After Caitlin Clark WNBA draft announcement, the attention towards the women’s league seems to have grown.
Women’s basketball has seen an exponential shift in attention and popularity already thanks to Iowa star Caitlin Clark. Clark has dominated at the collegiate level like no one ever has and is taking her game from college to the pros.
She and Iowa still have unfinished business in the NCAA tournament, which kicks off Wednesday night, the preeminent event in women’s college basketball. What’s incredible is that Clark will have not only an impact on the Indiana Fever, the team that landed the 1st pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft but the league as a whole.
Check here how to bet on March Madness legally in Iowa and on the women Hawkeyes in the 2024 March Madness.
Caitlin Clark WNBA Draft Prospects
Before we can understand the Caitlin Clark draft hype, we must first understand all that she’s done in Iowa City. College basketball has never seen a more productive player than the star from West Des Moines, no one nearly as great as she has been in her college career.
She is already the all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. With a pair of free throws against Ohio State, Clark passed Pete Maravich to become the all-time leading scorer in college basketball for both men’s and women’s basketball.
Clark is also chasing the triple double record, though she is currently 9 shy of Sabrina Ionescu in that regard. Though she has a year of eligibility left at Iowa, the question remains as to what she can do for the Hawkeyes and Iowa City as a whole aside from winning a national title for Hawkeye fans.
As the Hawkeyes star launches her final March Madness campaign, artist Kwazar Martin is anticipating the WNBA drafthttps://t.co/u5e2pvLfPv
— TIME (@TIME) March 18, 2024
Impact on the Indiana Fever and 2024 WNBA Draft
The real impact Caitlin Clark will have lies outside of college basketball. While landing with a team like the Los Angeles Sparks, Dallas Wings, or Chicago Sky, her star is above the market. She has been a Player of the Year winner and dominated the college landscape in the last four years.
The impact that Clark will have on women’s sports as a whole extends far past Iowa City and anything Iowa could do. One needs to look only at the increase in ticket sales that the Fever has experienced. Young kids are going to flock to the game because Clark has the chance to be the best player in the league right out of the draft.
That’s not even mentioning the endorsements from top brands from across the country. Nike, State Farm, and Gatorade are just a few of the sponsors that have come out to support Clark and make her part of their campaigns. No other major college basketball player among women has had this kind of exposure before.
Lynx announced Maya Moore's jersey retirement ceremony will be Aug. 24 vs. Indiana Fever, which is likely where Caitlin Clark will be drafted 👀
Throwback to this moment when Caitlin met her idol ❤️
(via @IowaWBB)pic.twitter.com/s89dPjN11g
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 18, 2024
The Business Side: Ticket Sales Surge and Brand Partnerships For Iowa Star Caitlin Clark
On the business side of things, teams are already looking past the first round of the NCAA tournament and anything the Hawkeyes will do in the remainder of the college season. They are even looking beyond the draft, free agency, and the rest of the offseason.
Clark is a much bigger name, despite being God-like in Iowa City. Even if she and her Hawkeyes teammates become college national champions, she will be on another level in the pros. She has hype like no other player and will be in demand wherever she plays.
Ticket sales are already up, and each city will no doubt want to see her play. While it is too early to see what kind of per game impact she will have, the draft is a clear indicator that it will be huge. There will also be partnerships that would not have been available with anyone else.
It doesn’t hurt that Clark shows humility even without lacking confidence. In a statement declaring for the draft, Clark wrote, “While this season is over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa. I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft.”
Continuing, Clark wrote, “It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa – my teammates, who made the last four years the best; my coaches, trainers, and staff who always let me be me; Hawkeye fans who filled Carver every night; and everyone who came out to support us across the country, especially the young kids.”
Fan Engagement and the Role of Social Media
Social media will also have a major impact on Clark and her professional trajectory. While there will be millions who praise her play, there will be as many who are hyper-critical of her game. She’s had questions about her game on the defensive end, which have largely been dismissed due to her offensive prowess.
She is also somewhat active on social media, which will help integrate her with new fans throughout the season. At Iowa, she has been visible for both Iowa and the game as a whole, as the last NCAA tournament showed. She will be counted on to do the same when she takes the floor for the first time in a WNBA regular season game.
Anticipating On-Court Impact From Women’s College Basketball Star
Clark has long been considered the top pick in the WNBA Draft. The Fever will be getting a generational player and the kind of player that can become an elite scorer from the jump. If her status as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history isn’t enough, consider her game.
She has nearly unlimited range. She also happens to be an elite playmaker and has good size at 6-feet. Combined with Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, the Fever has one of the most exciting young tandems in all of women’s sports.
Clark is great but it shouldn’t be expected that she could have the kind of season that takes the Fever immediately to the playoffs. Still, their trajectory is on the right path.
A New Era for the WNBA
Clark is bigger for the game of basketball as a whole than just the WNBA. She can be the kind of player that LeBron James and Steph Curry have been in the NBA. She can be the most marketable, noticeable face the league has ever had and her popularity even in the NCAA college basketball is notorious.
That kind of attention that Clark is already having in the NCAA can mean the first major potential growth the women’s league has ever had. Ticket sales will no doubt go up in the interim, but the question remains whether she can extend that impact after being seen on the floor.
There is no telling what Clark’s ceiling is in the WNBA. She could very well go down as the best ever based on projections. If she comes even close to living up to the hype, the league and women’s basketball should be far better for it in the end.
Caitlin Clark WNBA Draft favorite, Iowa guard, addresses questions from the media during an NCAA college basketball “Selection Sunday” watch party Sunday, March 17, 2024, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette via AP)
College Basketball Season Ends In Disappointment: Iowa Loses NCAA Championship Game
Before the Caitlin Clark WNBA draft frenzy, the Iowa Hawkeyes were the no. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and Caitlin Clark expected to end her career in college basketball with a bang. Last year the Hawkeyes went all the way until the final just for a heartbreak loss against LSU.
This year, however, it finished the exact same way. Despite Clark’s incredible performance throughout the season, the Hawkeyes ended up losing to South Carolina in the Championship game, as the Gamecocks ended the season undefeated.
🏆 @GamecockWBB ARE YOUR 2024 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 🏆 #NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/dVDcRhhou0
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 7, 2024
