Caitlin Clark effect

Clark drew national attention as a junior for Iowa during 2023 NCAA tournament, where she set tournament records in points and three-pointers while helping her team achieve a runner-up finish. USA Today reporter Lindsay Schnell noted that Clark became a "household name" due to her play during the tournament.{{cite news |last=Schnell |first=Lindsay |title=Caitlin Clark's impact in Iowa and women's game is monumental — and she's just getting started |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2023/04/02/caitlin-clark-impact-tournament-means-everybody-knows-her-name/11590444002/ |work=USA Today |access-date=May 30, 2024 |date=April 2, 2023}} The 2023 national championship game set the women's college basketball viewership record with 9.9 million viewers.{{cite web |title=LSU-Iowa NCAA women's championship game draws record TV audience |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36060079/lsu-iowa-ncaa-women-title-game-draws-record-tv-audience |publisher=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |access-date=May 10, 2024 |date=April 3, 2023}} The Athletic writer Richard Deitsch wrote that Clark drew casual viewers to the title game, in part due to her long-range three-point shooting.{{cite web |last1=Deitsch |first1=Richard |last2=Shea |first2=Bill |title=Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark smashed a ratings record: What's next for women's hoops on TV? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4380366/2023/04/04/angel-reese-caitlin-clark-tv-ratings/ |publisher=The Athletic |access-date=February 25, 2024 |url-access=subscription |date=April 4, 2023 |archive-date=February 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227015005/https://theathletic.com/4380366/2023/04/04/angel-reese-caitlin-clark-tv-ratings/ |url-status=live }} Entering Clark's senior season in 2023–24, local media attributed increases in Iowa ticket sales to the "Caitlin Clark effect".{{cite web |last1=Leistikow |first1=Chad |title='The Caitlin Clark effect': Tickets go fast for Iowa basketball doubleheader in Des Moines |url=https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/2023/05/24/caitlin-clark-tickets-sold-iowa-hawkeyes-basketball-doubleheader-des-moines-wells-fargo-arena/70253464007/ |publisher=Hawk Central |access-date=May 30, 2024 |date=May 24, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Selvig |first=Dave |title=Caitlin Clark unsure if she'll leave for WNBA after this season |url=https://qctimes.com/sports/college/basketball/caitlin-clark-in-full-effect-for-iowa-hawkeyes-basketball/article_7978a43c-62cb-11ee-ad0a-734c5e48e467.html |work=Quad-City Times |access-date=May 30, 2024 |date=October 5, 2023}} During the 2023–24 season, the term was used by many publications, including BBC News, The Washington Post and USA Today, to describe Clark's general impact on the popularity of women's basketball, as measured by ticket prices, attendance and television viewership, among other factors.{{cite news |last=Drenon |first=Brandon |title=The Caitlin Clark Effect has made women's basketball the hottest ticket around |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68746027 |work=BBC News |access-date=May 25, 2024 |date=April 5, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Svrluga |first=Barry |title=$243 for a ticket? Pay up. Caitlin Clark might be worth it. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/02/02/caitlin-clark-crowds-attendance-sell-out/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |url-access=subscription |access-date=May 31, 2024 |date=February 2, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Jemison |first1=King |title=Buying season tickets to go to one game? That's the Caitlin Clark Effect |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2024/01/31/caitlin-clark-iowa-womens-basketball-team-fill-up-big-ten-arenas-sellout-crowds-season-tickets/72421974007/ |work=USA Today |access-date=May 31, 2024 |date=January 31, 2024}}

