Cultural shift.
A testament to women’s sports.
Inspiration.
Caitlin Clark has inspired a new generation of athletes and is leaving a mark on women’s sports.
In the world of sports, elite athletes find ways to bring themselves to the top and become representatives of the game, cultural icons, and advocates for change. Caitlin Clark has become one of these icons, an athlete whose impact extends far beyond the basketball court. Clark has emerged as a tremendous role model for aspiring athletes around the world due to her skill, determination, and commitment.
From growing up watching and playing basketball my whole life I can tell you I’ve never seen any woman or man as good as Clark is. When she shoots or passes the ball, she does so with such confidence that no one would ever doubt her success. We will be talking about Caitlin Clark for years to come and this is just her beginning.
The “Caitlin Clark Effect” came from the substantial increase in game ticket sales and revenue that Clark has drawn in for the University of Iowa and the other universities that she’s traveled to. The season tickets for the Hawkeyes sold out by August when the season didn’t start until November.
For other universities’ games played against Iowa, the tickets bought increased tremendously. When she’s at the game everyone wants to be there with her. The game is changing and people aren’t just going to watch women’s sports, they’re going to cheer.
Clark’s influence wasn’t only limited to the Hawkeyes, it also helped double the audience of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament from last year, along with selling out tickets. For the attendance during Iowa away games, each game averaged 13,000 fans, which doubled the attendance for those universities compared to their non-Iowa games.
In Clark’s past, societal views led to women being discouraged and neglected in sports as men thought it unattractive and believed women would risk injury, which deterred women despite their interest. There was no girls team so she played on an all boys basketball team in elementary school. She didn’t let this discourage her from the sport, instead letting it build up her confidence and competitive nature.
Growing up I had always played basketball with the guys that had gone to my school and at a young age it wasn’t the easiest to hear statements like, “You’re a girl go play volleyball” or “We don’t want to play with a girl.” I’ve always been the competitive type, so this only made the game more enjoyable for me, but other girls that I’ve coached or played with in the past felt brought down by these comments.
Clark has given the sports world a lens into the idea that just because you’re a girl doesn’t mean you’re limited. Clark is now reinventing what it means to be a female athlete and teaching young girls and boys that gender doesn’t define your talents.
After elementary school, Clark joined the All Iowa Attack travel program and continued to excel. She would play against high school seniors while she was in eighth grade and was one of the top basketball prospects in the country by her sophomore year at Dowling Catholic High School. In her junior and senior year she was the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year and became a two-time MaxPreps and USA Today All-America selection. She then went on to win a gold medal with the United States U19 national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019.
Clark’s basketball career was in the shadows with all the other elite college players as she worked her way up to Nov. 19, 2019 when she shocked experts and committed to Iowa over Notre Dame. She also was looking at Iowa State, Texas, and both Oregon schools. By having a star in the women’s college league, women’s sports are being showcased in a way that the fans and athletes deserve. It is about time.
While having an impactful season each year of her collegiate career, her senior year was one to remember. In her senior season alone she managed to score 1,234 points. She broke the NCAA women’s career scoring record with her 35-foot 3-pointer against the Michigan Wolverines. To put that distance in perspective, the WNBA 3-point line is 22 feet and 1.25 inches and the NBA’s is 23 feet and 9 inches. To not only make that shot, but also when shooting it like it’s easy is insane.
What Caitlin has been able to accomplish comes from the dedication and hard work that she’s put into playing basketball that has now transcended to evolve right alongside her, ahead of her, and behind her. She is a generational player that is going to reinvent what it means to be a female athlete for years to come.
All eyes were on Clark as the March Madness season came to an end as she continued to break records through her career, such as the all-time NCAA scoring record (previously held by LSU legend Pete Maravich) and the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Player of the Year Award in 2023 and 2024. Throughout the NCAA Tournament she scored 41 points during the game against LSU in the Elite Eight round, and although the team didn’t pull out the win against South Carolina in the championship game, she ended her collegiate career game with 30 pts, 5 assists, and 8 rebounds.
Watching all the games with my dad that Clark played in this March Madness season has been one of my favorite memories. I’d reached a point where my basketball season had ended and along with it the love I had for the game transformed into a more complicated relationship.
But watching Clark play reignited the love that I had for basketball. Her competitive and fun nature that she brings to the game displays that even though she has all this pressure on her, it doesn’t matter, because she’s able to do what she loves.
I can imagine that the impact that Caitlin Clark has had on me is not limited to myself alone. The stands of the Iowa games had been filled with not only signs from little girls, but little boys as well. In the past women’s basketball had been neglected, but now due to Clark and others that surround her, people are starting to pay attention.
When it comes to Clark moving on next year to the WNBA, the Caitlin Clark Effect will not end. With her decision to declare for the WNBA on Feb. 29, the first pick for the 2024 Draft went to the Indiana Fever. Prior to Clark being signed to Indiana Fever there was word of her being the top pick for the team and it left an immediate impact, as their average price of a ticket to a game went up to $144, up 133% compared to last year. While this isn’t only Clark’s doing, it does help that the people she’s won over into the world of basketball have begun to be invested in women and the WNBA.
We saw that this season in the NBA All-Star game, where Sabrina Ionescu and Steph Curry — two amazing players and shooters — competed in a new 3-point competition. I want to see the same this upcoming All-Star game, with Sabrina Ionescu, Steph Curry, Cailtin Clark, and Damian Lillard all competing against each other.
Beyond her on-court achievements, Clark has created more awareness in the community for gender equality in sports. She has become a vocal advocate for equal pay and opportunities for all women athletes.
Clark’s presence has shattered viewership records. In the second-round game against West Virginia there were 4.9 million viewers on ESPN, setting the record for the largest television audience for a game in the women’s NCAA tournament prior to the Final Four. The previous record for the championship game set in 2002 was shattered in 2023 with the championship game of Iowa against LSU reaching 9.9 million viewers. This year, the rematch between these two teams broke the record breaking viewership with 12.3 million viewers.
A large accomplishment for all women in sports was the fact that this year, women’s basketball games averaged more viewers than men’s basketball games on FOX. The women’s games are averaging 981,000 viewers compared with 946,000 for the men.
Her accomplishments don’t just lie in the women’s league, as the Big3 made her a $5 million offer on March 27 for her to play ten games during their season. Big3 is a men’s three-on-three league that plays from June through August, so if she were to accept the offer it would only interfere with two WNBA games.
Ice Cube is the owner of the league, and the organization made this offer because they believe she’s an amazing athlete and that she could break down another barrier in the world of sports. Many WNBA players are forced to play abroad to make money due to the league’s subpar salary, so this would be an opportunity for Clark to make more money while staying in the U.S.
This offer is one of the first of its kind, and it stands as a testament to the influence that Clark has had and the new opportunities she’s bringing for female athletes to move forward.
Clark’s impact on women’s sports goes beyond her statistical achievements during the games. She has become a role model for all young athletes, showing them that with hard work, dedication, and a dream, anything is possible. Her success has inspired the new generation of athletes to dream big and pursue their goals with confidence.
Clark recognizes that this impact hasn’t just been made by her – it’s also “thanks to Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, the great Dawn Staley, and my basketball hero Maya Moore. These are the women that kicked down the door so I could walk inside,” she said when responding to Micheal Che about moving on to the WNBA.
So what will Clark do next?
