Caitlin Clark has been the catalyst for many of the positive aspects of the WNBA.
Viewership ratings are as high as when the league first launched, and overall attendance and interest are on the rise.
While Clark is just one part of the growing league, WNBA legend Sue Bird suggested that “negative” stereotypes about women's basketball have changed thanks to the Indiana Fever rookie.
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Caitlin Clark (22) of the Indiana Fever shoots the ball against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center on July 17, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“Caitlin, especially her long-range 3s. I've always said that. We finally got the antidote to dunking,” Bird said on “Good Game with Sarah Spain.” “All we heard our entire existence was, 'You guys are boring. You don't dunk. Oh, maybe you should lower the rims. It would be more exciting.'”
“And the thing about long 3s is that it is what it is. Distance is distance. It either goes in or it doesn't. It's the same for everyone. So in a sense, I think she's gotten people out of that trance that was very negative toward women's basketball, and now she's put together this great group.”
Clark's ability to light up the scoreboard in quick spurts has delighted the fan base and drawn more fans to his road games.
Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm reacts after losing to the Las Vegas Aces, 97-92, in her final career game, Game 4 of the 2022 WNBA Semifinals at Climate Pledge Arena on Sept. 6, 2022, in Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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Last week, Clark fans flocked to Target Center when the Fever defeated the Minnesota Lynx.
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said before the game that she didn't give a “shit” about the increased attendance. But after the game, she had to admit it.
“Everyone knows the reason our league teams are selling out is because Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are coming to town,” he said, via the New York Post.
“Angel Reese has impacted his attendance at Chicago games, and I suspect at road games as well. So what the league can do is be ready to take advantage of the moments. But it's very similar to when we saw [Larry] Bird and magic [Johnson] He entered the league [NBA]”Right? The league has been preparing for a decisive moment and we are here. And now we have to take advantage of it.”
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever warms up before kickoff against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center on July 17, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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Reeve will coach against Clark and the WNBA All-Star team on Saturday night in a matchup between Team USA and the league's top players.
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