The Caitlin Clark Effect
She touched countless families outside of basketball, including mine.
Iowa is a small, rural flyover state located in what my California relatives call “Central America.” Not really known for producing celebrities, the Hawkeye State is a national leader in the production of corn, soybeans and hogs. While Iowa news seldomly breaks into the national spotlight, the state with no professional sports teams suddenly became the center of a national sports frenzy when a once-in-a-lifetime women’s basketball player arose from West Des Moines Dowling High School and chose to attend the University of Iowa. The rest, as they say, is history.
I come from a sports obsessed family, mostly revolving around the Iowa Hawkeyes, although I admit to being the “black sheep” having stepped out to play college football, and graduating, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I was an undersized free safety who dreamed of playing for the Hawkeyes but just wasn’t big enough for the rugged Big 10. Six members of my family graduated from Iowa including my parents, Dick and Judy, who followed their football Hawkeyes to the Rose Bowl in 1957.
Family gatherings and holiday schedules always needed to be checked to see if the Hawkeyes were playing. This cycle went on for decades until my father suddenly passed away. My mother did not skip a beat and upped her visits to Iowa City to see her longtime friend and Hawkeye fanatic Virginia “Ginne” Bremner. The two kept going to games, watching from a far and talking about all things Hawkeyes as true fans do, rain, snow or shine.
And so it went, year after year, until the winter of 2022-23. My mother’s health suddenly deteriorated and we had to get her home (from Arizona) for surgery. While agonizing in pain, our time was filled with watching the Iowa Women’s basketball team, and the player who rose to super-stardom named Caitlin Clark. While Caitlin was all-everything as a freshman, all her games were played without fans during Covid, so no one knew who she was. Her sophomore year she broke out and we had to watch and read of her every game and statistic. Caitlin took the Hawks to the NCAA Championship in the spring of 2023 and this magical ride lifted my mother’s spirits during this time of immense pain.
Judy’s health kept deteriorating and she passed away in October, just before Coach Lisa Bluder and her Hawkeyes played an opening outdoor exhibition game in Kinnick Stadium. The game drew 55,000 fans, the record attendance for a women’s basketball game. Caitlin scored 34 points and had a triple double. Judy would have loved the game, and the discussion brought us immeasurable relief from our tragic family loss. Our family watched every Hawkeye game and relished in every record that Caitlin broke along the way all the way to the NCAA Championship once again.
And Caitlin’s run did not end there. A couple weeks later, Caitlin Clark became the Number One pick of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and she went on to be Rookie of the Year. Both the Fever and the WNBA set attendance and TV viewership records. The nation and the world went on to witness something very special that we Iowans knew all along, Caitlin Clark was a tremendous basketball player, but there was much more than her electric game.
You see, aside from the athlete Caitlin Clark, who captivated us with her caliber of play, there was also a sensitive, caring and loving person devoted to her family, teammates, coaches, community and those less fortunate. She presents a standard that few can achieve, but which we can all aspire to be, a better person. Just as she and the Hawkeyes lifted my family in a time of need, she has lifted countless families, suffering in countless ways, like the families with children in the University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital system, for instance. The list is quite frankly, endless. Caitlin is truly one of one. Caitlin Clark Foundation
The University of Iowa announced in December that Clark’s Number 22 would be retired at the February USC home game. My brother, nephew (Senior at Iowa) and I said that we had to attend this game. We would visit Ginne and honor our mother Judy, who would have loved the upset of the #4 ranked USC! The celebration of Caitlin Clark postgame was off the charts. They played videos of families with pediatric cancer patients who said Caitlin brought them joy and hope, families who were in need that told of Caitlin delivering food through her Caitlin Clark Foundation and finally all the kids who were inspired by CC to be their best no matter what they chose to do in life. This was the greatest sporting event I’ve ever attended.
Yes, there were a bazillion basketball highlights, and of course, the “Logo Threes,” but the feeling of joy, friendship, family and love were the takeaways for this Iowa fan.
This is the lasting Caitlin Clark Effect. Thank you CC, you will be Forever 22.
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Nice reflection, David. My wife Mary Riche and I were at the Iowa-USC/Clark Jersey Retirement, too. And you know, of all the terrific sports events I’ve been lucky enough to attend over my long career, I think that’s the one that will mean the most to me. That’s for a lot of the same reasons you cite.
I have covered women's basketball for decades, including Final Fours and big games and championship events, and indeed that Iowa-USC-jersey retirement game was one of the greatest sporting events I've ever attended. And I'm pretty sure the loudest. From the upset victory that Iowa got and the ceremony after, it was indeed something special.