Caitlin Clark's Whirlwind Ride in the WNBA
Shock and Inspiration: A surreal aftermath envelops Caitlin Clark and her teammates after encountering the bizarre spectacle surrounding their squad.
Caitlin Clark is living the dream she's always had - playing in the WNBA and performing in front of massive crowds. But even this Iowa star is stunned by the tsunami of support and change she's brought to women's basketball.
"I never imagined it would blow up like this," she admitted to CNN Sports. The excitement at the Indiana Fever's home opener was electric - reminiscent of a championship game, not the start of a regular season.
Caitlin's teammates, like Dawanna Bonner, shared the same awe. The 37-year-old Bonner, who became the WNBA's third-highest scorer of all time during that game, had never experienced such a wild atmosphere before.
"The energy was crazy," Bonner said. "It was almost like, 'Whoa!'"
Traditionally, the WNBA struggled to fully support professional players, and Dawanna spent 16 years bouncing between overseas leagues. Here, with the Fever, she's enjoying playing for a home crowd again.
"It's a pretty cool experience, you've got to get used to it!" she laughed.
Inspirational Transformation
Kelsey Mitchell, a veteran Fever guard, acknowledges the impact of the intensity that has enveloped women's basketball.
"It's an experience," Mitchell chuckled, explaining to CNN Sports that the level of scrutiny and attention isn't just confined to court. "It's all new for me, but it's such a positive and beautiful way."
Even younger players, such as 24-year-old Lexie Hull, are astonished by what's happening.
"I was talking to Caitlin in the locker room, and we said, 'How lucky are we to lace up our shoes and do this for a living, as a job?'" Hull told CNN. "The amount of people who come out every night and support us and cheer for us, it's pretty surreal."
This newfound enthusiasm might seem ordinary to young fans like Kamryn Thomas and Merridy Kennington, who drove 300 miles to see Clark play the Atlanta Dream. But their parents recall a time when it wasn't like this.
"I've explained to her that I grew up playing college basketball, and it was never like this," said Stephanie Thomas. "Caitlin Clark has delivered something to women's sports that I don't think anybody else could deliver, and I think she's got a lot of women excited to see the future of their athlete daughters."
A New Epoch in Women's Sports
This moment in women's sports has been a long time coming. Everybody who's witnessed the change appears to recognize that things will never be the same again.
"I spent four years playing basketball and studying for a degree," Hull explained to CNN Sports, "assuming that I'd get a regular job at the end of it."
"I didn't think I'd be playing basketball every day," she continued. "Now being a professional basketball player is a real option for young girls. I can't imagine what the sport is going to look like when players have been chasing that dream for 15 years."
Some purists might hesitate to attribute all this change to one player. But the numbers don't lie. TickPick reported a 71% decrease in ticket values when Clark was injured, while Sports Illustrated reported ticket prices plummeting from $393 down to just $7.
"I like to think our team is here for her," Mitchell said. "So, whatever she does, she keeps changing the world, and we're here to support it."
Clark, for her part, is humbled by the attention and the responsibility she bears.
"I try to make time for fans, because that can really impact someone's life," she said. "A lot of people didn't believe that women's sports would be in the moment that it is today. It's going to continue to grow, and I'm lucky to be a part of it."
"Really, the sky's the limit."
"Caitlin Clark's impact on women's basketball is not limited to the court, as her presence in the WNBA has led to a dramatic increase in ticket sales, as reported by TickPick with a 71% decrease in ticket values when she was injured, and Sports Illustrated reporting ticket prices plummeting from $393 down to just $7."
"Moreover, Caitlin's success has inspired young athletes like Kamryn Thomas and Merridy Kennington, who drove 300 miles to see Clark play, as their parents recall a time when women's sports were not as celebrated and supported as they are today."
