53Rich Eisen:Christine Brennan on her game, Caitlyn Clark and the Revolution in women's sports is available now wherever you get your books let's talk about the revolution in women's sports um is is the you mentioned the cba conversation between the wnba and the players association is that a fault line in this revolution right now because you're just seeing an interesting strategy because imagine it has to be a strategy it's not happenstance from the pa that on the heels of the league announcing a media deal of 2.2 billion dollars and you know also the wake of what we're hearing these wnba franchises are being uh bought for or being bought in for the union ops out of the deal the current deal uh the league announces expansion and um and then uh they say how the league's first proposal the pa was a slap in the face after expansion i could go on here uh the the all-star game uh where they were wearing pay us t-shirts the players um using that spotlight unrivaled announces a whole big to-do announcing how many NCAA athletes for the upcoming season have been signed that was on the heels of the all-star weekend is this a strategy that we're seeing right now from the players association is this the fault line in this revolution that we're talking about about equal pay Christine well yeah I mean that's it you know pay us what you owe us was the t-shirt that they all were wearing at the all-star game where I was and and, you know, doing a lot of book events as well, as you can imagine.

32:26Indiana and Iowa, they love the book, and that's fun. You know, I think it is. You know, the NBA owns 60 % of the WNBA, and that is, of course, owners, team owners, like Pacers Sports and Entertainment, obviously, is Pacers and Fever, also just the league in general. We also know, and I don't put this in the book because I don't have, I was not able to, anything that's in the book is journalistically sound. It's the journalism that I have done for years, breaking news, all kinds of inside, back behind the scenes stories, but they're all sourced and whatever. So I don't have the numbers on how much money the WNBA is losing, but it's by all accounts, it is losing money.

33:09But so the players want more and who can blame them? Caitlin Clark's salary last year as the first pick in the WNBA draft was 76 ,000. top pick in the nba draft 57 million so it's never going to be equal certainly not in my lifetime or your lifetime rich maybe in our great great great some kids grandkids lives maybe but i don't even know that that's i mean that's a goal but is that it's not a realistic goal it's the idea of paying athletes more so that they don't the recent britney griner of course was in russia as you know not because of the ambiance in russia or hanging out with yes

33:44Rich Eisen:Right. All right. It's because she was making a million bucks from an oligarch who wanted to pay her to play a few months. And then she was making basically a quarter of a million in the U.S. So in the WNBA. So when you can make so much money, more money overseas in China, Russia, et cetera, you know, that's a bad look. And so they need to up that and make it a salary that is meaningful. So many of these college players, of course, have great NIL deals like Caitlin Clark did worth millions. So they're coming in with money, which is nice. and the TV dollars, you're right. The TV contract now is four times the value of what it was.

34:19But all of this, I mean, in my mind, it's all related to Caitlin Clark. And the league seems so reluctant and some players to talk about that. Or when they're talking about the TV ratings, ESPN for the All-Star game, they say, well, it's the highest ever. Oh, except for last year. Well, what kind of a report or PR is that? No, no, you say it's the second highest ever And it's OK to say last year was more. It dropped 36 percent because Caitlin Clark wasn't playing. It's all about Caitlin Clark. And it's OK to say that. I covered Tiger the length of his career. I watched, you know, front row seat and the press sections and galleries inside the ropes.

34:58And quickly, the male golfer said, hey, we get it. Rising tide lifts all boats. As soon as the WNBA players do that, and they have not yet done that. Some have, but not all. As soon as they do that, Rich, they're going to be better off for understanding the magnitude of Caitlin Clark. Again, guard her, play tough, foul her, whatever. Don't try to kill her or don't try to steamroll her. I'm not saying they're actually trying to kill her, obviously. Yes. But don't do that because, again, like Tiger, tie yourself to this person and make a lot more money because of her.

