Hour 3 - Caitlin Clark

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Episode: Hour 3 - Caitlin Clark
Release Date: April 18, 2025

The Herd with Colin Cowherd delivers a comprehensive and engaging exploration of Caitlin Clark's impact on the sports landscape. Hosted by iHeartPodcasts and The Volume, this episode delves deep into Clark's influence, comparing her to other sports icons and examining her role in transforming women's basketball.

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1. Introduction to Caitlin Clark's Influence

Colin Cowherd opens the episode by highlighting Caitlin Clark's monumental impact on women's basketball. He references Time Magazine's recent list of the 100 most influential people in America, noting the surprising absence of Clark despite her recent accolades.

"We thought because of the Caitlin Clark story this week Time magazine came out with the most influential 100 most influential people in America and they had two WNBA players on it. But not Caitlin Clark."
— Colin Cowherd [32:37]

Cowherd emphasizes Clark's role in boosting merchandise sales, ticket sales, and TV ratings, asserting that her presence has "exploded" various aspects of the sport.

2. Comparing Clark to Other Sports Icons

In a spirited discussion with Eric Mangini, Cowherd engages in a series of comparisons between Caitlin Clark and other prominent athletes to gauge her level of influence.

• Nikola Jokic vs. Caitlin Clark

  "Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Nikola Jokic?"
  "More."
  — Caitlin Clark [33:50]

  Cowherd argues that while Jokic is a phenomenal player with significant skill, Clark's influence extends beyond her performance, affecting the visibility and popularity of women's basketball.

• Luka Doncic vs. Clark

  "Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Luka Doncic?"
  "More."
  — Colin Cowherd [34:19]

  The comparison highlights Clark's broader cultural and commercial impact compared to Doncic's on-court achievements.

• Steph Curry vs. Clark

  "Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Steph Curry?"
  "Less, because Steph changed the entire way we played basketball. She is the Steph Curry of women's basket."
  — Colin Cowherd [35:19]

  Cowherd acknowledges Curry's transformative influence on the game but positions Clark as a pivotal figure within women's basketball.

• LeBron James vs. Clark

  "Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than LeBron James?"
  "LeBron is more influential not just because he has been the driving force with the NBA for two decades. LeBron's really the face of empowerment and mobility. So LeBron's influence is way beyond basketball."
  — Colin Cowherd [35:41]

  Here, Cowherd differentiates between LeBron's extensive influence across sports and society and Clark's more concentrated impact within her sphere.

• Shohei Ohtani vs. Clark

  "Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Shohei Ohtani?"
  "Less."
  — Colin Cowherd [38:22]

  Cowherd points out Ohtani's global influence and transformative effect on baseball, contrasting it with Clark's focused impact.

• Coco Gauff vs. Clark

  "Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Coco Gauff?"
  "More influential. Asia Wilson's a better player. But the ratings for the WNBA, the ticket sales, sure, they didn't double when she arrived."
  — Colin Cowherd [38:59]

  Clark is positioned as a more significant influence in her league compared to Gauff's influence in tennis.

3. Caitlin Clark's Transformative Role in Women's Basketball

Cowherd delves into specific ways Caitlin Clark has revolutionized women's basketball:

• Merchandise and Ticket Sales:
  Clark's popularity has led to increased merchandise sales and ticket demand, with WNBA teams moving her games to larger arenas to accommodate the surge in spectators.

• TV Ratings:
  The presence of Caitlin Clark has significantly boosted TV ratings for women's basketball games, drawing in a wider audience and increasing the sport's visibility.

• Cultural Impact:
  Cowherd compares Clark's influence to historical sports figures like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, underscoring her role in elevating the status of women's basketball.

"I think there's a lot of bubble screens in college. Like, I get it, but every time I watched him, I was like, yeah, like, he's accuracy matters. He throws a great ball left, right, up, back. Like, I think we're overthinking it a little with him maybe."
— Eric Mangini [14:07]

• "Caitlin Fluencers" Campaign:
  In response to Time Magazine's omission, Cowherd introduces the "Caitlin Fluencers" campaign, positioning Clark alongside other significant sports stars to emphasize her influence.

"We'll give great athletes and we'll say, is she more or less influential than this athlete?"
— Colin Cowherd [33:50]

4. The Future of Caitlin Clark and Women's Basketball

The conversation shifts to the future prospects of Caitlin Clark and the broader implications for women's basketball:

• Sustaining Growth:
  Cowherd discusses the necessity for Clark to maintain her performance and continues to be a central figure in driving the sport's popularity.

• Comparative Analysis with Other Athletes:
  By comparing Clark to athletes like Karl-Anthony Towns and Patrick Mahomes, the discussion underscores the unique position Clark holds in sports influence, particularly within the WNBA.

