Caitlin Clark has had her fair share of comparisons during her record attempt.
His prolific scoring and talent are reminiscent of “Pistol Pete” Maravich – so much so that one of his nicknames was Ponytail Pete. Her ridiculous ability to hit the ball anytime, anywhere is Steph Curry-esque. Her dagger late in the game, and the trash talk that follows, are quintessential Diana Taurasi. How ridiculous.
But while these comparisons are valid, they also have shortcomings. Because Clark is more than just his game. When you consider the massive impact she has had off the field, there is really only one player like her:
Michael Jordan.
Jordan was not only the best player in the history of basketball—don’t do that to me, LeBron fans—he transcended sports. His and all others. He’s a cultural figure, and he’s elevated the NBA’s stature as a result.
Of course, the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird saved the NBA from the dark days of the 1980s, when drug use among players was so common that games weren’t even televised. In 1986, even some playoff games were still subject to tape delay.
But it was Jordan who made the league, and the players in it, a global phenomenon.
Even if you don’t like the NBA, or don’t care about any sports, you know who Michael Jordan is. His jerseys were ubiquitous in the 1990s, his shoes and ads even more so, as kids across the country flocked to the courts hoping they could be “just like Mike.” Jordan was so woven into the cultural fabric of our society that he became a de facto member of every American family.
And not just in the United States. By the time Jordan competed with the Dream Team in the Barcelona Olympics, he had already won two NBA championships, and even the chance to see “MJ” in a hotel lobby or on a bus was enough to attract legions of fans. Even those who didn’t meet him in person were inspired to buy the products he promoted or play games — including future Hall of Famers.
Clark’s influence may not have been as widespread, but it was no less transformative.
Interest in women’s sports has skyrocketed over the past few years. Ratings for last year’s NCAA basketball tournament broke previous records, with nearly 10 million viewers watching the final between Clark’s Iowa team and LSU alone.
Franchise values for the NWSL and WNBA are rising, as are television ratings for both leagues. The NCAA just signed a deal with ESPN valuing the women’s basketball tournament at $65 million per year, while the NWSL struck a four-year media rights deal worth $240 million. Nike valued Sabrina Ionescu enough to give her her own pair of shoes, while Puma also gave two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart a pair of signature sneakers.
But just like Jordan did, Clark is capitalizing on this growing interest and adding rocket fuel to it.
Every game she played, home or away, was played in front of a sold-out crowd. Wednesday night’s game, in which she broke the record just over two minutes into the first quarter, set the second-highest ticket price ever, with each courtside seat selling for more than $3,100. Little boys and girls clamored for her jerseys, and fans lined up hours before games, hoping to catch her eye as she warmed up on and off the court, or even better, get an autograph.
“It’s really humbling,” Clark’s father, Brent, said in an interview Sunday during Fox’s national broadcast of the Iowa-Nebraska game. “This is what every sport should be like. Women’s basketball is great.”
Thanks to his daughter, more people know this.
As Clark inches closer to the NCAA women’s scoring record, it’s not just women’s basketball fans who are getting attention. Or people in Iowa. Her games are now played in sports bars across the country, with men and women watching or stopping to check the scores.
NBA stars often praise her on social media. Even Patrick Mahomes weighed in, calling her “one of the best college basketball players of all time.”
Iowa’s game against Penn State last Thursday drew 612,000 viewers on the Big Ten Network, a record for a women’s sports event. Fox televised Iowa’s game against Nebraska on Sunday to national television and drew 1.8 million viewers, a record for the network.
Just as Jordan was once a familiar sight in every American’s living room, it’s now impossible to watch any sporting event, or even any show, without seeing Clark in a State Farm commercial.She also has a deal with Nike that, if the manufacturer is smart, will give her a pair of her own shoes and Give it the Jordan treatment.
Now that Clark is over Kelsey Plum, her interest in Clark won’t wane. Maravich’s all-time scoring record still stands. The same goes for her career, whether it starts with the upcoming WNBA season or the next one.
But the beauty of Clark’s spotlight is that, like Jordan, it shines on others too. Those who tuned into Sunday’s game against Nebraska expecting to see Clark break the record instead saw a tense and compelling game filled with athleticism, noise and, yes, some Trash talk. Casual basketball fans may not have known Jaz Shelley’s name before Sunday, but they certainly do now.
Just go on like this. Like Jordan, Clark would be a gateway into the sport for many, but they would soon find that their interests extended beyond hers. Just as the NBA looked different before and after Jordan, women’s sports will look different because of Clark.
Follow USA TODAY Sports Writer Nancy Armor on social media @nrarmour.
