The Caitlin Clark Effect

It's a cold-hard fact that Caitlin Clark has been a sheer force in the awakening of women's sports across the United States. Clark, with her 6'0" frame, innate ability to hit a teammate in dead-stride with a bullet pass, and signature "logo-three," has solidified HERself as the greatest NCAA D-1 scorer of all time, both men's and women's, having passed Pete Maravich's scoring title from1970 earlier this spring for the Hawkeyes. Clark is and will continue to be a scorer when she enters the WNBA this year, as the presumptive number-1 pick, belonging to the Indiana Fever. But, we're not here today to discuss just her AWE-inspiring, legendary, HERstoric collegiate game. We're here to talk about what Clark has given us, the fans. From the born in black and gold to the newest fans from around the globe, and of course, all of the kids.

November 25, 2020. The Iowa Hawkeyes faced off against in-state rivals, the University of Northern Iowa. It was this day that a freshman guard from West Des Moines, Iowa took the hardwood as a Hawkeye for the first time. In a showing that can only be described as poetry in motion, this slim 18-year-old Caitlin Clark dropped a cool 27 points, was 4-4 from the free throw line, and recorded 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Not bad for your first showing on a much larger stage. But, again, we're not here to talk about just her statistics.

Clark spent most of her childhood playing competitive basketball, here in Iowa, and around the country. She played a heavy dose of high-level competitive ball in youth boy's leagues to continue to sharpen her tools as the future face of women's basketball. Surely she was NOT thinking about this as she was dropping back from 26 feet at 13 years old. Or maybe she knew at this time what the future held for the Hawkeyes.

Needless to say, the limelight was not new to the freshman, as she was also a USA Junior National Team Gold Medalist in 2017 and 2019 (and later, the Tournament MVP in 2021.) But what was new was the fandom to come to, well, everywhere Caitlin went. Carver-Hawkeye Arena has played host to many amazing athletic performances. On December 6, 2008, the Hawkeyes faced Iowa State in a dual meet for the record books. 15,955 fans attended this national collegiate wrestling dual attendance breaker. On February 3, 1985, an astonishing 22,157 fans crammed themselves in CHA to watch, you didn't guess it, the Iowa Women's Basketball team take on Ohio State, setting an NCAA attendance record for women's basketball. Hmmm. Didn't know that. The hardwood at Carver has seen TOO many great Hawkeyes to list in one article. Really, I was going to try! But what it hadn't seen yet, was to come.

In Iowa, especially in the Des Moines Metro, the name Caitlin Clark was pretty well known, at least in the basketball community. Her career at West Des Moines-Dowling was well-noted by local news and regional sports analysts. Many die-hard Hawkeye fans were well aware of her decision to attend the University of Iowa. And I'm sure a few Busch Lattes were cracked in celebration around the Heartland. Clark's first season brought more and more attention to this Iowa Hawkeye team, with stars already emerging alongside this young standout. Monika Czinano, Megan Warnock, Gabbie Marshall, and Kate Martin started with Clark for her first outing as a Hawk. A local dynasty of elite competition and poise was forming in Iowa City. What was missing? The in-person fans. Darn Covid.

As the world ultimately re-opened following the pandemic, a captivated and ever-growing audience of Hawkeye fans was now infected by this team of young players in Iowa City. This local phenom and her band of talented shooters and post-ers was making waves in the B1G conference. Finishing the season 11-8 in the conference, this young group of Hawkeyes continued to mesh with Clark handling the ball. Going into the next season, the Iowa Hawkeyes looked to move on from a winning season and looked into the future, becoming a powerhouse team. On November 9, 2021, Clark made her sophomore season debut, recording 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a 93–50 win over New Hampshire. Later in the season, things got even more incredible for Clark, as she started dropping 30 points, and even multiple 40+ point games. That year, in front of an average of 8,200 fans. Which somehow is just the tip of the iceberg!

The next season, three of the top four attended games nationally, outside of the Final Four, were sellouts inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. A star wasn't born folks, this star was bestowed upon us by something greater than we can ever imagine. The Basketball God(s). Iowa was finally in the news for something other than deep-fried nonsense or politics. It was beyond refreshing, it was addictive. It IS addictive. It's the Caitlin Clark Effect.

From grocery stores to gas stations, the number 22 quickly dissolved away from being anyone else's. Sorry, Emmitt Smith. But this number now belongs to the GOAT. Carver-Hawkeye Arena was selling out back-to-back home games for this Iowa women's team. Fans could NOT get enough of this contagious and positive winning atmosphere provided by this team, led by Clark. The season continued, and so did the sellouts. ESPN and the Big Ten Network were graced with Clark's greatness as all of the women's Hawkeye games increased their viewerships. Clark AND the Iowa Women's Basketball team were now national household names.

It isn't just a girl thing. It isn't just a basketball thing. It's inspiring, and it's incredibly difficult to put into words. This local student-athlete has created a lot of joy in a world that could really use something to smile about. Sure she can drop a three-pointer over a defender from 30+ feet away with less than a 2-seconds on the clock. But it's what she does after the final buzzer that inspires me the most. She sticks around the stadiums, home AND away. Clark is what we want all role models to be. She's nice. It doesn't matter if she has 30 seconds or 30 minutes to spare, Clark and her trusty Sharpie are signing hand-made posters handled by young girls and boys in awe of her on-court prowess and her off-court generosity. This isn't a standard we've seen before from an athlete of this caliber. It's refreshing. It's not expected, but my gosh, is it amazing to see. The way Clark invests her own time in her communities is remarkable. So much of her accolades come with the attention that she redirects to lift others, from her teammates to the University of Iowa Children's Hospitals, to local youth groups, and beyond, Clark is a consummate professional.

Caitlin Clark. A world-class athlete. A world-class person.