Clark drove historic levels of television viewership during her final two seasons at Iowa. At the conclusion of her college career, she was proclaimed the "GOAT of TV Ratings" by The Wall Street Journal, which wrote that her impact on television viewership exceeded any other modern athlete.{{cite news |last=Bachman |first=Rachel |title=Caitlin Clark Is Already the GOAT of TV Ratings |url=https://www.wsj.com/sports/basketball/caitlin-clark-tv-audiences-b15d193e |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=May 29, 2024 |url-access=subscription |date=May 12, 2024}} The 2023 national championship game, which featured Clark, was the most-watched women's college basketball game in history, averaging 9.9 million viewers. On March 3, 2024, her game against Ohio State, in which she surpassed Pete Maravich to become the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, averaged 3.39 million viewers. It was the most-watched women's regular season college basketball game on Fox and on any network since 1999.{{cite web |title=Caitlin Clark record draws top in-season TV rating since '99 |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39659782/caitlin-clark-record-draws-top-season-tv-rating-99 |publisher=ESPN |agency=Associated Press|access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=March 5, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Axson |first=Scooby |title=Caitlin Clark's record-breaking performance vs. Ohio State sets viewership record for FOX |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2024/03/05/iowa-caitlin-clark-fox-viewership-record/72850428007/ |work=USA Today |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=March 5, 2024}} Clark's first three games in the 2024 NCAA tournament each became the most-viewed women's college basketball games prior to the Final Four.{{cite web |title=Holy Cross-Iowa most-viewed women's NCAA tournament opener |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39816436/holy-cross-iowa-most-viewed-women-ncaa-tournament-opener |publisher=ESPN |agency=Associated Press|access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=March 26, 2024}}{{cite web |last=Lewis |first=Jon |title=Nearly five million watch Clark, Iowa, escape against West Virginia |url=https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/03/caitlin-clark-ratings-record-west-virginia-nearly-five-million-viewers-espn/ |website=sportsmediawatch.com |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=March 25, 2024}}{{cite web |last=Lewis |first=Jon |title=Nearly seven million for Iowa's Sweet 16 win over Colorado |url=https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/04/caitlin-clark-iowa-ratings-seven-million-colorado-sweet-16-lsu-ucla-viewership/ |website=sportsmediawatch.com |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=March 30, 2024}} Her Elite Eight game against LSU (12.3 million), which was a rematch of the 2023 national title game, and her Final Four contest against UConn (14.2 million) each broke the women's college basketball viewership record.{{cite web |title=Iowa-LSU sets women's NCAA hoops ratings record with 12.3M viewers |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39862514/iowa-lsu-rematch-shatters-tv-ratings-record-123m-viewers |publisher=ESPN |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=April 2, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Iowa again draws record ratings in Final Four win over UConn |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39889095/iowa-again-draws-record-ratings-final-four-win-uconn |publisher=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=April 6, 2024}} The 2024 national championship game, where Clark played against South Carolina, again set the women's college basketball viewership record with 18.9 million viewers and was the most-watched basketball game since 2019. It was the first NCAA women's basketball title game to outdraw the men's title game.{{cite web |last1=Brooks |first1=Amanda |title=2024 NCAA Women's Championship and Final Four on ESPN Platforms is Most Watched on Record |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2024/04/2024-ncaa-womens-championship-and-final-four-on-espn-platforms-is-most-watched-on-record/ |publisher=ESPN |access-date=May 26, 2024 |date=April 9, 2024}}{{cite web |title=NCAA men's basketball final ratings up, but fall short of women's |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39908790/ncaa-men-basketball-final-ratings-fall-short-womens |publisher=ESPN |agency=Associated Press|access-date=May 26, 2024 |date=April 9, 2024}}

