Caitlin Clark's rock star status shows growth of women's basketball
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark drives to the basket against Rutgers center Chyna Cornwell during the first half of an NCAA women's basketball game Friday in Piscataway, N.J. Credit: AP/Noah K. Murray
PISCATAWAY, N.J.
They had to be there.
Like a significant chunk of the sellout crowd at the Rutgers-Iowa women’s basketball game Friday night, Stephanie Coiro and Kerri Leonard of North Bellmore were cheering for the Hawkeyes. It didn’t matter that they had never been to the state of Iowa. Nor did it stop them that they had to drive 65 miles through Friday night traffic and stand on line in the freezing cold for 20 minutes to get into Jersey Mike’s Arena.
These women weren’t going to miss a chance to see Caitlin Clark live.
“She is amazing,” Coiro said. “We started trying to figure out how to get tickets as soon as the schedule came out.”
The Iowa point guard, who is likely to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, has been selling out arenas all over the country. Fresh off a 40-point performance in which she beat Michigan State with a shot at the buzzer, Clark did not disappoint her fans Friday night. She had 29 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes for her 14th career triple-double to lead Iowa to a 103-69 win.
Fans with signs screamed during her introduction. She was mobbed, almost in Taylor Swift fashion, by mostly young girls seeking selfies and autographs after the game and had to be escorted off the court.
Stephanie Coiro, left and Kerri Leonard, both of North Bellmore. They are big Caitlin Clark fans. Credit: Newsday/Barbara Barker
The game marked the first sellout at a Rutgers game since 2006. Afterward, Rutgers coach Coquese Washington called Clark a “generational talent.”
Clark, who is averaging 31.3 points, 7.6 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game, is not the first player to be labeled a generational talent. What makes her unique is that she is a generational talent at the best of all possible times to be one, thanks to the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities.
As a junior, Clark won every possible player of the year award. She became one of those rare athletes who transcends a sport with a Final Four that included a 41-point game in the semifinals to beat undefeated South Carolina, followed by a hypercompetitive trash-talking matchup against Angel Reese in Iowa’s loss to LSU in the final.
Clark has taken full advantage of her higher profile, striking NIL deals with a number of national brands, including Buick, Nike, State Farm and Gatorade. She is the first college athlete to appear in a State Farm commercial and, according to On3’s NIL rankings, she has totaled $749,000 in deals.
Caitlin Clark fans Layla Lehansky, Leah Railski, Emma Lawrence and Alexa Lehansky, of West Milford, N.J., pose for photos while waiting in line to enter the arena for an NCAA women's basketball game between Iowa and Rutgers Friday in Piscataway, N.J. Credit: AP/Noah K. Murray
She is far from the only women’s basketball player getting her face out there. Reese, thanks in large part to her recent multiyear deal with Reebok, is estimated to be the highest-compensated women’s basketball player with $1.7 million in deals.
Yes, women’s basketball is finally having its moment.
After the WNBA set viewership records this past season, college basketball is poised to do the same. The NCAA and ESPN announced on Thursday an eight-year, $920 million agreement that will give the network exclusive rights to 40 championships. The women’s basketball tournament, which had been traditionally undervalued, accounts for $520 million of that deal, or 57%.
“We as coaches have been saying that this game has monetary value for years, and that didn’t just pop up after one good Final Four,” Washington said. “That’s been here for a while. It’s just now that men are starting to realize that this game is worth money.”
There’s something about Clark that connects with young girls. Washington knows that firsthand. She said her daughter is a Clark fan and joked that “she’s walking home now.”
Clark is used to playing in front of sellout crowds and seems to particularly enjoy the impact she has on fans.
“It just takes a second out of my day to make someone else’s day,” she said. “I was that young girl. I remember going to games just like this. I remember wanting a high-five and wanting an autograph and wanting to catch a T-shirt. That really does make your whole year or week, and it really just takes a second out of your day. Those are moments they’re going to remember for a really long time.”
Coiro and Leonard, who first fell in love with the game when they were young girls, also will remember Friday’s game. They believe they are witnessing a turning point in women’s sports, and they can’t wait to follow Clark’s career after she turns pro.
“We watch all of her games on the Big Ten network,” Leonard said. “It’s so great to have more sports role models for women. Look at this crowd today. More and more people are coming out to support us. Women’s basketball is a great game.”
Long drive, cold weather. So what? They had to be there.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
