Caitlin Clark is an American sports phenom, the likes of which comes around once a generation.
Clark drove the popularity of the WNBA to new heights.
And now Caitlin Clark has just proved the haters wrong with one stunning victory sure to leave them seething.
Rookie phenom continues to rack up achievements as she hoists league to new heights upon her shoulders
Caitlin Clark won the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award with 66 of 67 first place votes.
The lone first-place vote went to the Chicago Sky rookie, and Clark’s rival, Angel Reese.
In her typically humble fashion, Clark thanked her family, friends, and teammates for the award.
“I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season — my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone that cheered us on all season. I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds,” a statement from Clark read.
Clark averaged 19.2 points per game, led the WNBA with 8.4 assists per game, and grabbed 5.7 rebounds per game.
Clark also led the league in made three-pointers with 122.
And Clark led the Indiana Fever – which had the number-one pick in the draft – to the playoffs.
But as big as Clark’s achievements on the court were, it was her impact off the court that really cemented her as legend.
When Clark played at Iowa, her school’s run through the NCAA tournament set ratings records.
When Clark’s Hawkeyes played in the NCAA finals against South Carolina, the game drew a bigger TV audience than any NBA game since 2019.
Clark as a ratings draw continues in the pros
The media claimed there was explosive growth in interest in the WNBA overall.
That was just the wish-casting from the woke sports media.
In the regular season, games Caitlin Clark played in drew an average of 1.1 million viewers.
All other WNBA games averaged just 394,000 viewers per game.
In the playoffs, 2.54 million viewers watched Caitlin Clark’s final game where the Connecticut Sun eliminated the Indiana Fever.
The biggest audience for a WNBA playoff game with Clark bringing in a little over 900,000 viewers.
Clark endures abuse
Throughout the season, Caitlin Clark endured racist, verbal, and physical abuse from fellow WNBA players.
Thanks to Clark, the league more than tripled their new TV contract – meaning the players will make more money – and teams began flying charter to road games.
But rather than appreciate the attention Clark brought to the game, her fellow players tried to kill the golden goose.
The attacks on Clark culminated in the playoffs, where many observers believe the Sun’s Dijonai Carrington stabbed Clark in the eye.
Caitlin Clark gets poked in the eye by Dijonai Carrington.
Dijonai knew exactly what she did but didn’t even stop check on Caitlin.
Moreover, a foul wasn’t even called.
The antiwhiteism in the WNBA shamelessly continues.pic.twitter.com/JHC83XriDI
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) September 22, 2024
Clark handled the taunts and physical attacks with grace, never wanting to take attention away from the game or get drawn into a culture war.
But radio host Clay Travis said the assaults Clark faced were the result of the other players in the WNBA assaulting her because she’s “straight” and because she’s “white.”