• Impact on Other Sports:
  Cowherd suggests that Clark's success could have cascading effects on other women's sports, potentially increasing their visibility and commercial success.

"What do you think? She just, by the way, there's a campaign today for Gatorade that Caitlin Clark is part of. So that's, she's a breakthrough athlete. Just to, to give you a heads up, basically every merchandise, ticket sales, TV ratings exploded with Caitlin Clark. I mean, everything exploded."
— Colin Cowherd [32:37]

5. Conclusion: Recognizing Caitlin Clark's Legacy

In wrapping up the episode, Cowherd reiterates Caitlin Clark's unparalleled influence in her sport, likening her to legendary figures who have reshaped their respective sports.

"She is the Steph Curry of women's basket. So Steph is. Outside of Michael Jordan, I'd argue Steph's the most influential player in league history."
— Colin Cowherd [35:19]

Cowherd emphasizes that Caitlin Clark's contributions extend beyond her athletic prowess, highlighting her role in transforming the perception and popularity of women's basketball.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Colin Cowherd on Time Magazine's Omission:

  "We thought because of the Caitlin Clark story this week Time magazine came out with the most influential 100 most influential people in America and they had two WNBA players on it. But not Caitlin Clark."
  — [32:37]

• Comparing Influences:

  "Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Nikola Jokic?"
  "More."
  — [33:50]

• On Steph Curry's Impact:

  "Less, because Steph changed the entire way we played basketball. She is the Steph Curry of women's basket."
  — [35:19]

• On Caitlin Clark's Transformation of the WNBA:

  "American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in this country..."
  (Note: This is part of an advertisement and should be disregarded in the context of content summary.)

Final Thoughts

This episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd skillfully underscores Caitlin Clark's significant role in elevating women's basketball. Through insightful comparisons and in-depth analysis, the discussion positions Clark as a transformative figure whose influence rivals that of some of the most legendary athletes across various sports. Listeners gain a nuanced understanding of how one athlete can reshape a sport's landscape, driving both commercial success and cultural recognition.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Eric Mangini]

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[Eric Mangini]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every.

Weekday on Fox Sports radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific.

Find your local station for the [e-mail].

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[Eric Mangini]

Now let's get this party started.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Well, Eric Mangini has been in lots of war Rooms with the Browns, with the Jets. It's very, very stressful. And this is not a draft with a lot of marquee players at the top. And Eric's joining us live, so I don't see a lot of teams moving up. But I made, I threw this out earlier. I said the bottom of the middle to late first round is a lot of really smart offensive coaches. Kevin O'Connell, Sean Payton, Andy Reid, Sean McVeigh. And I said there's a couple of players like, like a Colston Loveland for Michigan where I could see like an Andy Reid saying, oh, I, I got seven plays for that kid. I can, I can put him out wide. Ibuka, the receiver from Ohio State, I had a GM tell me yesterday, they're like that kid's slot sideline, like you can play that kid anywhere. I can see those offensive coaches, Sean Payton doing some moving around late from. But there's not a lot of star power at the top. Give me your draft history. Just are there drafts where you're like, listen, it's a move down draft or a move up draft and you knew it going into it.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah. It's funny that you brought up Colson Loveland in Kansas City. I was just saying that to Nick Wright the other day. I would love to see him in Kansas City. I think that's, I think that's a great fit. And you make a really good point is as you're sitting there in the 20s and especially this draft where there hasn't been any, you know, everybody's got their first round draft pick, there haven't been any, any substantial trades. As the board starts to unfold, I could easily see guys, you know, who are sitting in those spots saying, okay, this is, this is someone who's dropped further than we thought and we're going to go up and get them. When I was in Cleveland the first year, you know, we ended up drafting Alex Mack and we really liked Alex Mack, but we didn't like him at, I think we had four or five at that point. That was way too high for him. So we were looking for some way to get out of that spot. And right up until, I forget when we ended up trading with the jets, it was right before the draft. We were desperately trying to trade down because we knew that's the guy we wanted, but we just couldn't take him at that number.

[Colin Cowherd]

Sure. You know, let me ask you about, you know, there's all this quarterback stuff and we pay. We spend so much time on the quarterback stuff and I, you Know, I get what we do. I'm really fascinated by what you do with Travis Hunter. So somebody, Greg Cosell had a funny line an hour ago. He goes, can you imagine? He's not going to go to the Eagles. But if he went to the Eagles and you told Vic Fangio on Tuesday, yeah, you don't get him today at corner, I'm going to install the offense. And Vic's like, well, I'm installing the defense. I need my corner now. We'll give him to you Thursday. What do you do with Travis Hunter, who is a remarkable transcendent athlete?

