Caitlin Clark

It’s a bit of an apples to oranges comparison, but professional rock climbing and women’s professional basketball do have a couple things in common.  The most glaring is that neither is considered a mainstream sport.

I’m sure adherents of both may disagree, but, as the saying goes, if all you have is a ball then everything is a basket?  For those who don’t spend much time following either sport, there is little chance that they could name five professionals off the top of their head.  I doubt that most people could even name five WNBA teams, let alone five WNBA athletes.

Concerning rock climbing, imagine that there was a young climber so gifted that they caused a stir every time they touched a rock.  Their presence, so magnanimous that the spotlight on them also illuminated the entire sport.  Others who participate with our hypothetical climber would achieve recognition that would have been unimaginable in any other circumstance.

The reactions to such a climber would surely be mixed.  While outsiders may celebrate this new prodigy, insiders may find this overnight stardom annoying.  Jealously, stubbornness, and fear may handicap colleagues from celebrating the potential substantial growth of their sport.

Something along these lines hasn’t yet happened in climbing, but climbing isn’t really clamoring for mainstream attention.  Where we have seen this reaction is in professional golf.

Tiger Woods was that generational talent.  When he stepped foot into the tee box, he caused a stir.  Woods’ presence was met with both shock and awe, both positive and negative.  Jealously, stubbornness, and fear handicaped colleagues from celebrating the potential substantial growth of their sport.  Worse yet, Tiger’s prominence brought out the worst in some people including bouts of racism and accusations of cheating. Those who dismissed Tiger Woods potential impact were dead wrong. 

Because of Tiger Woods, professional golf became so mainstream that even rock climbers and grandmas in the Midwest know who he is.

Like Tiger Woods and our hypothetical climber, Caitlin Clark of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever is turning heads.

In her senior year at Iowa, Clark was named preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, she became Iowa’s all-time leading scorer, achieved most 30-point games by any man or woman in Division I in the past 25 seasons, became Big Ten’s all-time leader in assists, became Iowa’s all-time leader in assists, broke the Big Ten all-time scoring record, became Division I women’s career scoring leader, broke Iowa’s single-game scoring record, became all-time leader in points among major women’s college basketball players, set the Big Ten career record for 3-pointers, set NCAA single-season record for 3-pointers, became all-time NCAA Division I men’s and women’s scoring leader, named first-team All-Big Ten, achieved most three-pointers in a single season by any male or female Division I player, became the first Division I women’s player to score at least 1,000 points in two different seasons, became career leading scorer in the Big Ten tournament, named Most Outstanding Player in Big Ten tournament, achieved the most points in a single season in Division I women’s history, became first player in NCAA tournament history with 3 career 40-point games, won the Naismith Player of the Year for the second year in a row, won AP Player of the Year for the second year in a row, achieved the most points in a single quarter of an NCAA championship game, and won her third Nancy Lieberman Award.  

A head turner indeed!

Caitlin Clark was drafted 1^st overall in the 2024 WNBA draft to the Indiana Fever.  A team so bad that they went 30-100 over the last four seasons and haven’t made the playoffs in seven years.  Despite being only 3-9 this season, Clark has already made an impact.  She is the fastest player in WNBA history to 200+ points and 50+ assists.  On June 7^th Clark tied the record for most 3 pointers made in a game with 7 on her way to 30 points.  This was in front of the largest WNBA crowd since 2007.

Caitlin Clark is a game changer.  She has an inviting demeanor and charisma.  In just twelve games, she has become the most recognizable player in WNBA history.  She has brought the spotlight.  Clark is the tide that has the potential to raise all ships, and yet, people hate her for it.

To be clear, Clark is beloved, most people have fully embraced Clark-mania, but there are those who are consumed by jealously, stubbornness, and fear.  Handicapped from celebrating the potential substantial growth of their sport.

This reaction to Clark’s rise to prominence was on display when Chicago Sky center Chennedy Carter seemingly unprovoked, pushed Clark in the back, knocking her to the floor.  The foul was unnecessary, but basketball is an emotional and physical sport, and things like that happen.  But, until Caitlin Clark came along, that would have been a play that 4,000 people saw in person, and almost no one would ever mention again.

But because of Clark, and the popularity she has garnered, that play was talked about on nearly every major news outlet including Good Morning America and Fox News.  Sports commentators like Stephan A. Smith and Skip Bayless nearly lost their mind.  NBA players like LeBron James and Paul Pierce even chimed in on the drama.  The tides are rising, and the stakes are getting higher.

If you haven’t had a chance to see Caitlin Clark in her first pro season, it might be worth checking out.  It won’t be long until even rock climbers and grandmothers from the Midwest start taking note.