Women's basketball, and women's sports in general, will skyrocket in popularity in 2024, and we can definitely thank Caitlin Clark for that.
Not only is Clark the most popular female athlete of the past 12 months, Time magazine named her Athlete of the Year. This title has been held in recent years by global stars such as Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Simone Biles, Serena Williams and Tiger Woods.
Clark started the year at the tail end of a record-breaking college ball career. As a senior at the University of Iowa, she was months away from losing the national championship to Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers. Reese's taunt, “I can't see you,” was the beginning of an unofficial rivalry on and off the court (though Clark himself would say no such thing existed between them). .
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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever speaks to the media during an introductory press conference at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on April 17, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Either way, the gesture sparked a lot of discussion and led to further culture wars over Clark as a WNBA player this summer. But that didn't happen before she set an NCAA record for most points scored in a collegiate career (both men's and women's) and earned an additional All-American appearance.
She was selected No. 1 overall in April, and just as she stepped onto the WNBA court, the conversation began about whether her popularity was due to her race. In fact, this was the claim made by WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson, who said that when it came to Clark's popularity, it was a “huge thing” that Clark was white.
But throughout the season, Clark was able to block out the noise about what was being said about him off the court, even when he appeared to be attacked by opponents on the court. The hard foul came amid allegations of racism from both Indiana Fever and Iowa fans, as claimed by the aforementioned Reese.
But Clark reiterated over and over again that he was focused on basketball, and that was certainly the case. In her rookie season, she not only broke the rookie record, but even the WNBA record, and now Clark's name is clear.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts during the WNBA Basketball Playoffs first round game against the Sun on September 25, 2024 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
WNBA Great says backlash to Caitlin Clark's white privilege comment proves there is a 'racial problem' in the US
Clark's appearances in games generated historic viewership at both the collegiate and professional levels. The final three games of her college career were the most-watched games in women's college basketball history. Additionally, some of her regular season games drew more viewers than WNBA playoff games, making her WNBA matchup with Reese one of the most-watched WNBA games of all time.
WNBA teams had to move to larger arenas simply because of the demand for tickets Clark drew. The Fever sold 90 times more tickets last year than in 2023.
Clark was named Rookie of the Year after a historic season in which he set the league record for most assists in a single season. After a slow start, she led the Fever to a playoff appearance and quickly became a double-double machine. She also set a single-game record with 19 assists. She also recorded two triple-doubles, becoming the first rookie to record a triple-double.
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever celebrates during a game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena on May 24, 2024 in California. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
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She received the most votes at the All-Star Game and became the fifth rookie in league history to make the All-WNBA first team.
It goes without saying that Clark is well on her way to a stellar career, but what's even more impressive is what she's accomplished this year despite the hustle and bustle outside.
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