How Caitlin Clark is changing the face of college basketball

University of Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark has become the NCAA women basketball’s all-time career scoring leader. While leading the nation in scoring, Clark is filling arenas at home and on the road with record television ratings as millions watch to see what she will do next. NBC’s Harry Smith reports in this week’s Sunday Focus.
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#CaitlinClark #Basketball #NCAA

[@russs7574]

So nice to see a dominant player in any sport who doesn't need to be a diva as well, and who isn't constantly craving attention and "look at me" moments. She's a humble superstar, and doesn't feel the need to constantly run her mouth......or be a victim. Good for her. Read into that what you want. I don't come back and revisit my answers, so I don't care.

[@lisadondlinger3138]

Caitlin is so deserving of these features!! An incredible basketball player changing the game, but also an amazing role model doing it all the right way! Go Hawks! 🖤💛🖤

[@bracebrooks967]

I never met Caitlin Clark, but I'm definitely happy for her success, and wish her well in her basketball career. She's exciting to watch, and has finally made women's college basketball worth watching more this season.

[@MrCleanMachine48]

FACE A COLLEGE BASKETBALL LOSING TO ANGELA REESE EVERY YEAR

[@bracebrooks967]

@@MrCleanMachine48Losing to Angel Reese every year?? The Hawkeyes only lost to LSU once ever since Caitlin and Angel were played for the Hawkeyes and Tigers So that doesn't happen every year? So what exactly were you saying?

[@MrCleanMachine48]

GET READY TO HOLD THIS L APRIL 7 @@bracebrooks967

[@praha338]

​@@MrCleanMachine48 dumbest comment on this thread

[@melrosehawkins8294]

Lame. Nice try.@@MrCleanMachine48

[@sammy2840]

Absolute GOAT! 🐐. The arguments are OVER!

[@elmarko9051]

One small correction, the Kinnick stadium game was a pre-season exhibition against DePaul.

[@tybenjamin8100]

She is just amazing!!!!!!

[@wesleyhall8630]

I think she's a great young lady. Handles things very well.

[@jetta5267]

The other story in this is coach bluder. The woman has been in Iowa City for twenty four years. Perseverance!

[@jennahawk12]

Makes you wonder if it has something to do with Clark being able to absolutely be herself and be her best.

[@jamesgoforth1606]

Yep, Coach Bluder undoubtedly lets clark play "her game" and constructs the rest of the team's actions around that.@@jennahawk12

[@GaryMartin-rq4tw]

GOAT for sure

[@princevibe5536]

The greatest female hooper of all time

[@kenaldri4923]

Those aren't threes she's shooting. Those are fours.

[@lisadondlinger3138]

So true!

[@johnnyyang5024]

The ❤️ Goat 🐐 in College Basketball. CAITLIN CLARK 🏀 .......

[@johnanderson1245]

Does all the right things, says all the right things, perfect social graces - another Joe DiMaggio.

[@recifebra3]

She had 35 points, not 49. But she had 9 assists and 6 boards as well!

[@jennahawk12]

So her NIL evaluation was over $800,000. Does anyone else think that's low? Look at the college football players . . . I mean. I still gender i equality is at play here. She's simply the biggest star in college sports. She's worthy of millions. Sponsors need to step up.

[@russs7574]

Not "gender inequality." Ms. Clark refused to be a "victim," you shouldn't be trying to make her out as one. The fact of the matter is that in comparison to men's hoops and football, women's basketball brings in very modest levels of revenue. In a perfect world, NIL would be based on the "star power" of the athlete. However, it is also tempered by the amount of revenue that athlete can bring in. No matter how big a star a female hoopster is, her ability to generate revenue is still limited....at least in comparison to her counterparts playing football or men's basketball. MMA fighter Ronda Rousey summed it up best when she said that the only reason she was the highest paid fighter in UFC was because she put butts in the seats and eyes on the TV's, and gender had nothing to do with it.

