Looking Into Caitlin Clark’s Dominant Rookie Year
Harmannat Singh, Contributor
The WNBA playoffs are underway, marking the end of a historic regular season. This season saw a surge in popularity, with a 170 percent increase in viewership and 23 broadcasts averaging over 1 million viewers, most of which can be attributed to a single player. And not just any player, a WNBA rookie, and a name that has been prevalent in the sports media for quite some time – Caitlin Clark. Clark has popularized women’s basketball like no one before her, a trend that has earned a name across numerous social media outlets as the “Clark Effect”.
Clark, regarded by many as one of the greatest female collegiate players of all time, had an illustrious career at the University of Iowa: she led the NCAA Division I in scoring as a freshman, was a unanimous pick for the All-American first-team as a sophomore, and became the first women’s player to lead the NCAA in both points and assists in a single season. Since then, Clark has become the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer and two-time national player of the year with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Even at the youth level, she has won three gold medals with the United States and was named MVP at the FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup in 2021.
Due to her dominance in college and youth basketball, as well as her exceptional playmaking abilities as a point guard, she was selected first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. During the regular season, she continued to dominate, and broke multiple records – she set the league single-season and single-game record in assists, broke the points record for rookies, and became the first rookie to achieve a triple-double. Her remarkable achievements earned her the WNBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY) award, another testament to her stellar debut season.
Despite her individual success, Clark’s first WNBA playoff run ended in disappointment. The Indiana Fever were swept 2-0 by the Connecticut Sun in the first round, an anticlimactic conclusion to an otherwise sensational season. However, her impact on both the Indiana Fever and basketball on the global stage was undeniable, and many believe that this is the beginning of what could be one of the best careers in WNBA history.
As Clark’s influence continues to grow, the “Clark Effect” is expected to have a significant impact on women’s sports. If her momentum carries on into future seasons, the WNBA is set to see an unprecedented rise in viewership, revenue, and popularity. Caitlin Clark is not only redefining sport, but also paving the way for future generations of athletes to benefit from increased support and exposure.
Photo Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
