Caitlin Clark, More Than Just A Superstar

On an otherwise normal day in a semi-small town in the nation’s heartland, history was made on March 3, 2024. A college senior women’s basketball player for the a University of Iowa shattered a record that had been on the books for more than half a century to surpass “Pistol” Pete Maravich for the all-time scoring record in major college basketball for men or women.

While this moment had seemed to be coming like a freight train over the last few weeks, there’s nothing like it when such a stunning record is broken. And both the world of college sports, and a much larger and significant portion of society, took notice and celebrated the accomplishment.

So some might ask, “what’s the big deal?” After all, it’s just sports, nothing truly important, right? Well, this story is much more significant than what it may seem of the surface.

Caitlin Clark, the stellar women’s basketball anchor for the women’s Iowa Hawkeyes team, has become a widely recognized figure for not only her game but something much deeper.

At first glance, one will likely realize it is a big step for women’s sports and thus women’s equality in the larger society. Yes, this is true. The fact that her games, even the road games, where gaining more traction than men’s games in the highest division of college hoops and even doing better in television rating is huge for equality.

As a result of this, Clark has become a role model and inspiration for young girls in America, giving them confidence and hope for their own future aspirations in both athletics and beyond.

While several elite athletes have become known for in-game and off the court/field antics including drug use, violence and simply being loud mouths, Clark is a refreshing personality for such a big name. While on the court, she comes across as humble and simply focused on getting the job done.

And, in an era where money seems to rule and be the motivation for just about everything, Clark is not part of the same old same old. With the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) stuff at the forefront of college sports, Clark had shown class and grace. To gain an understanding of her good character, one need not look any further than the time she refused to accept any form of payment from the Coralville Community Food Pantry, a local charity in need of help publicizing their cause.

On another level, which in some ways has a correlation to the NIL situation, Clark has shown another admirable virtue in what is becoming less and less common in college athletics – loyalty.

Since NIL and what is known as the transfer portal went into effect, it is not uncommon for athletes to leave one school and transfer to another, sometimes several times, for more playing time or what they perceive as a better opportunity to monetize their own brand. While Clark has had plenty of opportunity to follow in this path, she opted to stay committed to the University of Iowa which is both refreshing and commendable.

So, when on March 3, 2024, with exactly 0.003 seconds left in the first half of her final home game at Iowa, she broke the record, it was fitting that it happened the way it did. It’s wasn’t with one of the incredible long range 3 point shots she is known for sinking. Nor was it in the form of some play that would make a highlight reel. Instead, it was as a simple free throw, the most humble and uninteresting method of scoring one can imagine. Fitting for a superstar with humility, class and integrity.