[@jennahawk12]

@@russs7574 I'm laughing because AJ Ferrari (wrestler) had higher NIL evaluation then she does. You've got to be kidding me. You've just absolutely got to be joking.

[@urex1717]

There is no question that the level of talent that Caitlin faces in each game far surpasses the level of talent faced by any other player in the goat conversation. The fact that she is white ruffles lots of feathers but facts are facts and some birds are just plain dumb.

[@russs7574]

Oh, could you imagine if Iowa had won the national championship last season, and Clark had taunted Angel Reese the way Reese carried on after the game? She have been crucified.

[@donalgoan5083]

Caitlin Clark college records are as follows: 28.5 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game, FG % 46.4 per game. Larry Bird 30.3 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, 53.3 FG%. Bird was a better scorer, a better rebounder and his field goal percentage of 53.3 was astounding!

[@kennethsmith6367]

Want to bring up that Caitlin put up her numbers in a power 5 conference, while Larry did it in a mid-major. Conference? I like Larry Bird and I’m not sure why you made this comparison, but you could bring up all types of context for different numbers.

[@donalgoan5083]

@@kennethsmith6367 let’s see the mid majors that bird played against: Virginia tech, Oklahoma, Arkansas, DePaul, Michigan State. Some of Larry’s NBA accomplishments are: 3 time NBA championships 2 time finals MVP 3 straight NBA MVP. “Sounds pretty good for a mid major player”

[@blackthought6133]

Make basketball 🏀 Great Again

[@waynes1407]

She can't go wrong!

[@trhansen3244]

She can if she goes to the WNBA.

[@pattibond2342]

​@@trhansen3244I hope she Stays at Iowa another year!

[@vinnymac7565]

With Indiana having the first pick, thr story seems to be writing itself.

[@VeraxMusic]

3:15 is that Steven A. Smith there in the suit?

[@jaquiwhite2728]

She will be the Jordan of woman’s basketball

[@may_it_please_the_court]

I hope she makes the Olympics but who knows she may not but in the future yes.

[@JiKeeY202]

This is the only type of player the NIL should exist for! Generational Talent & driver of revenue and ratings! CUT THE CHECK!

[@markr1550]

She's the female Larry Bird. The problem, however, is that there aren't that many female players on par with her. Watch a D1 game with teams not in the top 5 or so, and it's boring.

[@xxxxxx-tq4mw]

Paige who ?

[@johnnywood4595]

Reese should wash her feet

[@paulkoller8104]

I like her. But I hate the MSM. What a stupid report.

[@toddjohnson5176]

I love Caitlin. She's phenomenal. But people need to pump the breaks with this GOAT nonsense. This is college basketball. Wait untill she has to play against grown women like Diana Taurasi every other night.

[@beckyumphrey2626]

Certain kind of people don't like her.....

[@TonyFarley-gi2cv]

You remind me of LeBron James until you got to run in death that you can't contain your shot with y'all are just alike your intermediate court rotations will defeat y'all take away millions of successes on the first one

[@russs7574]

You want to try that again in English, and not Ebonics?

[@DanLanningPRTeam]

Sabrina Ionescu better

[@1trumantucker1]

Nope

[@hansgordy]

Doesn't play the game like Caitlin. Different style.

[@bradclifton5248]

I was wondering how she'd do on that 3pt comp with her. But, it's more than just 3s that helps her game. Wnbas best is only at 21 points a game. That will be a mark interesting to see when she goes there.

[@drbobperkins]

Laughable comment. It’s not worthy of rebuttal. Btw, Jared Goff is better than Tom Brady

[@jennahawk12]

I would say their shooting and squaring abilities are similar. Clark is able to separate herself from most of these comparisons due to her ability too see the floor and pass the ball. She is also 6th all time leader in assists. Will probably in her career at 5th.

[@hubster4477]

Shes a one off, not changing the face of womens basketball.

[@marthajean50]

So was Jackie Robinson. Until he wasn't. That's how it works.

