The Caitlin Clark Effect

There’s a new phenomenon that’s taking the American sporting world by storm now. And her name is Caitlin Clark. Caitlin is the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball point guard who has dazzled fans with her incomparable court wizardry and amassed records that could stand for decades. She willed her Iowa team, whose talents simply were not at par with most other collegiate women’s basketball heavyweights, to the NCAA National Finals last year, before losing to the talent-laden LSU Tigers. Last week, the Iowa Hawkeyes won the Big Ten tournament finals against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in overtime. They are now getting ready for March Madness’ NCAA national title race once again.

Caitlin is changing the entire game with the stellar way she plays, and the way she handles herself off and on the court. Her impact is felt not only in Iowa, but in the entire country. Even the world is starting to stop and watch.

For the record, she is the NCAA’s women’s basketball scoring leader this season. Only last March 3, she set a new NCAA all-time scoring record for both men and women, surpassing the 54-year old men’s record of 3,685 points, set by the legendary Pete Maravich. A day after, Clark broke Steph Curry’s single-season record for 3-pointers with 164 for the year, two more than Curry made in his sophomore season at Davidson.

Aside from scoring in buckets each game, she is also contributing in other areas. Clark’s 8.7 assists per game this season is the best mark in women’s college basketball this year. Her 800-plus rebounds this year (as of presstime) is among the top in the league, which shows that her game is well-rounded. She is also among the top in the NCAA’s Field Goal %, 3-Pt Field Goal %, Free Throw % and Blocks per game. Her Player of the Year, Athlete of the Year, Player of the Week accolades, etc have become so numerous, she has difficulty storing them at home.

Caitlin owns a complete game. Her shooting is flawless, particularly from the 3-point area. At only 22 years of age, and with a height of only 6 feet flat, most of Caitlin’s 3-pointers could even rival Steph’s and Dame Lillard’s logo shots. Which suggests that she must put in more strength, and hence, must have put in more practice time in her shots to reach her level of consistency. But she not only scores; she rebounds, she defends, she makes others better with her assists. Her mere presence draws double and triple teams, freeing others and giving them great scoring opportunities.

Caitlin Clark’s stardom has never been seen before in college ball. Her mere presence – whether at home or in rival courts – is driving court attendance sky-high. Sponsors are flocking, and Iowa fans have filled their arena to the brim, forcing ticket prices to skyrocket to unbelievable heights. Her value is so much higher with sponsorship offers coming in left and right, and some say she will take a proverbial pay cut when she joins the pros, as the average rookie salary in the WNBA is far less.

Caitlin’s college career started 4 years ago with only a few fans in the stands as the COVID 19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the entire planet. She has since revolutionized women’s basketball, from playing with practically no one in the stands, to performing before sellout crowds in her home arena as well as in other campus gyms. Iowa’s 15,000-capacity Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been filled to the brim every single game this season, after drawing a sold-out crowd only twice before the Caitlin era. Even their road games were all sold-out, as even rival fans flocked to get the opportunity to watch her play. The Hawkeyes have even performed before over 55,000 fans in the huge Kinnick Stadium, home to the Iowa Hawkeyes’ football team. Caitlin has taken Iowan fandom to a far different level now, to unimaginable new heights.

Over the 4 seasons Caitlin played with the Hawkeyes, she would become the most famous, the most googled athlete in America. She has also brought in record numbers watching on network television, even regularly surpassing the WNBA or even the NBA viewership numbers. Last year’s Women’s Basketball finals against LSU drew 9.9M viewers, easily shattering the previous mark of 5.7M in 2002. You have to watch her game to understand the level of cage maturity, and the high standards she brings to the play arena.

Caitlin has taken the women’s game to heights far beyond everyone’s wildest dreams. Caitlin is definitely the biggest reason why there is such a spike in the growth of women’s basketball and the business of women’s sports. And she will definitely be able to bring more fans into the WNBA games. Players and fans will be grateful to her for the pioneering work she is doing to blaze a new, exciting trail for women’s basketball.

Thus, a new era for women’s basketball is upon us. Barring any injuries, and minus some haters in the WNBA and other unforeseen circumstances, Caitlin Clark could change the game of women’s basketball in the way the duo of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, or the majestic solo air show of Michael Jordan, have done for the NBA. Changing the game, putting women’s basketball on a platform that has never been available before. With Caitlin joining the WNBA, we look forward to more excitement, more competition and more interest in the league.

Cover photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated. Other photos courtesy of the New York Times, USA Today, the Des Moines Register, BVM Sports, The Sta Maria Times, WKRG and KGAN. For a closer look, just click on the pics. Video courtesy of AB Sees and YouTube.