Major Lisa Bluder Update Headlines As Christine Brennan Makes Caitlin Clark Book Event Decision

“Christine Brennan likes to have a villain in her storytelling,” Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said a few weeks ago regarding Brennan’s recent book. Her book ‘On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports’ has had the WNBA world buzzing ever since its announcement in late August 2024. And Brennan has been on the receiving end of many rejections regarding her book and her reporting since then. 

Christine Brennan faced backlash last September after asking DiJonai Carrington if she intentionally poked Caitlin Clark in the eye during the playoffs, prompting a rare rebuke from the WNBA players’ union: “You cannot hide behind your tenure.” Brennan defended it as journalism. The controversies keep stemming from sensitive topics in her book, like the Olympic team controversy and Clark’s broader impact, which some interpret as fueling narratives about player jealousy. Despite pushback, the book is gaining traction, and Brennan is on a promotional tour.

Brennan’s book tour for “On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports” is drawing major attention. The highlight of the tour lands in Iowa City on July 16, where Brennan will be joined by Lisa Bluder, the coach who helped shape Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking career, and Jan Jensen, her longtime assistant and now head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes. The event takes place at the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame, and a $60 ticket gets fans entry plus a signed copy of the book.

“I am so honored to join two great coaches, Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen, on July 16 at the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame to talk about my new book on Caitlin Clark,” Brennan posted. She also thanked local host Sidekick Coffee & Books and publisher Scribner.

Clark played for Iowa from 2020 to 2024, rewriting the record books along the way. She averaged 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game and became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with 3,951 points. Lisa Bluder helped develop Clark’s game and guided her rise from high school phenom to generational talent. It’s only fitting that Bluder helps tell the story.

The tour kicked off on July 9, as Brennan shared, “Thank you, Toledo and Ottawa Hills. What a tipoff for ON HER GAME!”. It has been going on since, and the July 14 event takes place in Ames, where Brennan will appear with Lyndsey Fennelly, a former Iowa State All-American who led the nation in assists in 2006–2007 and was drafted by the Indiana Fever. Fennelly chose a different path, turning her focus to coaching, entrepreneurship, and advocacy. She was recently named to the Iowa State Hall of Fame Class of 2024. The next event after that is on July 15 in Des Moines at the Franklin Event Center, featuring Kristin Meyer and Dickson Jensen. It all builds to the grand finale in Iowa City, a conversation with the coaches who know Clark best, in the city where her legend began.

Brennan Details How Caitlin Clark Reacted To Olympic Snub 

The ever-so-young Clark shone so bright right off the gate in the WNBA that she was in serious consideration for the 2024 Olympics. Clark had been averaging 16.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game through her first 12 games of her rookie WNBA season. However, to the surprise of many fans, she was left out of the squad. In the end, Team USA dominated the tournament and won the gold medal by beating France in a thrilling 67-66 victory. 

On the public front, Clark showed no disappointment as she said that she understood the decision and, “Me being on the team, me not being on the team. I’m excited for them, I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold.”

However, Brennan provides an inside scoop in her latest book. Former Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides said in an interview for this book that the Olympic decision was “such a disappointing moment for her. Being an Olympian is a huge dream of hers, and when she realized it wasn’t going to happen, it just lit a fire under her.”

As the team landed in Indianapolis after a game in Washington earlier that evening and got off the plane late at night, Sides said she and Clark “were walking and talking about the decision. She could have gone to practice that night, I mean, that’s where she was, that’s the competitor she is. She didn’t really say much more after that.”

Clark went on to have a generational rookie season. She won the Rookie of the Year by an almost unanimous vote. She led the entire league in assists and was named to the All-WNBA First Team. Clark also led the Fever to their first playoff appearance in 8 years. While Clark’s sophomore season hasn’t gone to plan with her being injured half the time but that rookie season has given her the launch pad she needed to become a successful basketball player.

Caitlin Clark’s rise from college standout to WNBA star has already left a lasting mark on women’s basketball. Christine Brennan’s book and tour reflect just how far-reaching that impact is. The Iowa City event with Lisa Bluder and Jan Jensen is more than a stop on the tour; it’s a celebration of the people and place that helped shape Clark’s journey. As her story continues to unfold, her influence on the game is only growing.