Gaining Yards

At this point, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know who Caitlin Clark is. She’s popped up in commercials for State Farm and Gatorade. She was a huge topic of conversation during the NBA All-Star Game. But she’s also officially the highest scorer in all of college basketball. Yes, that means both the women’s and men’s leagues. But what Clark has really done is put a spotlight on how much the women’s game has been historically overlooked.

Clark plays for the University of Iowa, and recently announced ahead of her Senior Night that she was declaring for the WNBA Draft. It was fitting, then, that in her last regular season game, she officially broke the all-time scoring record previously held by “Pistol Pete” in 1970. The best—and most important—part of this milestone however wasn’t just Clark ending the game with 3,685 points, but who else was in attendance.

Prior to setting this record, Clark had also recently set the NCAA women’s all-time scoring record. But that milestone came with a caveat. The scoring record was for the NCAA, but another woman had made history albeit in a different league called the AIAW: Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. In this league, the record was held by Lynette Woodard—someone notably missing from the history talk that was happening as Clark approached that milestone. It also ignored Pearl Moore. Both these women had undeniable talent but because the NCAA doesn’t recognize records from non-NCAA associations, were left out of the conversation completely.

So, what was incredibly special about Caitlin becoming the all-time leading scorer, full stop, was Woodard was in attendance and got her flowers, too. She got a standing ovation in front of a sold out Iowa crowd. After WNBA correspondent Holly Rowe asked what the moment meant to Woodard, she said “I don’t think Lynette Woodard would have this moment without Caitlin Clark.” While it’s unfortunate Woodard’s impact on the game wasn’t top-of-mind to begin with, it just reiterates the impact Clark has made on the game.

Much like Sabrina Ionescu when she took on Steph Curry in the 3-point contest, Clark is cementing her place in the conversation across the game of basketball, period. And she always has. As coverage around her milestone continues, we’re all reminded that Clark started out playing against boys in their AAU league vs the girl’s leagues. Because she could. And she’s still proving it today.

Tickets for Clark’s final game were over $450—for a regular season college game. Tickets for the WNBA have already skyrocketed—and she hasn’t even been drafted or stepped on the professional court yet.

In breaking records, she hasn’t just made history, she’s resurrected it. She’s put the spotlight on those relegated to the shadows, and inspired a whole new generation of young girls that nothing is impossible. She’s showed us all that with hard work, talent, and passion, nothing is a long shot.