[Eric Mangini]

Look, to me this can work and I don't think it works where he starts both ways and plays the whole game. Back in, when we were In New England 20 plus years ago, we played Troy Brown, who was a 12 year vet at wide receiver on defense and he had never played defense and he ended up playing more defensive snaps that year than offensive snaps. And it's one of those things. The way I would set it up with Travis Hunter is I would probably start him on defense and that would be his primary position. And my thought process is on offense you can control what group goes into the game. You have total control over what happens. So you can play him in those critical situations, play him on third down, play him in two minute play him in the red zone and then you tag the play. So you've got 11 personnel, but it's 11 hunter or 12 personnel, it's 12 hunter. And you've got his group of plays that you can start installing in the preseason, in OTAs, in training camp, and then you build on it each week, but you have absolute control as to when you want to use it. Where if you go the other way and you're going to play them, you know, primarily on offense and then on substituted defenses, well, you don't know when the other team's offense is going to play multiple wide receivers. So. And so it gets a little bit harder to really formulate your complete plan of attack on how you're going to use them. If you start with them on offense first and defense in a roll, I would go the other way. Defense first and offense in a role. Just because you have, you have so much more say on how things happen.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I said my two takeaways on the Aaron Rodgers discussion yesterday. One, the jets have a history of not treating employees well. I mean, they said, they said the roster is great.

[Eric Mangini]

I've been one of those.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. I mean this is what they do. Aaron flies cross country. They give him five Minutes. It's like, the Rams wouldn't do that, the Ravens wouldn't do that. I mean, just treat people better. But my second takeaway is there are certain jobs in America. Surgeon, pilot, CEO, quarterback. You can't be indifferent. Well, maybe I'll play, maybe I won't. Nobody wants to hear about your inner circle. I can have empathy for it, but the NFL benches aren't therapy couches like people want you to. Tom Brady didn't have a perfect life. He didn't bring it to work. He didn't talk about it. It's.

It's.

You know, so I look at Aaron and I think, boy, he's way too indifferent on this stuff for me. But Pittsburgh doesn't have a quarterback, and it's mid April. What would you do if you were the Steelers? Would you just say, hey, listen, we'll just wait as long as you want to wait, and we'll go draft the quarterback? What do you do?

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah.

From Aaron Rodgers perspective, I don't think he has to be in any rush. Aaron Rodgers still has leverage, and Aaron Rodgers doesn't have to rush into a bad situation right now. And he shouldn't. He should pick the spot that's best for him. And unfortunately, the league is so starved for quarterbacks that you still have the Steelers sitting out there with really no good answer. Who knows what's going to happen in New Orleans? The draft isn't very strong or has so many uncertainties at the quarterback spot. So when you've got a guy like Aaron Rodgers, who is now your best possible candidate, except maybe if you can go, you know, trade with Atlanta after June 1st for Kirk Cousins, he's got the ability to sit back and wait and see what situation is good for him. And I get what you're saying. Organizationally, you want someone who's all in, but if you're. It's the saying, don't ever go shopping hungry. If you're hungry for a quarterback, then you're at the mercy of who's the best available. And right now, Aaron Rodgers is the best available. So I would imagine that Pittsburgh will look to try to solve that problem in the draft, or at least add, you know, a viable answer. But you also will sit back and wait and say, okay, if this ends up a month from now being okay, it's our best alternative. Not great, but it's our best alternative.

[Colin Cowherd]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and.

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[Dan Morgan]

I've got Dan Morgan here on the pod. Say hi Dan.

Hey, how's it going today?

It's going good, man. Tell us who you are and what you do.

I'm Dan Morgan. I'm an attorney and a managing partner at Morgan and Morgan, which is America's largest injury law firm.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Looking to transform your business through better HR and payroll? Meet Paycor, a paychecks company. The powerhouse solution that empowers leaders to drive results. From recruiting and development to payroll and analytics, paycor connects you with the people, data and expertise you need to succeed. Their innovative platform helps you make smarter decisions about your most valuable asset. Your people. Are you ready to become a Better Leader? Visit paycor.com leaders to learn more. That's paycor.com leaders t mobile stats are.

