“The amount of points you score doesn’t determine whether you are playing good or bad. Your point total is never an indicator of how you play. It’s how hard you work and how good of a teammate you are.” -Caitlin Clark
Basketball legends are evident across all generations. Kids yell “Kobe!” as they shoot paper into trash cans, we have the age-old debate of who holds the title of G.O.A.T. (MJ? Lebron?) – but lesser known are the female superstars of basketball: Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, Lisa Leslie, the list goes on.
Now, more than ever, women in sports are entering the spotlight of mainstream media, and one of the biggest contributors to the change in narrative is Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball player, Caitlin Clark. Clark has been, to be frank, going crazy this 2023-2024 season. In early February she broke the NCAA women’s basketball all-time scoring record, previously held by University of Washington’s very own Kelsey Plum. Ticket prices for Iowa games have been through the roof, hitting levels never before seen in women’s basketball – spectators are paying big bucks to watch the unguardable Clark hit shots from half court like it’s nothing (Valinsky). If that’s not enough, on the day I’m writing this, Clark beat the NCAA all-time scoring record, previously held for over fifty years by Pete Maravich (Sergent). On top of all that, she declared for the WNBA draft a few days ago, signaling to the many watching her that she is no where close to being done shattering expectations.
Caitlin Clark has clearly made her mark on history, but not only through the amount of points she’s collected on the court. Her hard work and determination have paid off, teaching younger generations of girls that records are meant to be broken, no matter your gender. Clark’s recent surpassing of the NCAA all-time scoring record says it best – the world of women’s sports has reached an unprecedented point. Little girls can watch women do the things that only men were doing before, whether it be breaking scoring records or playing professional sports. Little girls are realizing that they too can break records and shatter expectations. Women’s presence in sports is undeniable, and it’s not going anywhere, and a big reason for that presence is Caitlin Clark.
As future generations look back on legends of the past, I hope that they will no longer solely look to figures like Kobe and Lebron – I hope that icons like Sue Bird and Lisa Leslie will be seen on the same level. Who knows, maybe soon we will hear kids yelling “Clark!” as they shoot half-court shots at recess.
Caitlin Clark breaks ankles for a living, but she also breaks barriers. She demonstrates for young girls everywhere – and she said it best herself – that “it’s how hard you work” that propels to immeasurable success, not numbers on a scoresheet.
Sources
Valinsky, Jordan. “Caitlin Clark Is Breaking More Records | CNN Business.” CNN, 27 Feb. 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/02/27/business/caitlin-clark-ticket-prices/index.html.
Sergent, Jim. “Watch out Pete Maravich: See How Close Iowa Basketball’s Caitlin Clark to Scoring Record.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 27 Feb. 2024, www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2024/02/27/caitlin-clark-pete-maravich-scoring-record/72760978007/.