Caitlin Clark has shaped the scope of women’s basketball all around. Clark has been a key player on the University of Iowa women’s basketball team for the past four years. She has led the team to two NCAA title games where the team fell just short both years.
Despite not winning a title in her college career, her performance on the court has been remarkable. She ended with a total of 3,951 points which now holds the all-time points scored record in Division 1 basketball history. She also had 59 30-point games and 13 40-point games, the most by a Division 1 player in the past 25 seasons.
Clark’s impressive college career has also been shaped by her attitude towards the game. For instance, she acknowledges even when they may not have done their best, “We just won, and we didn’t play our prettiest basketball. Well, let’s celebrate that and use that going forward.” It has been noted in post-game conferences that she displays a very high level of sportsmanship. While her team came very close to winning the NCAA title games the past two years, she has shown that even with these loses, it truly is a team effort. After these losses, she voiced in interviews what she could have done better in each game. Her ability to take responsibility is admirable.
Her exciting career also led to an increase in the number of attendees to Iowa’s women’s basketball games as well as women’s basketball games in general. Primarily, these games used to be free for students with proof of their student ID, but this method has changed due to the increase in demand. Now, students frequently find themselves desperately checking online to get tickets. Iowa started off their season playing in front of 55,646 fans which now holds the all-time attendance record for a women’s college basketball game.
Her competitiveness in each game also sets her apart from many other players. As she is friends with many of her opponents, when she steps on the court, she strictly focuses on the game. She is known to always have her game face on while still displaying respect for other players. After some games, she has also hugged her friends from other teams.
She has inspired younger athletes to be the best they can be. Younger athletes have often shown up to her games dressed in her jersey with their hair up in a ponytail, as that is her norm. She has also shown compassion to many younger fans by often interacting with them and often giving her signature out. In many press talks with fans, it has been seen that she always encourages younger athletes to chase their dreams in the game of sports.
Her career has changed everyone’s view on women’s basketball and overall has impacted the view of women’s sports.
