This article was originally published in North Carolina Prison News Today out of Nash Correctional Institution. It won second place for Best Sports Coverage in the 2025 American Penal Press Contest.
The prison day-room filled with a heavy palpable tension. The clearly divided sides rook turns, jeering at each other or cheering animatedly. On June 1, 2024, the crowd swelled as residents of Nash Correctional Institution rushed to investigate the commotion.
The new spectators found the source. Holding court on TV was Caitlin Clark. Her Indiana Fever were battling against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky.
Clark is a definitive, polarizing figure. Mentioning her name to residents evokes emphatic comments from opposite ends of the spectrum. “If you are not a fan of Caitlin Clark, you are not a sports fan. Period,” said Clifton Batts, a self-proclaimed Clark fan.
One anti-fan took it to the extreme saying, “I hate her.”
Sports greatness elicits emotions from, “WOW!” to “Can you believe she did THAT?!”
Greatness also produces love and sadly, hate.
Tom Brady had six states cheering for him, while others labeled him a “cheater.” Michael Jordan became a global sensation but still faced criticism for his attitude and unwillingness to use his platform politically.
Clark has numerous points to score, rebounds to secure, and assists to distribute before she potentially earns her place as a G.O.A.T. — Greatest of All Time — alongside Brady or Manning. However, she is walking, or rather driving down the lane toward etching her likeness on the Mount Rushmore of sports.
Clark seemingly sets records every time she laces up her Nike shoes. Her $28 million endorsement deal with Nike, including a signature shoe, is the largest sponsorship for any women’s basketball player.
On July 6, 2024, Clark, a six-foot guard, became the first rookie and youngest player in WNBA history to record a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists. Previously, the youngest player to achieve this feat was Sabrina Ionescu, whose New York Liberty Clark beat on the same record-setting day. New York currently holds the best record in the WNBA.
One fan, Marcus Hopkins, compared Clark favorably to Ionescu, calling her a more energetic and more athletic version of Ionescu.
Every hero needs an anti-hero, a villain, a rival. Brady had Manning — both of them. Jordan had…well, everyone who got in his way.
An epic rivalry can grow a sports league into the stratosphere. Selling out arenas, setting TV viewership records, and drawing in the unexpected fan. Playing the anti-hero in Clark’s story stands Angel Reese.
The Clark-Reese rivalry began in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Championship. Moments after Reese led her LSU Tigers to victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes, Reese sought out Clark to point at her ring finger. That game is the second most watched in women’s tournament history.
This incident ignited the rivalry, but plenty of additional fuel has stoked the flames of their feud.
On June 3, 2024, ESPN.com quoted Reese as saying, “I know I’ll go down in history. The reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not because of one person. It’s because of me, too.”
Reese is right. She is already writing her name in the WNBA record books. The Chicago forward extended her WNBA record for consecutive double-doubles to 15 straight games on July 11.
The rivalry fire between Clark and Reese continues to heat up. The fireworks sparked quickly during their first WNBA match-up on that tension-filled June 1. In the third quarter, Chicago’s Chennedy Carter knocked Clark to the ground with a shoulder check on what should have been a routine in-bounds play. Reese came off the bench smiling and clapping in approval of the flagrant foul. When Carter reached the bench, Reese gave her a celebratory hug.
This dynamic rivalry adds to Clark’s polarizing effect. Fans have a reason to pull for or against her, ultimately picking sides in an epic tale.
With Clark’s arrival, women’s basketball has seen an influx of fans. The growing crowds and record ratings followed her from college to the WNBA. When the prolific Clark pulls up on TV, ratings soar. The most watched women’s college basketball game is the 2024 Championship game between South Carolina and Clark’s Hawkeyes. The game averaged 18.7 million viewers.
After the drama of their first professional contest, the second Clark-Reese match-up, a regular season game starring the two rookies no less, became the most watched WNBA game in 23 years.
Clark isn’t just in a battle with Reese, but faсes criticism from current and former WNBA players. Diana Taurasi, a forward for the Phoenix Mercury who is widely considered to be the G.O.A.T. of the WNBA, said, “Reality is coming,” for Clark in the form of the WNBA. Taurasi is only half right. Clark is averaging 5 turnovers as a game, but she also leads the WNBA with 8 assists per game and set a WNBA record with 19 assists on July 17. Most importantly, Indiana has beaten Phoenix twice.
Some don’t believe Clark, the first overall draft pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, has earned the spotlight.
“Clark is a dynamic player, but she has no titles,” said Phillip Smith. “Victory is a team effort, but the greatest players invigorate their teams to win. She hasn’t done that.”
Even though Clark didn’t win a championship in college, her overall skill set elevated her teams. Before Clark, Iowa had never competed in an NCAA Women’s Championship game. She led them to back-to-back championship games. Despite losing both games, Iowa maximized their potential. Without Clark, a tourney bid would have been a lofty goal for those reams. In both, games Iowa was over-matched athletically ar every position except for Clark and lacked the depth of LSU and South Carolina.
Smith’s point is valid. Great players are judged by titles. At the end of her career it will be no different for Clark, but her journey is just beginning. In college, she shattered numerous records with her electrifying play, including the most points scored in NCAA history by any player, men or women. For the accomplishment, she won the 2024 ESPY for Record Breaking Performance.
Even this feat faced disapproval from a former player. “If Kelsey Plum set that record in four 5 cago gcinel years, well, Caitlin Clark should’ve broke (sic) that record in four years,” said Sheryl Swoopes, according to Sporting News. “But, because there’s a COVID year … she’s already had an extra year to break that record.”
If what Swoopes, a four-time WNBA champion, said was true, Clark’s record would require clarification. The problem is it wasn’t true. Clark took 13 less games to break Plum’s scoring record, and both only played four years.
Others see Clark’s attitude as an issue. She routinely offers words of “encouragement to players attempting to guard her after swishing one of her ridiculous 30-foot three-pointers. In college, she often waved her hand in front of her face a lá John Cena’s WWE “You can’t see me!”
At the beginning of her first WNBA season, Clark frequently argued against calls.
Clifton Batts points out, “She looks for the referees to bail her out. She can’t receive what she gives.”
A team leader can’t take plays off because of unhappiness over a call. No matter how talented a player is, constantly arguing calls will exasperate some fans.
Clark’s polarizing effect is partially due to her being a straight, white woman from Des Moines, Iowa, making her an atypical WNBA player.
“The media paints Clark as a darling because she is different from the norm. Polarizing Black players in American sports is what we are used to,” said Phillip Smith. “Clark is a unicorn. Anomalies commandeer headlines.”
Marcus Hopkins feels there are other players just as talented, but do not garner the same media attention. Reese is one such player, and this sentiment fuels some of her comments.
Thanks to Clark, women’s basketball and the WNBA appeals to a broader audience. A USA Today Sports Weekly article quoted one Fever fan as saying, “The crowd is so much more diverse. We have a lot more men, a lot more dads bringing their daughters.” This injection of fans delivers a jolt of energy to the WNBA.
Although Smith isn’t a Clark fan, he recognizes her ability to inspire young girls who may have thought they couldn’t measure up to the typical WNBA player. Whether a Clark fan or not, inspiring young girls gives everyone a reason to cheer.
Sports fans want to be amazed. Nothing less will do. Clack wows with ludicrous three-pointers and daring passes. Her skills and rivalry with Reese provide sports fans with what they’ve been begging women’s basketball for. Entertainment. Now sit back and enjoy the show, or as Hopkins put it,” Pay attention. You’ve never seen Clark’s game before. Don’t hate greatness.”
