Caitlin Clark has had a huge impact on women’s college basketball this past year. Iowa sold out all of their games going into the 2023-4 season, and had over 50,000 fans attend an outdoor game at Kinnick Stadium. It was exciting to see the impact.
Fans can be both rabid and irrational. This past year there were people who were either critics or haters of Caitlyn Clark. For any of us who have followed sports, this should have been predictable. Why did many hate the Yankees- they won. Why can’t some people admire Lebron James’ game- they don’t want anyone saying he is better than Michael. I could go on and on. People like it when their team wins, but hate it when their rival wins.
During the Final Four, in the alternative broadcast both Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart, were both outspoken in their criticism of Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. It would be legitimate to say there are WNBA players who are better than Clark, so I am sure Taurasi and Stewart were sensitive about how much Clark was built up, but there “UConn” pride was coming thru. Just as some think complimenting LeBron tarnishes Michael’s reputation, the UConn players seemed sensitive to Clark and Iowa’s attention, as if it was an attack on UConn’s history.
To set the record straight, UConn had a more impressive run than Iowa. UConn’s run went on for decades. UConn won multiple titles. UConn had numerous GOATS play for them thru the last couple decades. But the UConn critics, the LSU fans, and the South Carolina fans are all missing the point. Celebrating what Clark and Iowa achieved is not meant as an attack on any of those teams or any of those legacies. Even a Badger fan got swept up in impact Clark and Iowa had on college basketball- we had not seen this on any level in women’s sports before.
In my opinion, a series of things created the Caitlin Clark Effect in 2023-4. Obviously Caitlin Clark is the major reason for the Clark Effect. While Caitlin was a highly successfully high school player, she wasn’t THE player everyone was talking about. While in women’s college basketball, it seems all the stars have gone to UConn, Notre Dame, Tennessee, South Carolina, Baylor, and Stanford- Caitlin chose to stay in-state at Iowa. Iowa was not a top 10 program. This decision helped fuel a sense of her being fresh, new, and even an underdog.
Iowa helped fuel the Clark Effect. Iowa has off and on been in love with women’s basketball. Before Illinois even had high school girls basketball, Iowa had televised 6 on 6 State Tourney. Back in the Vivian Stringer days, Iowa had larger crowds than any college in the Midwest. So Clark and Iowa were just the pairing needed to help create the storm. If Caitlin had gone to another school, she would have increased their attendance but Iowa produced sell outs.
Building the excitement didn’t happen in just one year. The success Iowa had in 2022-3 going to the Final Four, started Clark impact. It gave people a chance to jump on the bandwagon. It built up into the 2023-4 experience. And Caitlin not only kept going, she took her game to an even higher level.
The Clark Effect was not just with Iowa attendance. I have attached a chart showing the NCAA attendance over many years, the jump this year was much higher than at any time. The Final Four tv viewerships were higher than ever. And the championship game was higher than the men’s championship game. This is all part of the Clark Effect, but it also was influenced by ESPN having all the games, and stepping up marketing.
Since the season has ended, the Clark Effect has now gone onto impact the WNBA. Ticket demand for Clark games is thru the roof even though prices may be as much at $700 per game. Sales of merchandise is out pacing entire NFL teams, and Nike is providing a huge contract. TV appearances are increasing, and TV coverage of games is increasing.
1- Washington and Las Vegas have both moved their game vs the Fever to larger arenas to accommodate crowds.
2- Draft night viewership was higher than ever before.
3- Clark jerseys outsold any players jersey (NFL, NBA) on draft night.
4- After one day, more Clark jerseys had been sold than all Dallas Cowboys jerseys for the entire last year.
5- 36 of 40 Fever games will be on some national network.
6- Clark has appeared on SNL and Pat McAffee Show.
7- WNBA announced they are starting an expansion plan to perhaps an additional 4 cities.
8- Clark signed a $28 million contract with Nike.
9- WNBA teams are setting up ticket plans where fans have to purchase as many as 4 other game’s tickets in order to buy tickets for the Fever when they come to that town.
10- Ticket prices have escalated for Fever games. Here is a listing of prices for Chicago Sky home games on Ticket Master. This is for the cheapest tickets located from baseline to baseline in first 50 rows.
June 4- New York at Sky= $125
June 8- Atlanta at Sky- $125
June 16- Sky at Fever- $585
June 20- Dallas at Sky- $93
June 23- Fever at Sky- $749
June 27- Las Vegas at Sky- $256
I made the title of this essay- Caitlin Clark Effect? Obviously there is no question that there is a Caitlin Clark Effect, I placed the question mark to say what will the Effect be going forward. We can only hope Caitlin Clark continues to have a positive impact on women’s basketball going forward. What will be the Caitlin Clark Effect be going forward?
1- Will there be an increase in young girls choosing to play basketball going forward?
2- Will Iowa maintain large crowds even if they are not sell outs? Will other colleges see an increase in attendance as well?
3- Will the attendance for high school girls basketball increase?
4- Will the number of “serious’ girls basketball players increase- players who really work to improve their games?
5- Will more players get shoe contracts?
6- Will WNBA begin to increase player salaries? Will the WNBA eventually more their season to a traditional basketball season? Financially will the WNBA become more solid?
7- Will coverage on TV of college basketball continue to expand?
8- How many “Caitlin Clark’s” will emerge as a result of the Caitlin Clark Effect?
9- How many crazy dad’s will be sure their daughter should be shooting “logo threes?”
10- Will TV networks put their full force behind promoting women’s basketball?
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