[T-Mobile Representative]

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[Colin Cowherd]

So, you know, if you go back to your draft history, you know you're getting lied to by college coaches. You know, I mean, I mean, it's just hard. The best teams, I mean, John lynch has had huge whiffs. Baltimore has had huge whiffs. I mean, like, I mean, Bill Polian would tell you, yeah, I had big misses. It's really hard. You know, one of the things I said is if we, if teams pass on Shador Sanders, are you going to look back and go, man, we overthought the room. Son of a legend. Historically accurate, 33 points a game in college with a terrible O line and no running game. Mobile enough. Bigger than you think. In person, when you see videos of him walking around like pre game post, he's big, he's thick, big shoulders. Are we overthinking him because his dad's a star and he's a, you know, Shador Sanders, 74% completion rate. And I know there's a lot of bubble screens in college. Like, I get it, but every time I watched him, I was like, yeah, like, he's. Accuracy matters. He throws a great ball left, right up, back. Like, I think we're overthinking it a little with him maybe.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah, you could be overthinking a draft pick. When we drafted Vernon Golson, he had led. He had broken the Ohio State sack record. He was a junior. He had unbelievable combine scores. He looked the part. Everything made sense. I thought that maybe he'd go to New England if we didn't take him, but, you know, it ended up being a big whiff. And maybe I overthought the possibility of him affecting us in New England. But when you look at Chador, the struggle that I have with it is the sacks weren't all. The offensive line, Colin, there's a bunch of times where he's running around and he's running around for way too long instead of getting rid of the ball. And there's a lot of what we saw from Caleb Williams where he's trying to make a play, but you don't see the wild plays that you saw from Caleb Williams. And that to me is an issue. And then he had the 40 scrambles on top of that. I watched all of his touchdowns and there were a bunch of them where they were catch and run type plays. I don't think you can just equate all the sacks to the offensive line or not having a good enough running game. I worry about him trying to have that same mentality, just like I did with Caleb. Oh, I'm going to extend every play. You can't do that in the NFL effectively, except if you're maybe Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen and he's not that type of athlete.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I'll give you a team and a player. That's fascinating. Raiders and Ashton Genti. So hear me out. Geno Smith, who? You know, when Gino throws on play action, Eric, his passer rating is like 106. He's very circumstantial. Pete Carroll's success in his career has been with Marshawn lynch and Reggie Bush. When Pete's got a run game, he can own the clock, special teams, defense. Pete doesn't want his quarterback thrown 42 times. He. He does not like mistakes and inner turnovers. And when Gino is throwing and everybody knows he's throwing, Gino gets in trouble. It's very Sam Darnold. And maybe it's overdrafting, but I could. Do you think Pete Carroll would say, listen, Chip Kelly in the run game, Geno with a running back, I know nobody. Boise State, he's 5, 8. But do you think Pete would just say, for the quarterback I'm married to here, we have to have a run game taking the Boise State, kid. Do coaches think like that?

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah. Look, if you think the guy is Adrian Peterson, then yeah, you could. You could definitely be thinking that way. But I went back and I looked at all of Pete Carroll's drafts and when he's drafted, I looked at 12 or below when he's been in that spot, whether it's been the jets, the Patriots, the Seahawks, and he's drafted offensive lineman and defensive backs. And typically you go, I think there's a defensive lineman there as well. But the moral of the story is he went either big or he went cornerbacks. And those guys typically are harder to find than quality running backs later in the first round, later in the draft. And I think. I would imagine he'll stay true to form and probably fall in one of those two positions as opposed to Genti. My concern on Gente is he doesn't really catch the ball very much out of the backfield. You look at him versus Saquon Barkley, it's about six yards less per reception in college than Saquon had. And it's about half as many catches as his final season. And that's a big part of it. Gino needs to be able to throw the check down to a running back that has the potential to, you know, break big plays. And you just haven't seen that from Genty. And. And, you know, it's hard to not want that whole complete package.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, the, you know, you would think because you guys all, when you were with the Browns or the jets, you do these mock drafts yourself. You probably, you know, you throw a bunch of curve balls at. You take my audience, though, to here's the draft. You're on the phone. You guys do get in your war room, the picks about a minute before the audience does. So you do have a little bit of lag time for. The average viewer has lag time. Did you love it? Is it nerve wracking? Was there ever a story where it's like, you got burned? I mean, you're shaking.

[Eric Mangini]

So burned. So burned. So this kid, Chris Gokong, I get a tape on my desk, it's like a dvd. And I just happened to look at it. It was kid Chris Gokong. I looked at him like, oh, it looks pretty good. Look on our draft board, we have him as a priority free agent or maybe not even there. And I went and watched his college tape. I really liked him. I had some of the scouts watch him. You know, we started to get some momentum. We got him pushed up. And I think it was the fourth round where we were on the clock and go, Kong was really my guy. I really wanted Chris Gokong badly. And so we're on the clock and the Eagles call, it's Andy. And they say, hey, do you want to. Do you want to trade back? And it was only, I think, two or three spots. And so I said to Mike, what are we looking at here? And he said, well, nobody behind us needs a linebacker. We should be in good shape. Chris will be there, no problem. I'm like, okay, are you sure? He's like, I'm positive. So we trade back and the Eagles take Chris Gokong. And it just. It broke my heart. And Chris ends up being a starter for the Eagles and a really productive starter now. He ended up playing for me later on in Cleveland, but it was just one of those moments where you're just. You have the player, you should take the player. And we outsmarted ourselves and lost a quality starter in a late round. It just. It kills you. Kills you.

