The Most Obvious Decision in History, Caitlin Clark Wins Time Magazine's Athlete of The Year
Who else was even in the running for Time Athlete of The Year? Shohei Ohtani maybe? Travis Kelce had a massive year, but despite winning the Super Bowl, that was primarily for non-sports reasons. The Boston Celtics were too boring much of a well-rounded team to single out a lone player. Certainly it wouldn't go to a hockey player. Maybe if Noah Lyles hadn't gotten covid and choked in the 200m he'd be halfway there. But unless I'm forgetting someone major, Caitlin Clark must be one of the clearest choices for Time Athlete of The Year in the history of the award.
Statistics aside (most assists in WNBA season, most assists in WNBA game, most everything for a WNBA rookie), Caitlin Clark was so fun to watch that she had people caring about the WNBA. She made me appreciate women's basketball in a way I never had before. It's a vastly different game than the NBA. It's much slower, which allows you to better see plays develop. When watching Caitlin Clark play, it was almost like you could see her thought process on the court. There was something so satisfying about that to me. I was able to appreciate the game in a different way than I do when watching men's basketball. Caitlin Clark in particular was making plays on the court that most WNBA players wouldn't have dared to even attempt.
The way Caitlin Clark turned the WNBA into appointment television is an incredible feat. With all due respect, the WNBA was nothing more than a punchline to a lot of sports fans. To take the the sport from that, to having people who've never watched a WNBA game in their life being emotionally invested in the Indiana Fever. It's something I truly didn't think was possible
I will admit, I didn't stay tuned in once the Indiana Fever were eliminated from the playoffs. I'm sure many other people were in that same boat. But total WNBA viewership was up 300%. Total merchandise sales rose by 500%. Attendance was up across the board. Ticket prices were up. WNBA player salaries are poised to go up. I know Caitlin Clark isn't the only reason. Angel Reese deserves credit for being the perfect adversary to her. There's certainly something to be said for that. I mean, the rivalry between those two girls nearly singlehandedly started a race war. Race wars get eyeballs.
But according to an AP report, 26.5% of the WNBA's revenue in 2024 can be attributed to Caitlin Clark herself. For the first time I can remember, ESPN was running segments on the WNBA on a daily basis. Barstool Sports was blogging about the WNBA on a daily basis. Caitlin Clark is hands down more deserving of Time Magazine's Athlete of The Year than anyone. And it's still beyond insane that they didn't select Caitlin Clark, who finished 4th in WNBA MVP voting, to the USA Olympic team.
