Caitlin Clark has been the catalyst for a lot of good things happening in the WNBA.
Viewership ratings are as high as they were when the league was first launched, and overall attendance and interest are growing.
While Clark is just one member of a growing league, WNBA legend Sue Bird suggested the Indiana Fever rookie has helped change “negative” stereotypes about women’s basketball.
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Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) takes a shot against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center on July 17, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neal/Getty Images)
“Kaitlyn, especially her long-distance three-pointers. I’ve always said, finally we’ve found the antidote to the dunk,” Bird told Good Game with Sarah Spain. “All we’ve heard all this time is, ‘You guys are boring. You don’t dunk. Oh, maybe you should put the hoop lower. That would be more exciting.'”
“And the long three-pointer thing, that’s what it is. Distance is distance. It goes in or it doesn’t. It’s the same for everybody. So, in a way, I think she’s brought people out of a trance that was very negative about women’s basketball, and now she’s pulled this huge group along.”
Clarke has the ability to light up the scoreboard in an instant, pleasing fans and drawing more fans to her away games.
Seattle Storm player Sue Bird reacts after playing what was the final game of her career in a 97-92 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 of the 2022 WNBA Semifinals at Climate Pledge Arena on September 6, 2022 in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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Clark fans came out in droves to the Target Center last week when the Clark Fever beat the Minnesota Lynx.
Before the game, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said she was “not worried at all” about the increased attendance, but after the game she was forced to acknowledge it.
“Everyone knows the reason teams around the league are packed is because Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are coming to town,” she said. New York Post.
“Angel Reese had an impact on attendance at the Chicago game and it will have an impact on the road as well, so what the league can do is prepare to take advantage of the moment, but it’s pretty much what we saw,” said Brown. [Larry] Birds and magic [Johnson] Came to the league [NBA]”The league has been preparing for a turning point, and we’re here, and now we need to take advantage of it.”
Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark warms up before a game against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center on July 17, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neal/Getty Images)
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Coach Reeve will face Clark and her WNBA All-Star team on Saturday night in a matchup between Team USA and the league’s best players.
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