[Colin Cowherd]

Do people lie on the phone or People try to be honest.

[Eric Mangini]

You know, you got to know who you're talking to. You got to know who has the reputation of being honest, who has the reputation of lying. You know, you'll say to someone, is your player on offense or defense? You'll say, you know, there's, there's. And you may get burnt once, but typically, if you burn someone, that gets out in league circles. And then the next time you're trying to set up a, you know, trade, guys are like, yeah, I'm not going to trade with you. I'm not going to do business with you.

[Colin Cowherd]

By the way, I wasn't laughing at you. But these, these stories are fun.

[Eric Mangini]

Oh, it just brace break. Broke my heart.

[Colin Cowherd]

Eric Mangini. Good seeing you, coach.

[Eric Mangini]

Good seeing you, too, Colin.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, Jordan with the news. No, no, no, turn on the news. This is the Herd line news. Colin.

[Eric Mangini]

The Broncos are preparing for the second draft of the Sean Payton era. And Peyton loves the running backs in this class. He says, quote, there will be a focus on the running back position for the Broncos. Now, last year, the Broncos took Notre Dame running back Adric Stma in the fourth round. But I'm telling you right now, Peyton wants more juice at that position. It's a big need. Now, I can also tell you they like Amarion Hampton out of North Carolina. They like Travion Henderson out of Ohio State. He's got to find his Alvin Camara. And when you think about what he did in New Orleans with Camara and Mark Ingram or what Detroit has done with Jir Gibbs and David Montgomery, Thunder and lightning. Who do you like at Denver, assuming they go running back first or second round?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I think, I think Sean wants to do everything he can to ensure the success of Bo kn. So I don't know who I like. I think, I think Sean Payton's legacy because of the Saints is set. But I think Sean's making a lot of money and there's a lot on the line in Denver, so he's gonna. He's gonna draft people who make Bo Nicks work. Now, he loves Bo Nicks anyway. Every quarterback, including Tom Brady, is better with a home run running back. So I think, I think that's what they're looking. I think there's better receivers than people think in this draft. I talked to an exec yesterday who said he likes two of them from Iowa State. They got two guys start.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I just, I think when I watch this draft, I will be thinking about Bo Nix. What, because he's cleaned up the O line already. What's going to make Bo Nix better. And also Sean is a very clever play designer like an Andy Reid where he may find a player that's a player that doesn't work for everybody. That works for him.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So that's just kind of how I'm going to be thinking of Bo Nix during this draft for Denver. What's going to ensure his success? He graduates. He graduates to a master's program at the position.

[Eric Mangini]

So you just hit it nail on the head. Amarion Hansen can really catch the football. He's an absolute workhorse. Got that Joe Mixon cup more explosive Travion Henderson, the best pass protecting running back in this draft. So you can play him on all three downs. You can play him on third down. That is extremely important to Sean Payton. Going to put out a running back that cannot pass protect. To your point about Bo Nix, you need lightning. Both of those guys have it. And you need someone that can protect the quarterback on third down and pass protection. Both those guys can do it. Bill Belichick and North Carolina have signed former South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez. Now Lopez was one of the top passers in the spring transfer portal. Both Georgia and LSU were also in on the quarterback and had reportedly discussed giving Lopez a chance to compete for a starting spot in 2026. But the heels locked him up on a two year, $4 million deal. He has three years Colin left of eligibility remaining. Just to give you an idea contextually of what he is, I asked a veteran NFL scout. I said, tell me about the player. He said dual threat, very talented. Immediately becomes one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC. I imagine he's a Day 1 starter in Chapel Hill.

[Colin Cowherd]

I the whole situation in Carolina is fascinating. It is just. And it's not a very good football conference. So is Bill gonna. You know you're limited on hours you can coach in the NFL. Yeah. But 17 or 20 a week. I think this is such an interesting story. They're gonna be impossible not to watch. I mean we always watch Notre Dame or Texas or the big brands. Ohio State, North Carolina is now on my must watches football. Yeah, it's on my main television. Like I It's just so good for the sport.

[Eric Mangini]

Kanae. Maybe not year one, but with this kid who's going to be a really good college quarterback at the very least. Can Carolina get to a playoff in year two?

