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The popularity of women’s basketball and women’s sports in general skyrocketed in 2024, and Caitlin Clark is no doubt to thank for that.
Clark is not only the most popular female athlete of the past 12 months. But Time also named her Sportsperson of the Year. This is a position held by international stars like Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Simone Biles, Serena Williams and Tiger Woods in recent years. come
Clark kicks off the year with her record-breaking collegiate soccer career. As a senior at Iowa She was months removed from losing the national championship to Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers, with Reese’s parody of “You Can’t See Me” unofficially kicking off the rivalry both and. Off the field (although Clark himself will tell you there’s nothing between them).
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Caitlin Clark of Indiana Fever talks to the media during an introductory press conference on April 17, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
In any case The gesture provoked a lot of discussion. That turned into a culture war this summer with Clark as a WNBA player, although that wasn’t before she broke the NCAA record (both men’s and women’s) for most points scored in a collegiate career and the Another national championship appearance
in april She is the No. 1 overall pick and in practice as she steps onto the WNBA court, the conversation begins as to whether her popularity is due to her ethnicity. In fact It’s a claim made by WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who said Clark, who is white, is “a white man.” “The Big Thing” when talking about Clark’s popularity
throughout the season Clark was able to block out the noise about what was being said about her off the field. Even though it seemed like she was being attacked by an opponent on the field. The hard foul comes amid accusations of racism from fans of both the Indiana Fever and Iowa, a claim Reese stated.
But Clark has said repeatedly that her focus is on basketball. And that seems to be the case. In her rookie season She not only broke rookie records; Even WNBA records use Clark’s name.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts during the WNBA basketball first round playoff game against the Suns on September 9, 25, 2024 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
CAITLIN CLARK Backlash Against White Privilege Speech Proves There Is ‘Race issues’ in US, WNBA GREAT says
Clark’s presence in the game garnered historic audiences at both the collegiate and professional levels. The final three games of her college career were the most-watched women’s college basketball games ever. She also had several regular season games draw more viewers than any WNBA playoff game, and her WNBA matchup with Reese is considered to be some of the most-watched WNBA games ever.
WNBA teams had to move to bigger stadiums simply because of the demand for tickets that Clark brought in. The Fever sold 90 times more tickets than in 2023.
Clark was named Rookie of the Year for her historic campaign. where she set the record for most assists in a season in league history, leading the Fever to the semifinals after a slow start. And she quickly became a double-double machine. She also set a single-game record with 19 assists. She also became the first rookie to record a triple-double. By registering two people
Caitlin Clark of Indiana Fever celebrates during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 24, 2024 at Crypto.com Arena in California. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
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She received the most votes for the All-Star Game and is just the fifth rookie in league history to be named to the All-WNBA first team.
It should go without saying that Clark is well on his way to an illustrious career. And even more impressive is what she’s done this year without outside noise.
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