It has been nearly a week since Caitlin Clark’s season ended, only two games into the WNBA playoffs. However, she’s still getting cheered.
On Sunday, the WNBA superstar appeared on the jumbotron at the Colts-Steelers game in Indianapolis during a feature called, Who ya Got? In which
fans are asked to side with the “haters” or another hometown favorite. The crowd then cheers or boos according to their preferences. Unsurprisingly, when Caitlin Clark was featured, the crowd made their preference well known.
Caitlin Clark gaining instant recognition on a jumbotron—even if it’s in the city she plays in—is an achievement that deserves recognition. The number of WNBA players in history who have instant facial recognition by fans without prompting is extremely small.
Her rookie season, however, raised not only her own profile but also that of a league that had previously been little more than an afterthought in the minds of American sports fans.
Clark eclipsed records for the most points scored by a rookie in WNBA history, the all-time scoring record for a point guard, the new mark for most assists in a single game, the record for most assists in a single season by any WNBA player, and the rookie record for the number of triple-doubles in a season. She also passed Diana Taurasi for second place for the most made three-pointers by any player in a season.
And that’s not even mentioning her impact on team and league merchandising, attendance, and viewership.
The Colts beat the Steelers 27-24.