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, I think they can get to a playoff in year one. I mean the playoffs.

[Eric Mangini]

The ACC is also not.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. I mean so could they could they be runner up in the acc. I mean, SMU got there last year, so Bill could absolutely get in the playoff year one. Yeah.

[Eric Mangini]

And the key also is all these schools, these top tier schools are spending money in nil. Carolina just did it. Getting, getting their guy. From South Alabama, Carl Anthony Towns is getting ready himself to make his Knicks playoff debut against the Pistons. Detroit six man Malik Beasley and Towns play together for the T Wolves. Beasley was asked about his thoughts on Cat and he said, quote, I'm not worried about Cat. I don't think about Cat. He is the least of my worries. Now. This is Detroit's first playoff appearance in six years. They beat the Knicks three out of four this year. And here's the key. Carl Anthony Towns, first three games of the conference finals last year, 0 and 3, 15 points a game. There's a lot of pressure on Cat. We know what Brunson's going to do.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, Brunson good against the Pistons. He had success against the Pistons.

[Eric Mangini]

But can Cat perform? Because if the Knicks are going to make a run, it's going to be because of him.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I mean, I think we know what we get from. Well, I just think the Knicks. We know what we get from Tibs. Carl Anthony Towns is an offensive player, can't defend, gets picked on, and teams like Cleveland and Boston and OKC will eat them alive. But he can give you 24 points in any playoff game. Brunson's a great leader. I just kind of feel like I know what I get from the Knicks. I think they're the third best team in the east, and I think the east pecking order is much more predictable. I don't know. I can't. I still can't believe the warriors are favored over the Rockets. I guess it's Curran Curry, but I kind of know what the Eastern Conference playoffs are going to look like. I know what I get from Karl Anthony Towns. I think he's a 10. Yeah, he's a really, really gifted offensive player. I've seen him play three or four times live. He's really gifted.

[Eric Mangini]

I saw Carl Anthony Towns for the Dominican Republic. He was 17 years old, playing on the national team at the Garden, and it was the first time I saw him live. And I remember thinking, this guy is sensational.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Eric Mangini]

Now you fast forward. This is his opportunity to shine. Because as much as it is about Brunson, I live in New York. Karl Anthony Towns has become a big part of this city, but he hasn't had the playoff success.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[Eric Mangini]

So there's some real pressure on him. Okay, this is a fun one. I posted this story yesterday, this video of Ashton Gentee Duncan. Now Colin, he is listed at 5 8. I'm not saying the dude's Nate Robinson, but he is a massive favorite to be the first running back taken the Raiders potentially at six. This stuff has to impress you, right? I mean first in the FBS, almost 2,000 yards after contact, 164 missed tackles, first 30 touchdowns, everything you want from production. And then you see him at 58 doing, I mean his elbows on the rim. Colin, his head is at the rim.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it's too bad they don't need you to do that in the NFL. But he's an impressive athlete.

[Eric Mangini]

That was at Beaverton on the Nike campus. What's not to love about him? I mean, other than the fact he's a little smaller and he comes from a smaller, you know, lesser known school.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, but they did they Boise State played real teams and he had really good games. Go the Oregon game. You go back and look at the film they he's making NFL prospects miss badly. So he can, he can play. He's a first round player, no question. Jordan with the news. That's the news. And thanks for stopping by the Herd line. Caitlin Clark, thanks to Time magazine's weird list has been a topic this week. And we'll close our show. Is she more or less influential? That's the word Time magazine used. Is she more or less influential than many of the global and domestic stars today? That's next. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Steve Covino]

Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Cavino and Rich live on Fox Sports Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kobe Noanrich wherever you get your podcast and of course on social media. That's Covino and Rich.

[Colin Cowherd]

American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in this country. They offer something truly unique, special rates and grants for the entire family, making education affordable not just for those who serve, but also for their loved ones. If you have a military or veteran family member and are looking for affordable, high quality education, APU is the place for you. Visit Apu Apus Edu Military to learn more. That's APU Apus Edumilitary.

[Dan Morgan]

I've got Dan Morgan here on the pod. Say hi Dan.

Hey, how's it going today?

It's going good, man. Tell us who you are and what you do.

I'm Dan Morgan. I'm an attorney and a managing partner at Morgan and Morgan, which is America's largest injury law firm.

That's pretty awesome. I think I saw a billboard of yours recently that said 20 billion one 20 billion is an insane number.

Yeah, 20 billion recovered. It's actually, I think somewhere north, probably closer to 22, 23 after this year. And each year we get bigger and badder and our army grows. So the number will hopefully keep getting bigger and bigger as time goes on.

