The carryover

 You heard it, of course. You always do when women's sports are the topic du jour, and it always comes from the same crowd.

We're talking about the WNBA, of course.

We're talking about Caitlin Clark, and how she made the WNBA appointment viewing in a way it had never before been, and how Same Crowd sneered that only she could have raised the profile of such a lousy product.

"Wait'll Caitlin loses in the playoffs," went the refrain, or something like it. "No one will be watching this trash."

Except ...

Except Caitlin's been out of the picture for awhile now. And a whole lot of folks are still watching.

According to Sports Media Watch, which tracks these things, almost a million-and-a-half viewers tuned in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, even though it was up against the NFL Thursday night game and Yankees-Royals in the ALDS. It was the most-watched Game 1 of the finals in league history, and the most-watched finals game, period, in 21 years.

And, yeah, more eyeballs were on Clark whenever she played. But even after she and the Indiana Fever lost in the first round, the playoffs have attracted more eyeballs this year in comparison to years past.

So clearly everyone who tuned in to watch Caitlin Clark saw something compelling besides just her. They got a look at the women's game itself, and they liked what they saw.

Call that the Caitlin Carryover if you like. But call it also a W for a league that deserves that and more.