CAITLIN CLARK MIGHT BE BIGGER THAN THE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR — SHE IS AMERICA

Her challenges with race and mass popularity were handled with precious concern and care, promoting A’ja Wilson while the Black player community targeted Clark with WNBA cheap shots all season

We have watched her mature, our honor, from a teen in Iowa whites to a young woman wearing Indiana red to an immense public figure in her plunging black gown. Caitlin Clark was in Prada at 22, when she explained in an interview why she understands life. Isn’t it impossible at her age? Not so.

She is known as the most impactful woman in the history of American athletics. Might her ultimate future involve pulling together her country? This was the year when she faced racial resentment from players with ample justification — Black women had accomplished more in basketball. Clark was followed by a monumental fan squadron from college to the WNBA and, subsequently, her awards included $30 million in endorsements. The league’s best player, A’ja Wilson, wanted to know last spring about her own worthy perks as an MVP and a champion.

“I think it's a huge thing. A lot of people may say it's not about Black and white, but to me it is,” Wilson said. “It really is because you can be top notch at what you are as a Black woman, but yet maybe that's something that people don't want to see. They don't see it as marketable, so it doesn't matter how hard I work. It doesn't matter what we all do as Black women, we're still going to be swept underneath the rug. That's why it boils my blood when people say it's not about race because it is.”

All eyes turned to Clark, from West Des Moines, playing professionally in a state where white high-school players have been turned into Hollywood heroes. Suddenly, she was the centerpiece of gender, turning her sport into a must-watch NCAA event for 18.9 million viewers and a bigger draw than the men’s Final Four. And she was the most prominent element in how to address Wilson. She could have imploded. Instead, in a Time story that saluted her as Athlete of the Year — bigger than Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Mahomes, Steph Curry at the Olympics, all the men — she spoke about white privilege. The world has worshipped her logo jumpshots and her perfect passes to teammates, but her thought process envelops the precious present forgotten by politicians.

Athlete of the Year? Caitlin Clark is America.

“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” she said. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”

In her custom gown, she emphasized truth and slashed through toxicity. “I grew up a fan of this league from a very young age. My favorite player was Maya Moore,” Clark said. “I know what this league was about. … It’s only been around 25-plus years, and so I know there has been so many amazing Black women in this league — and continuing to uplift them is very important and that’s something I’m very aware of.

“I try to just be real and authentic and share. I think that’s very easy for me. I’m very comfortable in my own skin and that’s kind of how it’s been my entire life. I think I have good perspective on that … I feel like one of my best skills is just blocking things out. The only opinions I really care about are the people I love, my teammates, my coaches, the people inside our locker room, the people I see every single day and I know have my best interest at heart. Because with the way things are going and the way the WNBA is going, you want that attention and you embrace it and that’s what makes this so fun.”

This month, Wilson signed a six-year extension with Nike in a rich deal. Consider it a bigger thrill for Clark than her All-Star appearance and her Rookie of the Year award. She has managed to quell tensions started by the Chicago Sky, who seemed to align with Angel Reese in pushing one-sided warfare with Clark. Why did Chennedy Carter body-slam her? Such tactics are observed in men’s sports, but this was new for women beyond combat violence and roller derby. At one point, the Sky were stalked on the road by a man with a camera. The ugliness continued against the New York Liberty, led by superstar Breanna Stewart, who was critical of Clark early in the season. Did Jonquel Jones have to pound away, leaving Clark with a ruptured eardrum?

In private moments, who knew how she reacted? Front and center, she treated the bullying as part of the game. Her performances improved to a level of magnificence as her team. the Fever, reversed losing ways. “I never thought I was being targeted. Obviously, that shouldn't ever happen within a game. But basketball is physical,” she said. “Your emotions can get the best of you. My emotions have gotten the best of me many times. … A lot of people that wanted to have opinions on what was happening probably didn't even watch half the games that they were trying to have a take on and hadn't supported the W for a really long time.”

Time has passed. She realizes how her presence continues to mushroom, with WNBA watchers increasing by 300 percent. The mistake that won’t ever retract kept her without the Olympic Games, when Team USA won another gold medal but lacked a fanciful reason to watch. Clark sat back and played golf. She also said the omission gave her motivation, knowing we’ll see her in 2028 in Los Angeles and throughout her 30s and into her 40s. “It’s fascinating, you don’t always appreciate 18 million,” Clark said of the title game. “You see that number against a college football game or the Masters or whatever it is as far as the biggest sporting events in our country and it puts it in perspective.”

Her body will have more muscle next season, with a new Fever coach. She had every reason to surrender and walk away from the circus. Never. “For me, it’s still really fun. Whether it’s 15 seconds or 10 seconds or 5 seconds can be very impactful in a young girl and a young boy’s life,” she said. “Seeing the fans going crazy an hour before tipoff, I never take that for granted. That’s super cool and I never want that to go away.”

Already, her advertisers have created a new look. State Farm had fun with her second pro season. Isn’t she still Rookie of the Year? “That was last year,” Clark said. “Ancient history. The stories that I could tell you. Here, pull up a chair.”

We were in that chair. We felt her virtue every time. Mahomes won a Super Bowl with a touchdown pass in overtime. Ohtani stunned us with his power and speed even when he couldn’t pitch. His teammate, Freddie Freeman, hit a walk-off grand slam to win a World Series game. Curry won the Olympics when his team came close to losing. Yet, none of it was more dramatic than Caitlin Clark.

This season, let’s hope the targeting ends. She has moved past it, in Prada.

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Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.