Awesome. So how does someone get in contact with Morgan and Morgan?

[Colin Cowherd]

What?

[Dan Morgan]

What would I do if I got into an accident?

Probably the easiest way is dialing pound law. That's £529 from your cell phone. We are always open. Our call center is always waiting to take your call. 247365 wow.

Dan Morgan from Morgan & Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. Thanks for coming by the show.

Thanks for having me. Visit forthepeople.com for an office near you.

[Colin Cowherd]

Looking to transform your business through better HR and payroll? Meet paycor, a paychecks company. The powerhouse solution that empowers leaders to drive results. From recruiting and development to payroll and analytics, paycor connects you with the people, data and expertise you need to succeed. Their innovative platform helps you make smarter decisions about your most valuable asset, your people. Are you ready to become a Better Leader? Visit paycor.com leaders to learn more. That's paycor.com leaders t mobile stats are.

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[Colin Cowherd]

We thought because of the Caitlin Clark story this week Time magazine came out with the most influential 100 most influential people in America and they had two WNBA players on it. But not Caitlin Clark. Now people are saying, well, they gave her athlete of the year in December. Okay, that doesn't make her less influential in April. I thought it was just a gaffe by Time magazine. So we said to close out the week, we'll name all these stars in sports and we'll call it Caitlin Fluencers. She just, by the way, there's a campaign today for Gatorade that Caitlin Clark is part of. So that's, she's a breakthrough athlete. Just to, to give you a heads up, basically every merchandise, ticket sales, TV ratings exploded with Caitlin Clark. I mean, everything exploded.

[Eric Mangini]

Attendance.

[Colin Cowherd]

I, I don't think there's a athlete that changed a sport more than she did more since Tiger Woods. Now, influence means a lot of things. So we'll give great athletes and we'll say, is she more or less influential than this athlete?

[Eric Mangini]

Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Nikola Jokic?

More.

[Colin Cowherd]

He's the best player in the NBA, but he's, he basically scrubbed his social media to concentrate more on basketball. He has no interest in anything other than winning games. Don't confuse great player with influential. He's not changing the league. He's not, he's not changing the way we play the game. Jokic is just an all time great player.

[Eric Mangini]

The day the season's over, he's in, he's in Serbia riding horses. Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Luka Doncic?

[Colin Cowherd]

He is more influential. Luka is not the most influential player on his team. And again, great player. And I will say if Luka has a healthy playoff run here, this is one of those that could change because I do think he has a shot to be the face of the league. But he's also got a very unique game, whereas she's basically the female staff. And it's fascinating. His game isn't as beautiful or fascinating. He's just a scoring Machine who we wish played actual defense. But I would say influential. Yeah, she's Tiger Woods. Nobody was watching golf. They love Jack Nicklaus. But when you could double golf ratings, that's influential. When Jordan leaves basketball, they lose 50% of their television audience. That is not just great, it's influential.

[Eric Mangini]

Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Steph Curry?

[Colin Cowherd]

Less, because Steph changed the entire way we played basketball. She is the Steph Curry of women's basket. So Steph is. Outside of Michael Jordan, I'd argue Steph's the most influential player in league history. Influential. Maybe not top five, but influential.

[Eric Mangini]

Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than LeBron James?

[Colin Cowherd]

It's LeBron is more influential not just because he has been the driving force with the NBA for two decades. LeBron's really the face of empowerment and mobility. So LeBron's influence is way beyond basketball. If you don't at least consider leaving an average team like Giannis, people criticize you. That's LeBron. LeBron is why you have to consider leaving even if you're pretty happy with a decent franchise. That's the LeBron effect. LeBron's had incredible influence.

[Eric Mangini]

He was the steward to the players league. The NBA becoming a players league. Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Asia Wilson?

[Colin Cowherd]

Caitlin's much more influential. Asia Wilson's a better player. But the ratings for the wnba, the ticket sales, sure, they didn't double when she arrived. Age is just the best player in the league.

[Eric Mangini]

Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Jalen Hurts?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. This is weird. She's more influential. I don't now he has, he is run his entire industry. His business is run by apparently an all women led team, which is awesome. But I'm not sure in terms of influence, even winning influence, I could you argue Saquon Barkley was the most influential player on the Eagles. So again, I can love Jalen Hurts, but I don't know. I don't know how influential I would make him.

[Eric Mangini]

We're getting to the tough one now. Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Patrick Mahomes?

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so this is the hardest one. I would say Caitlyn's more influential. The NFL ratings were good with or without Mahomes.

[Lenovo Representative]

True.

