Caitlin Clark is saving women’s basketball

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During the current women's basketball season, a university student has managed to revolutionize the game. Her name is Caitlin Clark.

The young person who is 22 years old studies at the University of Iowa and plays basketball as a member of the Hawkeyes. They have achieved many impressive accomplishments as an athlete and have been recognized with multiple awards for their exceptional performance on the basketball court. This includes being named the Women's Basketball Superstar and National Player of the Year.

Having gained immense success as one of the leading players in women's NCAA, it's not shocking that she has contributed to growing viewership of college sports, particularly during March Madness. Additionally, she has garnered quite a few famous admirers, including Jason Sudeikis from the Ted Lasso series, among the spectators.

Clark, who is finishing up her time as a college basketball player, announced that she will be participating in the WNBA draft. The draft is scheduled to take place on 15 April.

Discover everything there is to learn about Caitlin Clark, ranging from her place of upbringing to the ways in which her accomplishments have influenced the domain of women's athletics.

Caitlin Clark: Who And Where?

On the athletic department's website for the University of Iowa, it is noted that Caitlin Clark is a senior majoring in marketing. Her birthplace is Des Moines, Iowa, and she grew up in West Des Moines. Clark was born on January 22, 2002.

She attained stardom by setting remarkable records in the sport of basketball. As mentioned on her University of Iowa profile, she is the sole athlete in NCAA Division 1 Men's or Women's basketball to have "achieved the highest scoring and assists in her conference for four consecutive seasons."

Clark, the top scorer in NCAA history, achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first D1 player to earn over 3,700 points, 1,000 assists, and 850 rebounds during his career. He was also honored as the Tournament MVP after leading the Hawkeyes to victory in the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase event held in November.

As she gets ready to finish her last season with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark made an announcement that she'll be taking part in the 2024 WNBA Draft. In February, she shared a post on Instagram expressing her thanks to everyone who has helped her during her time at Iowa. Clark mentioned the amazing four years she had with her teammates, the coaches, trainers, and staff who always gave her the freedom to be herself, the enthusiastic Hawkeye supporters who filled Carver arena every night, and the young fans who came out to cheer them on from all across the country.

What's Her Reported Income?

Although the NCAA does not compensate college basketball players, they have the opportunity to earn income by capitalizing on their accomplishments as student athletes. Through NIL contracts (which represent "name, image, and likeness"), college athletes can collaborate with businesses and endorse their goods.

ON3 reports that the total value of Clark's NIL contracts reaches approximately $3.1 billion. She has formed collaboration with renowned companies recently, including Nike, Gatorade, State Farm, and Buick.

The WNBA draft won't take place until April 15th, but Sports Illustrated says that Clark is likely to be chosen first, with the Indiana Fever being her probable team. We don't know yet how much money she'll make in her new job, but based on other rookie salaries, Clark's income could fall between $65,154 and $76,535 in her first year.

"Her Impact On Women's Basketball?"

Clark's last year at the University of Iowa has seen a rise in the number of people watching the games. The NCAA reported that during the 2023 national championship game, in which the Hawkeyes faced off against the Tigers of LSU, there were almost ten million viewers on average. This represents a 103% increase from the 2022 women's championship.

Iowa has had their games broadcasted on several sports networks this year like ESPN, Fox, and NBC. According to NCAA, when one of the Hawkeye's games went into extra time, before Ohio State lost, there was an average of 1.93 million people tuning in to watch across NBC and Peacock. Furthermore, the game had the most viewers during overtime with 3.9 million people watching across those networks.

When Iowa played LSU in the Elite Eight game on April 1st, they had a notable supporter in the audience: Jason Sudeikis. The celebrity was seen making the "you can't see me" gesture while watching the game - a move that was originally made famous by Tigers star Angel Reese during last year's National Championship game against the University of Iowa. By waving the back of his hand at the crowd, Sudeikis was showing his support for Iowa and possibly even specifically for Clark, who had been the target of Reese's gesture. In the end, Iowa won the game.

The far reach of the Iowa female basketball player's skills has opened up new avenues for aspiring players, just as NBA player Stephen Curry revolutionized the men's game over ten years ago.

Shay Ijiwoye, a leading high school player from Arizona who has committed to Stanford, recently talked to the Associated Press about the influence that Clark has had on the world of sports.

According to Ijiwoye, some people may argue that the game is not as enjoyable to watch, but Caitlin Clark is definitely worth watching. She believes that Caitlin is encouraging a lot of young children to believe in themselves and follow their passion, regardless of their gender. Whether you are a girl or a boy, there is no limit to what you can achieve as long as you have confidence in your abilities.

Swoopes' Apology To Clark: Why?

Despite Clark's achievements in college sports, she faced negative comments from Sheryl Swoopes, a former basketball star. In January, Swoopes made a statement about Clark's accomplishments, even before she became the top scorer in NCAA history.

Swoopes went on record stating that Caitlin should have beaten Kelsey's record in four years instead of her fifth year. This statement was made during her guest appearance on the "Gil's Arena" YouTube show. However, Swoopes made a mistake by mentioning that Clark was in her fifth season at Iowa, when in fact it was only her fourth year.

Swoopes went on to explain that due to the presence of the Covid-19 pandemic affecting the schedule and timing of events, as well as with another year added to the athlete's eligibility, it may not be fair to consider their achievement a true record breaker. While the accomplishment will be logged in the books, Swoopes believes it should not be treated as such.

After a month had passed, Swoopes disclosed that she got in touch with Clark and said sorry for what she had said before. She said, while announcing the Baylor-Texas Tech game, via The Athletic, "I had a really great chat with Angel over the phone several weeks ago and also messaged Caitlin. Caitlin responded, and we had a conversation."

The ex-basketballer didn't elaborate on her discussion with Clark, but she did convey her admiration for the young athlete who is just 22 years old.

I'm not going to reveal what she said, that's up to her if she chooses to share. Nonetheless, I informed her that I was wrong in claiming it was her fifth year when it is actually her fourth. Swoopes expressed her admiration for everything she has accomplished for the sport. She can share what she told him or how the talk progressed if she desires, but it was an excellent conversation.