Caitlin Clark: Basketball’s Most Important Figure?
Caitlin Clark is quickly becoming the biggest basketball superstar of this era. This is not hyperbole. We can’t remember the last time a player was this big since LeBron James over 20 years ago. While Victor Wembanyama has all the hype surrounding him, he is not making the same impact off the court as Clark. From ludicrous contracts to TV ratings to WNBA betting lines, Clark is moving the needle.
The 22-year-old made her WNBA debut in a preseason game last Friday. While the Fever lost, Clark scored 21 points in front of a sellout crowd. Read it again: A WNBA preseason game sold out and was the most talked about topic on social media. Yes, women’s basketball is becoming mainstream.
It will soon be an undeniable sport that even incels online will have to focus on another thing to hate. This all depends on how well Clark can sustain her star power. And as betting folk, we’ll take that wager.
What’s So Special About Clark?
Clark would not have reached this level of superstardom if she was “just another great women’s basketball player.” What puts Clark at a higher echelon is her ability to do what Steph Curry does on the men’s side: score an obscene amount of points while hitting shots from anywhere on the floor.
CAITLIN CLARK FROM THE LOGO!!! 😱 😱@CaitlinClark22 x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/KZdZSmfsa9
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 14, 2024
Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal wrote: “Clark is far from the first great shooter in women’s basketball, but she’s the one who is changing the dimensionality of the game, because of the distance she can shoot from and how well she can pass.”
Clark has also been doing this since she was a girl. She grew up competing against boys in recreational leagues because there were no girls’ leagues. Clark also played other sports like soccer and tennis. Eventually, she focused on basketball and competed against much older girls. This honed her competitive spirit and her other talents, which include deft playmaking skills.
This translated to Iowa, where Clark consistently lit up teams en route to the all-time college scoring record: both men’s and women’s. She’s a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year and a three-time unanimous first-team All-American. That she came up short of winning a national title – twice – does not diminish her achievements.
On the international stage, Clark also led her teams to three gold medals: in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
In short: Clark is really good, fun to watch and, most notably for marketability, an American.
Clark Fills Void of American Superstar
Why is Clark a bigger deal than Wembanyama? Because she’s American. We’re not being xenophobic here. America is the center of the world whether you love it or hate it. There’s a reason why the biggest celebrities right now are either American or live there. And Clark has emerged in a sport that has craved for a true star since Curry.
Jayson Tatum is too soft-spoken to be that person. LaMeloBall, Ja Morant and Zion Williamson can’t stay on the court. And Anthony Edwards is only just emerging during these NBA playoffs.
On top of that, Clark played four years in college. The WNBA may be a charity case for the NBA at this stage, but women’s college ball programs have been the thing since before the WNBA even existed. Clark brings with her a huge fanbase from college.
Don’t believe us? Look at all the TV ratings for women’s college basketball over the past few “March Madness” years. Clark is a big part of that – her game against LSU this year drew a record 12.3 million viewers, which was surpassed in her next game against Connecticut at 14.2 million. Iowa’s championship game against South Carolina drew an average of 18.7 million viewers (peaked at 24 million), another record.
In comparison, the most watched NBA Finals game was way back in 1998, when Michael Jordan hit “the shot” against the Utah Jazz. That game drew 22.3 million fans. And not a single NBA Finals game in the last four seasons has drawn more while the last five NBA Finals did not manage to hit more than 7.5 million viewers.
Yes, Clark is going to be even more popular than even the best NBA teams.
But Clark Needs to Succeed First
It’s not set in stone, however. Clark needs to succeed in the WNBA. It’s a different ball game, as Diana Taurasi notoriously pointed out.
“Reality is coming. You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time,” Taurasi told SportsCenter’s Scott Van Pelt.
The WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, and one of the greatest college ball players, has a point. Transitioning from college to the pros can be rough. While others like Taurasi and Candace Parker did so with flying colors, it’s not a given that Clark will.
Clark’s magnitude paints a giant target on her back. WNBA teams will focus on her and look to make her earn every point. It may get rough, although WNBA lines favor her to win Rookie of the Year comfortably.
But we’re confident Clark will pull it off. She’s too strong-willed and skilled to falter. It’s just a matter of time before she starts dominating the league. And for the sake of basketball, it better be soon. The WNBA will reach new heights on the back of the biggest American basketball player of this era.
Questions of the Day
Which WNBA team does Caitlin Clark play for?
Caitlin Clark plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. She was drafted first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
How do you bet on Caitlin Clark?
You can bet online on Caitlin Clark by selecting “basketball” on the sportsbook’s sidebar. From here, under the “WNBA Specials” category, select “Caitlin Clark” to find her betting markets.
