The popularity of women’s basketball, as well as women’s sports in general, skyrocketed in 2024, and there is no doubt that Caitlin Clark can thank for that.
Not only was Clark the most popular athlete during the last 12 monthsIn doing so, he declared her his athlete of the year, and in recent years that title has been held by world stars such as Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Simone Biles, Serena Williams and Tiger Woods.
Clark began the year at the end of her record-setting collegiate career. As a senior at Iowa, she was months removed from losing the national championship to Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers, where Reese’s catchphrase “You Can’t See Me” was the unofficial start of a rivalry on and off the field (though Clark herself will tell you that there is no such thing between them).
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Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark speaks to the media during an introductory press conference on April 17, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Either way, the gesture sparked plenty of debate, which turned into further culture wars this summer with Clark as a WNBA player. That, however, did not come before her set an NCAA record (both men and women) for the most points scored in a collegiate career and another appearance at the national championship.
In April, she was the choice no. 1 and practically as soon as she stepped onto a WNBA court, the conversation began about whether her popularity was due to her race. In fact, it was a claim made by WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, saying that Clark is white “huge thing” when it comes to Clark’s popularity.
However, during the season, Clark was able to block out the noise about what was being said about her off the field, even when opponents seemed to attack her on the field. The serious violations came amid accusations of racism from Indiana Fever and Iowa fans, the claim of the said Reese.
But Clark said time and time again that she was focused on basketball, and it seemed like she was. In her debut season, not only did she break rookie records, even the WNBA records now bare Clark’s name.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Suns, Sept. 25, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
CAITLIN CLARK’S REACTION TO WHITE PRIVILEGE REMARKS PROVES WE HAVE A ‘RACE PROBLEM,’ SAYS WNBA BIG
Clark’s appearance in the games produced historic viewership at both the college and professional levels. The final three games of her college career were the most watched women’s college basketball games ever. She also had a few draws in the regular season more viewers than WNBA playoff gamesand her WNBA matchups with Reese were some of the most watched WNBA games ever.
WNBA teams have even had to move into larger arenas simply because of the ticket demand Clark has drawn; fever sold 90 times more tickets last year than in 2023.
Clark was appointed Rookie of the Year for her historic campaign during which she set the record for most assists in a single season in league history. She led Groznica to the playoffs after a slow start, and quickly became a double-double machine. She even set a record in one game with 19 assists. She also became the first freshman to record a triple-double, recording two of them.
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark celebrates during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 24, 2024 at Crypto.com Arena in California. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
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She received the most votes for the All-Star Game and was only 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, and even more impressive is what she’s done this year despite all the outside noise.
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