Clark continued to set viewership records upon entering the WNBA. The 2024 WNBA draft, where the Indiana Fever selected Clark with the first overall pick, averaged 2.45 million viewers, the most in WNBA draft history. It was also the most-watched WNBA telecast since 2000.{{cite web |title=Caitlin Clark helps WNBA shatter draft viewership record |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/39957802/caitlin-clark-helps-wnba-shatter-draft-viewership-record |publisher=ESPN |access-date=May 26, 2024 |date=April 16, 2024}} Clark's regular season debut against the Connecticut Sun on May 14, 2024, was the most-watched WNBA game since 2002 and the most-watched ever on ESPN2 or any cable network.{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Jon |title=Caitlin Clark debut is most-watched WNBA game since 2001 |url=https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/05/caitlin-clark-debut-ratings-largest-wnba-audience-23-years/ |website=sportsmediawatch.com |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=May 14, 2024}}{{cite web |last=Rumsey |first=David |title=Nearly Every WNBA Broadcaster Has Set a Ratings Record This Season |url=https://frontofficesports.com/nearly-every-wnba-broadcaster-has-set-a-ratings-record-this-season/ |website=frontofficesports.com |access-date=June 4, 2024 |date=May 29, 2024}} On May 18, her game against the New York Liberty set the league's ABC viewership record with 1.71 million viewers.{{cite web |last1=Schultz |first1=Nick |title=Indiana Fever vs. New York Liberty draws 1.71 million viewers, sets new ABC record for WNBA game |url=https://www.on3.com/her/news/indiana-fever-vs-new-york-liberty-1-71-million-viewers-new-abc-record-wnba-game-caitlin-clark/ |website=on3.com |access-date=June 4, 2024 |date=May 21, 2024}} In the following week, Clark's games set WNBA viewership marks on ESPN, Ion and NBA TV.

Clark has driven increases in home and away attendance for her games.{{cite web |last1=Cox |first1=Courtney |last2=Paris |first2=Francesca |title=When Caitlin Clark Comes to Town |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/upshot/caitlin-clark-popularity-attendance.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=March 6, 2024}} Entering her senior season, her Iowa team sold out all of its home games for the first time, after previously selling out only three regular season games in program history.{{cite web |last1=Leistikow |first1=Chad |title=Iowa women's basketball tickets are sold out for season: 'Hawk fans are insane!' |url=https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-women/2023/08/14/iowa-womens-basketball-tickets-are-sold-out-season-caitlin-clark/70590462007/ |publisher=Hawk Central |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=August 14, 2023}} On October 15, 2023, Iowa held a preseason exhibition game against DePaul at Kinnick Stadium, which set the women's basketball single-game attendance record at 55,646.{{cite web |last1=Ellison |first1=Maya |title=History from Kinnick! Iowa's sets women's basketball attendance record at 55,646 |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2023-10-12/history-kinnick-iowas-sets-womens-basketball-attendance-record-55646 |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=October 16, 2023 |date=October 16, 2023}} Iowa sold out or set an attendance record in all but two regular season games, both at the Gulf Coast Showcase during the Thanksgiving weekend.{{cite web |last1=DeLuca |first1=Dan |title=Caitlin Clark broke attendance records in all but two of her games this season. See where |url=https://www.news-press.com/story/sports/2024/03/03/caitlin-clark-and-iowa-set-attendance-records-in-almost-all-their-games-except-these-two/72819485007/ |website=The News-Press |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=March 3, 2024}} Her November 9 game against Virginia Tech, held at a neutral site in Charlotte, North Carolina, had the highest attendance (15,196) for any women's college basketball game in state history.{{cite web |last1=Fowler |first1=Scott |title=Iowa's Caitlin Clark surpassed the hype. Charlotte — and women's basketball — won, too. |url=https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/college/article281466153.html |website=The Charlotte Observer |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=November 10, 2023}} Teams that reported attendance records while hosting Iowa included Wisconsin (14,252),{{cite web |title=Badgers defeated in Big Ten opener |url=https://uwbadgers.com/news/2023/12/10/womens-basketball-badgers-defeated-in-big-ten-opener.aspx |publisher=Wisconsin Badgers |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=December 10, 2023}} Ohio State (18,660),{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Cameron Teague |title=Caitlin Clark collides with Ohio State fan after Buckeyes upset Iowa in front of record crowd |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5217224/2024/01/21/ohio-state-basketball-attendance-record-caitlin-clark/ |publisher=The Athletic |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=January 21, 2024}} and Nebraska (15,042),{{cite web |last1=Armour |first1=Nancy |last2=Schnell |first2=Lindsay |title=Nebraska upsets No. 2 Iowa: Caitlin Clark 8 points from scoring record |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2024/02/11/iowa-vs-nebraska-score-live-updates-highlights-caitlin-clark/72561253007/ |website=USA Today |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=February 11, 2024}} and Northwestern recorded its first sellout against the Hawkeyes.{{cite web |last1=Del Bosque |first1=Annabelle |last2=Ferguson |first2=Ethan |title=Caitlin Clark effect continues with first sellout in Northwestern women's basketball history |url=https://www.thegazette.com/iowa-basketball/caitlin-clark-effect-continues-with-first-sellout-in-northwestern-womens-basketball-history/ |website=The Gazette |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=February 1, 2024}} Iowa set the Big Ten single-season average attendance record (14,998), surpassing its own mark from the previous season (11,143).{{cite web |title=Big Ten Weekly Women's Basketball Central - March 20 |url=https://bigten.org/wbb/article/blt54b0e63483317a80/ |publisher=Big Ten Conference |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=March 21, 2024}} Her regular season finale against Ohio State, in which she passed Maravich as the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, was the most expensive women's college basketball game of all time, with an average ticket price of $408.{{cite web |last1=Hooks |first1=Kalan |title=Ohio State-Iowa: Ticket prices for Caitlin Clark's final home game at record high |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39618223/iowa-hawkeyes-ohio-state-buckeyes-tickets-prices |publisher=ESPN |access-date=June 9, 2024 |date=February 28, 2024}} The 2024 Big Ten tournament, where Clark led her team to the title, sold out for the first time in event history.{{cite web |title=Big Ten announces women's basketball tournament sellout, expects 5-day attendance of 109,000 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2024/02/23/big-ten-announces-women-s-basketball-tournament-sellout-expects-5-day-attendance-of-109-000/72721652007/ |website=USA Today |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=June 8, 2024 |date=February 23, 2024}}

