Caitlin Clark’s historic rookie season is just the beginning

“It’s a good little taste of what’s possible for this organization and for this franchise.”

That was how Caitlin Clark summed up her rookie season with the Indiana Fever, a team that won five games two years ago and this season was in the playoffs and nearly pushed Connecticut to a Game 3 in the first round.

She could just as easily have been summing up the impact of her rookie season on the WNBA. And what lies ahead.

Clark’s first WNBA season was a revelation on the court, with records and unprecedented accomplishments at every turn:

• Clark averaged 19.2 points a game, seventh in the league.
• She led the WNBA in assists at 8.4 a game.
• She set a WNBA record with 19 assists in a game.
• She was the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double.
• She received more than 700,000 All-Star fan votes, the most of any WNBA player ever.
• Clark finished fourth in MVP voting.

Beyond that, she showed off incredible shooting range (which is why the Fever borrowed some Stephen Curry sets from the Warriors to get her open), was arguably the best passer in the league and will unquestionably win Rookie of the Year. She also sparked a turnaround with the Fever after they started 1-8 that led them to the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

She seemed to set some kind of record every time she stepped on the court, including her final game.

Attendance, viewership records set

Clark’s impact was even larger off the court .

Clark — along with an impressive and popular rookie class that includes Angel Reese — sparked a breakthrough year for the league with record attendance and television ratings, things Clark and her peers had done in college as well. This season, 186,000 fans attended Fever home games, up 265% from the year before — and on the road teams moved games to larger arenas to take advantage of (and make more money from) the larger crowds that came to see her.

Maybe the most telling sign of Clark’s impact on the league came in her first playoff game, a Sunday afternoon matinee on ABC going head-to-head against the NFL. That game drew 1.8 million viewers — more than the other three WNBA playoff games that day combined (just under 1.3 million). That 1.8 million is the most people to watch a WNBA game since the 2000 Finals.

A lot of those fans watched the game wearing Clark jerseys — the Fever said it saw a 1,193% increase in uniform sales year over year.

Clark’s rookie season gave off Jordan vibes (or maybe Magic/Bird): Unrivaled new popularity brought from college sparking major growth that will change for the league. Clark set records on the court — most points scored by a rookie with 769, for example —and more importantly for the league put it in a much brighter spotlight, with plenty of new revenue flowing in because of her.

What Jordan (and Magic/Bird) did was have an era of greatness and growing popularity that defined a decade in the NBA, forever changing the league in the process. They also won multiple championships.

Clark has the potential to do all that, too.

“I’m a tough grader. I feel like I had a solid year,” Clark said. “For me, the fun part is like I feel like I’m just scratching the surface and I’m the one that’s nit picking every single thing I do. I know I want to help this franchise. … I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve so that’s what excites me the most. I feel like I continue to get a lot better.”

Challenges of rapid growth

That brighter spotlight that came with Clark and her fanbase also brought some negative consequences — numerous WNBA players talked about the rapid rise in racist and misogynistic comments they had to deal with, particularly on social media, and especially from a segment of Clark and Fever “fans.” Connecticut star Alyssa Thomas discussed it after her Sun eliminated the Fever, as did Connecticut coach Stephanie White.

“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but we don’t want fans that are going to degrade us and call us racial things,” Thomas said.

All that forced the WNBA to put out a statement after the game.

Clark previously denounced as “disappointing” and “unacceptable” the use of her name to push agendas of racism and misogyny. This is also bigger than just the WNBA, it is tied to the tension and divisions across America right now. However, the WNBA has been a league that prides itself on inclusion, diversity, backing progressive causes and support for everyone including the marginalized, and a lot of its long-time players and fans don’t want to give that up to chase the almighty dollar.

Thomas is right, the WNBA is headed in a great direction.

All those fans and increased ratings Clark and this rookie class brought should lift player salaries. Eventually. This season, Clark made $76,535, in base salary as part of her four-year contract worth $338,056. (Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said Clark’s WNBA compensation, with sponsorship bonus and the like, will be closer to $500,000, and that does not include Clark’s personal sponsorship deals with Nike, Gatorade and other national brands.)

What’s more, unlike the NBA, Clark and her fellow WNBA players get no money from all those rapidly-rising jersey sales with their names on them.

All of that will change over time — women should and will come closer to the NBA players’ 50/50 split of revenue with the league. You can be sure that comes up from the players union in future negotiations as league revenues rise.

Clark, for her part, has always wanted to focus on the basketball — and wants her fans to as well.

“It was special,” Clark said of her rookie season. “A lot of things this group accomplished people that didn’t think was possible after the start we had to the season.”

It’s also just the beginning of a legendary career that will change the league.