[Colin Cowherd]

He's winning Super Bowls. He doesn't have nearly as many as Brady. He's clearly. Sometimes you're just great. Yeah, nobody's copying Mahomes. What he does, nobody can really do. I mean throwing left handed, that's pretty cool stuff. All the arm angle stuff. Mahomes is just amazing. But I don't think you're sitting out there and telling young quarterbacks, hey, throw left handed. Do these weird arm angles. That's not really. He's just an all time unicorn as a player.

[Eric Mangini]

Caitlyn Clark's a big Chiefs fan, too. Big Mahomes fan.

[Colin Cowherd]

Now again, the word is influential. He's influencing outcomes. But even Andy Reid got to a Super bowl before Mahomes. Andy Reid was a great coach before Mahomes.

[Eric Mangini]

Couldn't win one until Mahomes though.

[Colin Cowherd]

True. I'm not saying he's not. Doesn't have some influence.

[Eric Mangini]

Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Shohei Ohtani?

[Colin Cowherd]

Less.

Yeah.

Not that he saved baseball. He has changed the entire direction of baseball. Going to the Dodgers also. He is. He is global. She's a domestic star. He's an international star. So he's basically Babe Ruth.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

But better looking and better. I mean, seriously, he's like. He's like a better version of Babe Ruth. Appearance, aesthetic, playing, pitching. I mean, I hope everybody understands overwatches. It's just insane.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah. Last one. Is Caitlin Clark more or less influential than Coco Gauff?

[Colin Cowherd]

More influential. Women's tennis has been popular forever. My entire life, I watched Billie Jean King, Chris Everett, Stephanie Graf, Martina Novrad Zalova, Serena Williams. Women's tennis has been huge. In fact, in my lifetime, the first women's sport that was wildly popular was women's tennis.

[Eric Mangini]

Because of Billie Jean. Probably.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, yeah, absolutely. So, I mean, women's tennis been popular forever. The WNBA has been subsidized. I think the most amazing thing about Caitlin Clark. This is fascinating. Literally six WNBA teams.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Have preemptively moved their Caitlin Clark games to bigger arenas. Does everybody understand the influence? They flew commercial.

[Eric Mangini]

That's the big one for me. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

She changed how she is Uber for the wnba. She changed the transportation ecosystem in her sport.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's why I say in my lifetime, Muhammad Ali in boxing, I mean, he was the first athlete that was a huge personnel. Yeah. He was like literally doing poems and lyrics. And then Tiger woods, you're like, oh, my God, he's doubling ratings in purses for all the players. And then Michael Jordan, although Magic and Bird largely are considered the guys that kind of save the NBA. But Michael make it. Michael made it global.

[Eric Mangini]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Like again, then there's a bunch of. Then I think Steph Curry's influences. Crazy how he literally changed the. The math of the sport.

[Eric Mangini]

Well, that's her, though.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. It's just a whole different ball game. I now this is just me. This is my anecdotal experience. I never talk wnba. I don't think people that do what I do for a living, Dan or Stephen a or we didn't really talk wnba. I led with the WNBA half a dozen times last year. It was a topic regularly on my show because of one person not saying my show has any influence. I'm saying is the people that do what I do, which is being a bunch of, you know, talk media, talk sports, can select anything we want to. I mean it was in the summer, I was talking NFL, a little baseball and Caitlin Clark and and I can monitor numbers. People were interested. I can monitor minute to minute what people watch. Nobody was going away. I mean that's why I kept talking about it. It was like people are really into it. Her influence is insane. And that's why Time magazine, I know they were trying to be nice.

[Eric Mangini]

No, it was ridiculous.

[Colin Cowherd]

They gave her player of they gave her athlete of the year. We don't want to put her in the 100 list. Like guys, we're talking Taylor Swift here. We're talking all time stuff like Taylor Swift goes to LA, sells out seven straight SoFi shows. Wow.

American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in this country. They offer something truly unique. Special rates and grants for the entire family, making education affordable not just for those who serve, but also for their loved ones. If you have a military or veteran family member and are looking for affordable, high quality education, Apu is the place for you. Visit Apu APIs Edu Military to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu Military Looking to transform your business through better HR and payroll? Meet PayCor, a paychecks company. The powerhouse solution that empowers leaders to drive results. From recruiting and development to payroll and analytics, paycor connects you with the people, data and expertise you need to succeed. Their innovative platform helps you make smarter decisions about your most valuable asset. Your people. Are you ready to become a better leader? Visit paycor.comleaders to learn more. That's paycor.com leaders Ugh.

Come on.

[Eric Mangini]

Why is this taking so long? This thing is ancient.

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[Eric Mangini]

Whoa, this thing moves.

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[Jeremy Hobson]

We live in a divided country, and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week, we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.