Before Clark's first season with the Indiana Fever, a study led by Michael J. Hicks of Ball State University estimated that Clark would bring over $2.4 million to central Indiana and draw 26,000 more fans to Fever games.{{cite web |title=Ball State, Game Day Studies: 'Caitlin Clark Effect' Means Millions of Dollars, Media Exposure for Central Indiana |url=https://www.bsu.edu/news/press-center/archives/2024/04/caitlin-clark-effect-means-millions-of-dollars-for-central-indiana |publisher=Ball State University |access-date=May 25, 2024 |date=April 11, 2024}} During her first month in the WNBA, the Los Angeles Sparks (19,103), New York Liberty (17,735) and Seattle Storm (18,343) each set attendance records while hosting her Fever team.{{cite web |last1=Peery |first1=Wade |title=WNBA matchup between Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink draws record attendance |url=https://www.on3.com/her/news/wnba-matchup-between-caitlin-clark-and-cameron-brink-draws-record-attendance/ |publisher=On3 |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=May 25, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Garcia |first1=Sandra E. |title=With Caitlin Clark in Town, All Eyes Were on Brooklyn |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/18/style/caitlin-clark-new-york-liberty.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=May 18, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Behind record-setting crowd, Storm edges Fever, 85-83 |url=https://storm.wnba.com/news/behind-record-setting-crowd-storm-edges-fever-85-83/ |publisher=Seattle Storm |access-date=May 27, 2024 |date=May 22, 2024}} The Sparks, Las Vegas Aces, Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream moved home games against the Fever to larger arenas to accommodate public interest in Clark.{{cite web |last1=Chandler |first1=Madie |title=Clark Makes Home Debut, Continuing to Adjust to Life in the WNBA |url=https://fever.wnba.com/news/clark-makes-home-debut-continuing-adjust-life-in-wnba/ |publisher=Indiana Fever |access-date=June 9, 2024 |date=May 16, 2024}} Her game against the Mystics on June 7, 2024, which was moved to the Capital One Arena, had an attendance of 20,333, the most for a WNBA game since the 2007 WNBA Finals and the fifth-most for a regular season game.{{cite web |last1=Byrum |first1=Tyler |title=Mystics-Fever becomes highest-attended WNBA game since 2007 |url=https://www.monumentalsportsnetwork.com/article/mystics-fever-becomes-highest-attended-wnba-game-since-2007 |publisher=Monumental Sports Network |access-date=June 9, 2024 |date=June 7, 2024}} The two teams met again at Capital One Arena on September 19, 2024, for the regular-season finale and drew the WNBA's highest-ever attendance for a regular-season game, at 20,711.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/41335428/wnba-record-crowd-sees-clark-fever-drop-finale-mystics |title=WNBA-record crowd sees Clark, Fever drop season finale to Mystics |agency=Associated Press |website=ESPN.com |date=September 16, 2024 |access-date=October 11, 2024}} For the 2024 WNBA season, the Fever set a new single-season record with 340,715 fans for total home attendance for a WNBA team.{{cite web|title=WNBA Delivers Record-Setting 2024 Season |url=https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-delivers-record-setting-2024-season |website=WNBA |date=September 27, 2024 |access-date=June 8, 2025}}

