Why I Love Caitlin Clark

Who knew that a 21-year-old kid from Iowa would captivate me and millions of others to the point of idolatry? It’s been decades since I’ve had a true sports hero. I didn’t watch or care for basketball, pro or college, and I was barely aware that women played basketball until Brittney Griner wound up in a Russian jail.

I started following Clark when hotshot NBA players like Steph Curry and Le Bron James were awed by her “logo 3s,” shooting impossibly long baskets from the logo at center court. That means throwing a 9.2-inch-diameter ball through a hoop 18” in diameter from up to 35 feet away. The distance and accuracy were phenomenal, as was her wizardry at passing the basketball to set up her teammates.

I followed the Iowa Hawkeyes college basketball team religiously, watching endless highlight reels as Clark broke just about every record in college basketball, men's or women’s. The Hawkeyes were selling out arenas, tickets were going for thousands, and Clark’s fame soared.

Watch Caitlin Clark's Electrifying Career With the Iowa Hawkeyes in Five Minutes (to Space Jam)

It wasn’t Clark’s proficiency on the court that attracted me as much as who she is. She’s poised, supremely confident, aggressive, and sometimes profane on the court but extraordinarily gracious and diplomatic in her public role. She embraced her position as a role model and that Iowa ‘aw shucks’ attitude about her accomplishments. She was more interested in boosting her teammates and appreciating her growing fanbase, lifting up the sport. Her parents and siblings came to the games, and she talked about growing up in a loving family that valued decency and respect. Smartly, she stayed off social media.

Naturally, she was the number one draft pick in the WNBA, and the consensus was that she would have a year of adjustment to adapt to the pros.

How is Clark doing in the WNBA? Here’s a list of records she’s broken in the first half of her rookie season with the Indiana Fever. The WNBA is setting attendance records, tickets are going for up to $5,000 wherever the Fever play, and the cities they play in are experiencing ‘the Clark effect,’ a significant economic boost. We’re in the Olympic break now. The Fever played 26 games; there are 40 games in the season.

Through my obsession with Clark and the Fever, I’ve gotten to know some of the WNBA's stars, including great players like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Arike Ogunbowale. The Fever resume play after the Olympic break on August 16.

I surrender my consciousness to these games and embrace the entire team: Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, N’Alyssa Smith, Lexi Hull, Mary Lou Samuelson, and Temi Fagbenle will be on the court with Clark.

The women are eclipsing the men.

Watch Highlights From Caitlin Clark's Huge Game vs. Mystics WNBA - 3 min