Jan 18, 2025; Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, USA; Recording artist Taylor Swift (higher center) sits with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (higher proper) throughout the fourth quarter of a 2025 AFC divisional spherical recreation between the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and the Houston Texans at GEHA Area at Arrowhead Stadium. Necessary Credit score: Denny Medley-Imagn Photographs Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White discovered an anecdotal comparability for guard Caitlin Clark’s transcendent affect on the WNBA in one other famous person that wants no introduction.
“It actually is like Taylor Swift 2.0, and due to that, her identify will get thrown into lots of conversations which have completely nothing to do along with her, or her pursuits, and or our workforce or sport, or no matter,” White instructed IndyStar on a Fever Insider Podcast episode launching Wednesday. “And she or he is a 23-year-old child who likes to play this recreation, who loves her teammates, who likes to compete, you already know, at a excessive stage.”
Like Swift, or famous person athletes such because the NBA’s LeBron James, golf’s Tiger Woods and now-retired tennis participant Serena Williams, White contends, Clark has reached a stage of fame that retains her within the highlight at a value to her private life.
“Her identify grabs consideration,” White mentioned on the podcast. “Her identify is clickbait. Her identify is utilized in a approach that only a few folks and athletes are. It is in the identical sphere as LeBron, as Serena Williams, as Tiger Woods, as Taylor Swift. I want that Caitlin was in a position to simply reside her life nevertheless, however with the issues that she’s completed, there’s lots of duty and lots of consideration that comes, as a result of she’s elite at what she does.”
Indiana chosen Clark with the primary total choose of the 2024 WNBA Draft after her extremely adorned, record-breaking profession at Iowa.
Clark performed in solely 13 video games final season, none since July 15, as a result of groin and ankle accidents and missed your entire postseason. She averaged 16.5 factors, 5.0 rebounds and profession highs with 8.8 assists and 1.6 steals.
For her profession, the two-time All-Star and 2024 WNBA Rookie of the 12 months has averaged 18.5 factors, 5.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 31.1 minutes in beginning all 53 regular-season video games.
The Caitlin Clark impact has carried over from sold-out Iowa girls’s basketball video games to Fever contests in Indianapolis and because the league’s primary street attraction.
Since her arrival Clark has pushed file merchandise gross sales and tv scores for the Fever and WNBA, which has loved file numbers on all fronts. Clark has obtained sponsorships and nationwide endorsement offers since she was an Iowa Hawkeye.
Minnesota Lynx star ahead Napheesa Collier, a WNBA Gamers Affiliation vp, criticized league management on the finish of her workforce’s playoff run in September. She additionally revealed commissioner Cathy Engelbert purportedly made alarming feedback in a non-public dialog in February about gamers’ compensation, an unsettled situation for a brand new collective bargaining settlement between the gamers’ union and the league. Collier needed to know why star gamers like Clark, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky and Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings aren’t making more cash whereas on their rookie contracts.
“I additionally requested how she deliberate to repair the truth that Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who’re clearly driving huge income for the league, are making so little for his or her first 4 years,” Collier mentioned. “Her response was ‘Caitlin must be grateful she makes $16 million off the courtroom as a result of with out the platform the WNBA provides her, she would not be making something.’ “
Engelbert denied Collier’s account of their dialog throughout a press convention three days later.
“Clearly, I didn’t make these feedback,” Engelbert mentioned. “Caitlin has been a transformational participant on this league. She’s been an excellent consultant of the sport. She’s introduced in tens of hundreds of thousands of latest followers to the sport, happy with what she’s placed on the courtroom.”
The verbal sparring between Collier and Engelbert introduced Clark’s identify into the dispute.
“She handles it in a approach that I am unsure most 23-year-olds would. I am actually happy with her,” White mentioned on the podcast. “Clearly, her dad and mom and her household have executed such an excellent job in serving to put together her for this. Most wouldn’t be capable to deal with it in the way in which that she does.”
–Area Degree Media