File:Caitlin Clark autographs (cropped).jpgs after a game in 2024]]

The Common Sense Institute Iowa, an economic research organization, estimated in March 2024 that the Caitlin Clark effect increased Iowa's gross domestic product by between $14.4 million and $52.3 million, while generating about $82.5 million in consumer spending.{{cite web |last1=Kealey |first1=Kate |title=How much money does the 'Caitlin Clark effect' generate for Iowa? |url=https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/basketball-women/2024/03/25/caitlin-clark-effect-iowa-econony-hawkeye-womens-basketball-common-sense-institute/73066881007/ |publisher=Hawk Central |access-date=May 25, 2024 |date=March 25, 2024}}

After the 2024 season, Ryan Brewer, a finance professor at Indiana University Columbus and a specialist on valuation, determined that Clark's presence was responsible for more than 25% of the WNBA's revenue in that season, including attendance, TV, and merchandise sales. He also determined that Clark's overall economic impact on the city of Indianapolis was $36.5 million, dwarfing Hicks' preseason estimate of $2.4 million. Brewer told The Indianapolis Star, "The numbers are so staggering. They don't even seem real."{{cite news |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2024/12/03/caitlin-clarks-salary-whats-cairlin-clark-worth-indiana-fever/75044499007/ |title=Clarkonomics: Dissecting the complexity of paying Caitlin Clark what she's really worth |first=Dana |last=Hunsinger Benbow |newspaper=The Indianapolis Star |date=December 3, 2024 |access-date=January 20, 2025}}

Shortly after the start of the 2025 season, Brewer told NBC News that Clark's presence had increased the overall value of the WNBA to a minimum of $875 million, with the potential for a value of over $1 billion.{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/wnba/caitlin-clark-wnba-business-rcna208097 |title=Caitlin Clark's impact on the WNBA could eclipse 'a billion dollars' |first=Andrew |last=Greif |website=NBCNews.com |date=May 24, 2025 |access-date=May 24, 2025}} In June 2025, Travonne Edwards, a JD Finish Line strategist, reported that the Indiana Fever team store was audited due to the significant increase in sales in 2024.{{cite web |title=Why Caitlin Clark will only get even more famous |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A7srbGrcPc |website=YouTube |publisher=The Right Time with Bomani Jones |date=June 5, 2025 |access-date=June 8, 2025}}{{cite magazine |first=Mike |last=Kadlick |title=How Caitlin Clark’s Popularity Led to the Indiana Fever Being Audited |url=https://www.si.com/wnba/how-caitlin-clark-popularity-indiana-fever-store-audited-bomani-jones |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=June 5, 2025 |access-date=June 8, 2025}} Later that same month, Forbes released a list of the most valuable WNBA franchises wherein the Fever was named second (behind New York Liberty, the 2024 champions) with an estimated value of $370 million which was credited in part to Clark's popularity.{{cite web |first=Brett |last=Knight |title=The WNBA’s Most Valuable Teams 2025 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettknight/2025/06/06/the-wnbas-most-valuable-teams-2025/ |work=Forbes |date=June 6, 2025 |access-date=June 8, 2025}} Forbes also reported that the Fever led the WNBA in revenue with an estimated $32 million in 2024 while also "becoming the most followed women’s basketball team online."

