Athlete of the Year Caitlin Clark talks about the progress and promise of women’s sports

TIME Athlete of the Year Caitlin Clark shared her excitement for the future of the WNBA — and women’s sports as a whole — during a conversation with NBC Sports producer and broadcaster Maria Taylor at the “A Year in TIME” event in New York in December. 11.

Coinciding with the release of TIME’s Person of the Year issue, the event also included an appearance by TIME Icon of the Year, Elton John, and a conversation with TIME CEO of the Year, Lisa Su.

From finishing her senior year at the University of Iowa (where she set multiple NCAA Division 1 records) to finishing her first season with the Indiana Fever as the WNBA Rookie of the Year, Clark admitted it was a whirlwind year for her , especially at just 22 years old.

Although she admitted that it’s sometimes “difficult to navigate the spotlight,” Clark shared that she takes the responsibility of being a performer and a role model for young people very seriously and believes this type of attention is becoming more and more normal will be for female athletes in the broader sense.

“It’s special to see these young girls and boys bringing signs or being with their mom or dad…It’s a memory they’ll share forever,” Clark said. “I remember my first WNBA game, one of the best memories of my childhood that had a huge impact on becoming a professional basketball player, being a great person… so I just try to embody that every day.”

Taylor, who has covered the WNBA for many years, asked Clark where she thinks the WNBA is headed after its boom in popularity over the past year – a boom that is certainly at least partially due to Clark’s performances that captivated audiences. Clark said it’s impossible to predict what kind of growth is possible for the sport, pointing to the unexpectedly rapid rise of her own career as well as the giant leaps the WNBA has made in just a few years.

“I feel like we’re just scratching the surface,” she said. “If you had told people five years ago that the WNBA was here … people probably wouldn’t have believed you because they never thought it was possible. They never thought people would buy tickets; They never thought we’d be on ABC, never thought we’d be on ESPN. They never thought there could be sold-out arenas or little kids wanting to wear WNBA jerseys.”

The smartest thing to do now, according to Clark, is to invest in women’s sports because “the price only goes up.” She hinted that she herself hopes to become more involved at some point.

“I love basketball,” she said, “and hopefully when I stop playing basketball I can still find things that I really care about and can do; I will hopefully own a sports team one day.”

Clark also responded to feedback since the publication of the Athlete of the Year article, which Taylor said was mostly positive but also included some negative comments from people like conservative media commentator Megyn Kelly, who accused Clark of “apologizing for being white.” to be”.

Clark claimed she believed she “deserved” everything that happened to her, but she was just as quick to acknowledge the Black women who came before her in the WNBA, including her favorite player, Maya Moore.

“There have been so many great black women in this league, and it’s very important to continue to promote them,” she said, “and I’m very aware of that.”

Regarding criticism from people like Kelly, she added: “I think my best skill is just blocking out the noise, and hopefully that continues because the way things are going and where the WNBA is going, you want that attention .” and you accept it, and that’s what makes it so fun.”

Both on and off the field, Clark seems aware of her impact, but admits she’s still “figuring out life” at her young age. And after playing 82 games in 2024, she’s looking to enjoy the rest that’s been offered to her before getting back into the swing of things for another season.

“I’m very happy and grateful, but I feel like I can just keep improving.”

“A Year in TIME” was presented by American Family Insurance, Absolut, Land O’Lakes and Nike.