Caitlin Clark receives telling seven-word verdict from WNBA icon that speaks volumes
The WNBA has enjoyed a huge spike in popularity in recent months, with Caitlin Clark widely credited for the league's recent surge in interest.
Sue Bird with Caitlin Clark (Image: Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WNBA icon Sue Bird has hailed Caitlin Clark as the driving force behind the league’s explosive growth, with the Indiana Fever star igniting unprecedented levels of interest. The league was already on an upward trajectory before Clark’s number one draft pick in April.
However, Bird believes the young sensation has accelerated the WNBA’s development, leading to a surge in popularity. Speaking on The Deal podcast, Bird encapsulated Clark’s influence succinctly: “She poured gasoline all over that thing.”
“All of a sudden, this player named Caitlin Clark comes,” said Bird, 44, who spent her legendary career with the Seattle Storm and is now a part-owner of the organization.
“And the way I frame it is, fire was going, it was burning. And it was burning brighter. Even if you look at the 2023 viewership in the WNBA Finals, it was way higher than 2022. It was starting, the fire was there, but Caitlin came, and she poured gasoline all over that thing and just took it to another level.”
Statistics reinforce Bird’s view, with the WNBA celebrating its most successful season ever in terms of viewership and ticket sales, attracting over 54 million unique viewers across networks such as ABC, CBS, and ESPN, and recording 22 regular-season games with at least one million viewers each.
Overall, the season racked up a staggering 136.29 million hours of coverage watched across national networks. Clark has become a icon beyond the bounds of her primary sport.
Caitlin Clark’s rookie WNBA season has coincided with a huge spike in interest (Image: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
This week saw her tee off at The Annika Pro-Am, joining forces with golfing icons Annika Sorenstam and Nelly Korda, the LPGA Tour Player of the Year. Despite one wayward tee-shot that almost hit a spectator, Clark is a handy player, although it’s clear basketball was her destined arena.
Reflecting on her dedication to primary sport before The Annika, she recalled: “When I got into high school, I knew basketball was my future. I loved it, and I wanted to practice it. I think that was different.
“I wanted to get better. I wanted to spend time working on my game. That was probably what set that apart from all the other sports I played.
Elaborating further, Clark said, “[The other sports] were just fun with my friends. I was really competitive, but I didn’t take extra time out of my day to work on my game and be better than everybody else. I think that’s what helped me figure out the path I wanted to take.”