35:29Rich Eisen:Is Caitlin going to have to win a title for that attitude, for the lack of a better phrase or word, to change? do you think she she have to win like dominate the league and be the clear 100 star i mean um you know we're talking a lot about this uh sabrina ionescu's performance in the three-point contest was exhilarating um from that weekend so again that's the pushback that people have like yes caitlin does raise all boats but there's some other stars in this game angel reese is another one that has a massive fan base and might also be somebody who you always you also need to have somebody who's a you know a rival you know agent wilson being another i could go on and on but what what will it only will caitlin have to win with the indiana fever for this to change do you think wins actual w's on the score right i think yeah i absolutely think that would be great and that will certainly add to her resume, taking Iowa to two straight final games is extraordinary, right?

36:32So you have the UConn women saying she needs to win a title. Well, the UConn women played with all these other incredible stars, all of them going to the WNBA. And of course, Caitlin Clark played with one person who was going to the WNBA at Iowa, and that's Kate Martin. And the rest are people who have gone on with their careers. So, you know, I find that a little strange because again, the reality, the numbers are there. You know, Asia Wilson's a great player and she's getting so much more attention now because of Kaitlin Clark. And she is an MVP. I mean, Kaitlin is not yet that. Kaitlin's not the greatest player in the WNBA, may never be the greatest player in the WNBA, Rich, but she's the most important by far.

37:07Again, every number, all of the attendants moving to bigger stadiums. It wasn't for Angel Reese. Paige Beckers is a great player, great player. She cannot sell out the 8 ,000 seat arena in Dallas. Juju Watkins, fantastic. Let's hope she gets healthy. She's that magical player. She's the entertainer, kind of like Caitlin. And Caitlin is the master entertainer. Juju cannot sell out the USC arena. So what I'm saying is, when you look at the numbers, you know, the funny thing about facts, they're facts. And people get mad at me for saying this stuff. But these are the facts. I have covered this. I so wish Maya Moore had gotten the attention that Caitlin Clark has.

37:47I wish that Asia Wilson was literally being discussed in the produce section the way Caitlin Clark is, right? I wish the grandmothers and grandfathers had changed their days and their evenings for Sheryl Swoops and everybody else. I knew them. I covered them. I was covering women's Final Fours in the 90s. I've covered the WNBA throughout the 90s and all the way and fought for it and fought for coverage within our news organizations. Of course I have. You know I have. It wasn't happening then. It's happening now. This is a great thing. This is not a terrible thing. And how it has become that. And again, the book has so much more, the magic of sports, the magic of Caitlin, those threes, how she plays, the inside her head, you know, of how she thinks, how competitive she is.

38:31We go back and forth on some questions and answers in the book. All of that's there. But if we're talking about this, it's Caitlin Clark. Caitlin Clark is the one. And there's just no denying that. And that's the unfortunate part about whoever is feeling these with these women are strong enough to handle it. They can handle it. But that leadership of the WNBA failed them by not preparing them, by not talking about this seminal moment of a white woman coming into a 74 percent black league and being the superstar that elevates everyone.

39:02Rich Eisen:Christine, thanks for the time. Greatly appreciate you again being on Women's Sports Now last week. And and then there's the show today on her game, Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports is available now wherever you get your books. Let's chat again soon. Appreciate the time.

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39:51Rich Eisen:Get into the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event and get away with a deal so right, it almost feels wrong. Right now, you can get great deals on our most popular models, including our adventure-ready SUVs like the Hyundai Santa Fe or Santa Fe Hybrid and the Tucson or Tucson Hybrid. Plus, there's our bold and stylish Elantra loaded with the latest tech or go all-electric with the Ioniq 5 or Ioniq 9. So get down to your local Hyundai dealer and get away with a deal you'll love during the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event. Visit HyundaiUSA.com for details. And as I mentioned, it is Chris Brockman and TJ Jefferson's birthday.

