TIME Magazine named Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark its Athlete of the Year on December 10, adding yet another accolade to the young star's blossoming career.
In just a year's time, Clark has surpassed Kelsey Plum's collegiate scoring record, taken the Iowa Hawkeyes to the program's second-straight national championship game (South Carolina defeated Iowa 87-75), was drafted first overall to the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft, and secured the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
Along the way, Clark's career has been the epicenter for seismic change in the way women's sports are perceived in the national media. Iowa's games in the 2024 NCAA Tournament in the Sweet Sixteen, Final Four, and championship rounds were the three highest-viewed women's college basketball games in the sport's history. The Indiana Fever were the highest-viewed WNBA team in the league's history for Clark's rookie season, and the Fever's in-arena attendance also set WNBA records.
The Fever also set multiple records in merchandise sales. The WNBA saw a 601% increase in overall merchandise sales, and the Fever were the highest merchandise-selling franchise leaguewide. Clark's jersey was the highest-selling jersey for any individual player in 2024.
The "Caitlin Clark Effect," as it has been coined, has taken the nation by storm since the 2023 NCAA Women's Tournament. Basketball fans across the nation have flocked to the women's game, both collegiate and professional, in droves never before seen. Stars across the WNBA have received the attention that they rightly deserved-- and have deserved for much longer than 12 months.
But that point brings up the great question that has followed Caitlin Clark since she has become the poster-child for a sport on the rise. A question that has been the center of debate since that 2023 National Championship game, and continues to be one of the hottest topics in sports.
Does Caitlin Clark deserve it?
Not from a talent perspective, no-- it's pretty obvious that Clark is as talented a rookie as any rookie the WNBA has ever seen. That's never been the issue.
The 2023 NCAA Women's Tournament National Championship game between Iowa and LSU brought an important dialogue to the forefront of sports media. In the final seconds, LSU's Angel Reese mocked Clark's "You Can't See Me" gesture to Clark when the game was out of reach. Despite the gestures being the same, Reese was referred to as "classless" by most social media pundits-- sparking what has become an almost two-year discussion into the disparity in perception between black and white athletes.
Fast-forward to December 10. Clark is reveled as Athlete of the Year, and the topic is alive and well.
Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson expressed her opinions on CNN, taking aim at Clark and the praise she has received.
"I'm gonna be very honest. I feel very bad because I've seen so many players of color that are equally as talented, and they never got the recognition they should have," said Johnson. "We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized, and I don't think we can just pin it on one player."
"Why couldn't they have put the whole WNBA on the cover and said, 'The WNBA is the League of the Year,' because of all the talent that we have?"
Fellow WNBA stars also chimed in on the issue in the TIME article itself. WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson and Temi Fagbenle, Clark's former Fever teammate, both made their displeasure with the public's reaction to Clark known.
“It doesn’t matter what we all do as Black women, we’re still going to be swept underneath the rug,” Wilson said in the article. “That’s why it boils my blood when people say it’s not about race because it is.”
Fagbenle, who is mentioned to have loved playing with Clark, acknowledged that the support that Clark gets is "mostly amazing." She also notes that race is a big factor in Clark's popularity.
“In a sport dominated by Black/African-American players, White America has rallied around Caitlin Clark," said Fagbenle. "It seems that the Great White Hope syndrome is at play again.”
In the TIME article, Clark acknowledges her place in the legacy of the WNBA. She makes note of the players who came before her and vows to try and change her perception in the media.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them," said Clark.
"The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.” -Caitlin Clark
This statement has led to some controversy amongst social media users and media personalities alike. CNN News Night with Abby Phillip discussed this topic in particular, and the panel was split.
"Sports is the one place where nobody on the field has any privilege at all," said panelist Scott Jennings. "She doesn't get extra points when she shoots because she's white-- she gets the same number of points as anybody else."
"Sports is the great equalizer, and it just felt like-- to a lot of people-- that she was groveling for no reason, because she is an amazing player who deserves all of the accolades she's getting right now for doing what she's doing for women's basketball," said Jennings.
It seems as though both supporters and denouncers of Caitlin Clark alike are against the phenom on this one. One side believes Clark is the benefactor of white privilege and credit that as the sole reason that her stardom has reached these historic heights. The other side believes Clark is "pandering," and should be ashamed for not owning her accomplishments-- accomplishments that she absolutely deserves.
That seems to be the case for Clark since she walked off the court after that 2023 National Championship game. She has been the center of conversation for issues of racial and gender equality, and somehow finds herself on the wrong side every time.
It's almost an afterthought that she's a basketball player.
At its core, this is an issue that has very little to do with Clark herself. Clark conducts herself very professionally (other than a few instances on the court while engaged in battle, for which she and every athlete should get a pass). She uses her platform to help grow the women's game, whether it be an interview with TIME or a round of golf with the best women's golfer in the world. Wherever she goes, she attracts millions of eyeballs-- and those eyeballs become WNBA viewers.
The reason she is often criticized is out of her control. It isn't because she's controversial herself; she isn't spewing racist remarks or degrading women. She's actually doing the exact opposite.
The problem is that a handful of her fans are.
But rather than attack those fans directly and leave it at that, Clark becomes a punching bag. After all, they are her fans. But, as she's made very clear this season, she denounces those ideologies and anyone who spreads them.
When asked in a press conference about her fans using her image to justify their own beliefs, Clark was adamant.
"People should not be using my name to push those agendas."
There have been many instances of public figures having "cult-like followings." But in these cases, the fanbase is often projecting the message of its subject-- which, in turn, attracts more attention to the subject itself. His or her ideas and opinions are then judged based on what they, themselves, say.
This may be the first time where a fanbase has altered the perception of a figure-- without the figure, themselves, holding said beliefs.
It's a shame, whichever way you look at it. At the end of the day, Clark is a 22-year-old who has dreamed of playing in the WNBA her entire life. She looked up to WNBA legend Maya Moore, who Clark says is her inspiration for playing the game. She probably dreamed that she would be able to leave her mark on the sport... but she probably didn't envision this.
When the dust settles, Clark will be taking the court in May for her second professional season. She and the Fever will look to capitalize on what was an extremely productive 2024, this time behind new head coach Stephanie White. If Indiana can retain Kelsey Mitchell this offseason, the Fever have a shot to contend for a WNBA title.
But when this year's Athlete of the Year is on the floor, the last thing people will talk about is basketball.