Let’s talk about Caitlin Clark and talk about how one person changed womens sports forever, and why that’s great news for fastpitch softball.
Caitlin Clark is from Des Moines, IA. She was heavily recruited in high school, but she committed to nearby University of Iowa.
As a freshman and sophomore she won a host of awards and was named a first team All-American. She was clearly a great player, but there are great players every year. What really vaulted her to super stardom was her junior year performance during the 2023 NCAA tournament.
During the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball tournament she set tournament scoring records, put together consecutive 40 point games, knocked off undefeated defending champ South Carolina, and helped Iowa advance to the first NCAA championship game in its history. During the final the Hawkeyes faced off against an LSU squad led by Angel Reese (I’m sure you have heard of her too!). Clark scored 30 points and had 8 assists, but the Hawkeyes lost the game. Near the end of the game, Angel Reese made a “you can’t see me” gesture popularized by pro wrestler John Cena toward Clark, as well as pointed at her ring finger implying that LSU was about to win a championship ring. Though Clark did not win the national championship, her performance during the tournament, and the rivalry sparked with Angel Reese, created the Caitlin Clark phenomenon that we are so familiar with today.
Clarks’ senior season was marked by record attendance, tv ratings, and media coverage. Clark and the Hawkeyes again made it to the NCAA final, but sadly lost again, this time to South Carolina. But the final had a record setting 18.9M viewers, and for the first time ever drew more eyeballs than the men’s title game. After the season ended, Clark declared herself eligible for the WNBA draft. Clark’s impact on ticket sales and television ratings has been dubbed “the Caitlin Clark Effect,” and continues have an effect on ticket sales and TV ratings for the entire WNBA.
Put simply, elite play, a record setting playoffs performance, and one special postseason moment created the Caitlin Clark phenomenon in NCAA basketball. And if America is ready to support a Caitlin Clark in women’s basketball, it means they are ready to support one in women’s fastpitch as well. NCAA softball produces elite players every year, it just takes one little spark to vault someone into superstardom and get the whole country watching. And the dividends it pays for the entire sport from the college to the pro level is immense.
NCAA fastpitch softball is already wildly popular, all we are missing is our Caitlin Clark. And it’s only a matter of time before it happens.