The role of Clark's identity in the Caitlin Clark effect has drawn scrutiny.{{cite news |last=Hightower |first=Kyle |title=Caitlin Clark, much like Larry Bird, the focus of talks about race and double standards in sports |url=https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-race-women-college-basketball-b277e81e47c8d9ecc6554720b1a35065 |work=Associated Press News |access-date=May 21, 2024 |date=May 12, 2024}}{{cite news |last=Baxter |first=Kevin |title=Caitlin Clark marketing boom is celebrated but also draws questions of race and equity |url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2024-05-20/caitlin-clark-marketing-boom-questions-race-equity |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 21, 2024 |date=May 20, 2024 |url-access=subscription}} The Athletic columnist Jim Trotter wrote that Clark appeals to a wider audience by being white, straight and from the United States heartland, in contrast to many WNBA players.{{cite web |last=Trotter |first=Jim |title=The Caitlin Clark Effect and the uncomfortable truth behind it |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5440119/2024/04/25/caitlin-clark-marketability-racial-bias/ |work=The Athletic |access-date=May 21, 2024 |date=April 25, 2024 |url-access=subscription}} The Atlantic writer Jemele Hill, USA Today reporter Lindsay Schnell and WNBA star A'ja Wilson have also highlighted the racial component of her popularity and the inequity in media coverage of Black female athletes.{{cite news |last=Schnell |first=Lindsay |title=Black History Month is over but keep paying attention to Black athletes like A'ja Wilson |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2024/02/29/aja-wilson-caitlin-clark-wnba/72775079007/ |work=USA Today |access-date=May 21, 2024 |date=February 29, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Hill |first1=Jemele |title=What Caitlin Clark's Fans Are Missing |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/03/caitlin-clark-women-basketball/677694/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=May 21, 2024 |date=March 18, 2024 |url-access=subscription}} USA Today columnist Christine Brennan wrote that Clark's popularity was not media-driven, but rather "grew organically from the heartland to the coasts" due to her style of play.{{cite news |last=Brennan |first=Christine |title=Caitlin Clark builds on 1999 U.S. soccer team's moment in lifting women's sports |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2024/05/14/caitlin-clark-1999-us-soccer-world-cup-lift-women/73670449007/ |work=USA Today |access-date=May 31, 2024 |date=May 14, 2024}}

Clark's ability to attract public interest and connect with fans has been likened to pop singer Taylor Swift.{{cite magazine |last1=Aten |first1=Jason |title=Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark Have This 1 Thing in Common. It Explains Their Extraordinary Success |url=https://www.inc.com/jason-aten/taylor-swift-caitlin-clark-have-this-1-thing-in-common-it-explains-their-extraordinary-success.html |magazine=Inc. |access-date=May 31, 2024 |date=May 29, 2024}}{{cite magazine |last=Weaver |first=Karen |title=How Caitlin Clark Became The Taylor Swift Of Women's College Basketball |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenweaver/2024/02/11/how-caitlin-clark-became-the-taylor-swift-of-womens-college-basketball/?sh=6e19441028f5 |magazine=Forbes |access-date=May 31, 2024 |date=February 11, 2024}} The Caitlin Clark effect has also been compared to the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, which helped popularize men's basketball in the 1980s.{{cite news |last=Schrotenboer |first=Brent |title=Can Caitlin Clark's surge be sustained for women's hoops? 'This is our Magic-Bird moment' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaw/2024/04/04/caitlin-clark-larry-bird-magic-johnson-womens-basketball/73191329007/ |work=USA Today |access-date=May 31, 2024 |date=April 4, 2024}} In June 2025, Two Circles, a sports marketing agency, stated that Clark, “was the most-talked-about female athlete from any sport on social media [in 2024], and posts mentioning her had the highest engagement."

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Category:Caitlin Clark

Category:2020s fads and trends

Category:2020s in women's basketball

Category:2020s neologisms

Category:Celebrity fandom

Category:Indiana Fever

Category:Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball

Category:Sports fandom