40:26Rich Eisen:And as I did mention before, Susie Schuster is here with something for you guys. Come on out, Susie, ladies and gentlemen. Susie's here. My lovely wife, host of none other than Women's Sports Now. Susie, to you. I don't think we can technically do that at the right situation. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to Chris and TJ. Here's a fudgy the whale. ladies and gentlemen, Susie. What is it? Fudgy the whale? It is Fudgy the whale. What is that? Carvel ice cream. You never heard of Fudgy the whale? Yo, here we go. Can you blow out only one of the candles, Chris? Can you direct your...

41:02Rich Eisen:Accuracy. There you go. Accuracy. There it is. Ladies and gentlemen, okay, very good. Now Susie's bringing over the other candle. To TJ Jefferson. Fudgy the whale, never heard of it. TJ, are you serious? It's cookie-o-puss when it's... Hi, Susie. I never went to Carvel growing up. We always went to Dairy Queen. You're going to St. Patrick's Day. It's cookie opus. Oh. And then Fudgie the Whale, ladies and gentlemen. T.J. Jefferson, get in there. Get in there. Oh, he's literally making a wish. If I believe it. There we go. Cowboys to go 11 and 6. All right. Very good. Very good. Come on over here, Suze.

41:35Rich Eisen:Sit on down. Bring the cake. I'll start slicing it up as we finish up today's program. Let's do it. It's a rock, right? I mean, it's frozen solid. You don't have a microphone on. You don't have a microphone on, but there you go. Take a seat. Very good. This is Susie's first time in a TV studio. Leave her alone. Hold on a second. I ruined my jeans for you. What is that? What is on there? This is the imprint of my tire. I was trying to hold the cake. Oh, wow. There you go. Oh, wow. Can you sit down and talk into the microphone? I thought it was a design. Are you trying to tell me what to do? I just got here.

42:05That was all him. I was holding what I did for you today. I was trying to hold the cake in my bag, my computer, and all that.

42:14Rich Eisen:It's my fault, because you told me, don't forget it in the freezer, and then I did. Send him a text. I was like, Rich, don't forget the cake. Nailed it. Nailed it. Max, would you mind taking this and handing this around? Hi, you guys. There you go. Take that, hand it around. Happy birthday, guys. Thank you. That Instagram of Cage, wishing you a happy birthday, it was very cute. Oh, I haven't seen that yet. I haven't seen it either. Thanks for informing me. I did see Sarah's photographs on Look at this photograph. On threads. Is this ice cream? Yeah, dude. Are you out of your mind? What part of Carvel did he not understand?

42:55I've never been to Carvel! You've had flying saucers before. I brought them here before. You had three last time. Like dilly bars? No, you had flying saucers last time I brought them here. Let's get...

43:09Rich Eisen:So the guy from Carvel... Let's get him. Tom Carvel. That was Tom. You say, if you're very lucky. Every day, he's a shunding at Carvel. That's what he was used to say. Here, Max. Sorry to turn you into. Don't worry about the focus. Why not have a family holiday? There we go. Start with a Freddie the Wimps. By the way, I went on Dan Patrick's show today and took many, many, many strays on behalf of these morons who got all the stories wrong. They were not cheating. But the one thing that was confirmed. We never said cheating, by the way. The word cheating was used. Okay. It was used. He did read your texts out.

43:42What text?

43:44Rich Eisen:The one where you said, congrats on beating those morons. That's number one. That's number one. Benedict Schuster. And then there was another one on top of it. There were two of them. Dan. Dan. You stink, Dan. I brought it up. I'm like, is it true that Susie did? Do you need a piece of cake? Yeah, he does. It's his own birthday. You got one? Okay, very good. He also tried to turn you against us. I think I need a second piece. Wow, Dan sold me down the river. How did you not think that was going to happen? I didn't think it was going to happen. Hey, before you go, if your Saturday setup involves a packed living room, big reactions, and maybe a celebration that goes too far, your walls need to be ready.

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