[@hubster4477]

@@marthajean50 jackie wasnt the best of the times, his main draw was he was black. Caitlan is by far and away the best in womens basketball now.

[@marthajean50]

​@@hubster4477 Good point - agreed. That wasn't the best example -- I just meant that you can very easily suggest that every first person in a pattern of change is a mere one off, but they never are.

[@hubster4477]

@@marthajean50 right, we'll see.

[@ikawpipa]

Its time to open the door for Trans Athletes to expand and increase viewership and to be inclusive and diverse sport.

[@markr1550]

in their own league

[@russs7574]

Coming to the WNBA next season....LaBronda James.

[@quentincrisp6933]

She's a nice White, Straight Catholic girl without the fake nails, fake eye lashes & fake hair extensions / wig installs!!

[@boigny9782]

Why are you injecting race into the conversation? ... Caitlin Clark is admired by fans from every walk of life. You are engaging in identity politics & trying to cast aspersions on an entire group of woman based on their fashion choices.

[@frankiek2269]

Yeah, that’s uncalled for and actually kind of filled with hate. Disdain at the least. Serena Williams was great (the best) and she was a joy to watch no matter what she felt like doing to her appearance. What a crappy comment.

[@trhansen3244]

@@frankiek2269 Serena was never a joy to watch.

[@The.Original.Potatocakes]

I’ll take the white girl

[@frankiek2269]

@@trhansen3244 What are you talking about? She was great. Later years, she started complaining about nonsense things during the match, but otherwise enjoyable. Are you mad she was winning?

[@cheerwhiner7829]

She’s not changing the face of college basketball- she’s changing the face of women’s basketball. Now, can she change the WNBA? That would be something. The problem is- there isn’t apparently enough talent in the WNBA to draw eyeballs and make money. There never has been. Can she turn that around? I don’t know. It will be interesting to see.

[@porterwake3898]

She won't change the WNBA, women still won't watch the WNBA and don't cry when men don't watch. The WNBA was not made more men.

[@markr1550]

You answered your own question. Not enough talent at her level. Take the best, and make four teams and it might be worth watching.

[@cheerwhiner7829]

@@markr1550 I agree. To me, their game is generally slow and below the rim. Not to be mean… 🤷‍♂️

[@russs7574]

She'd be smarter to take her act overseas....more money, bigger crowds and the chance to play a normal basketball season instead of WNBA "summer ball." And, she can avoid the obnoxious and arrogant American media, too.

[@markr1550]

@@russs7574 But would she keep her endorsements. She's currently making over $800,000 from NIL, and I suspect that will go up.

[@lentezellis3076]

She’s scored a lot of points but can’t win the National Championship

[@russs7574]

Sounds like a person from a certain, shall we say, demographic who can't tolerate the thought that the dominant player in college hoops does not belong to that same demographic. You're not really Sheryl Swoopes, are you?

[@user-ru5jy5lr4g]

Awe...how cute you are thinking a girl can change college hoops.

[@marthajean50]

Jealous?

[@michaeldwight3212]

How cute you think she hasn't done so already 😅😅

[@ELEXANDERTHEGREAT]

She has....55k people in her games, 1000 dollar tickets and she already is earning 6 figs....no wnba player had this hype or fanfare before entering the league, she's legit building Herstory right now

[@skylermummert24]

You must live under a rock? 😂😂

[@frankiek2269]

@@ELEXANDERTHEGREAT I heard somewhere else that she’s actually worth a little over 3M. Maybe that’s the contracts fulfilled to their extension, perhaps.

[@Heal_Hound]

I'm annoyed this drivel is in my news feed, I literally couldn't care less.

[@Mekinhumbel]

And yet you made the effort to comment

[@praha338]

​@@Mekinhumbel I 2nd that

[@melrosehawkins8294]

Yet you listened to it and made a point to read comments and make a comment. Ok.

[@russs7574]

And yet you clicked and acknowledged it.

[@Heal_Hound]

@russs7574 I identify as heterosexual, but I hear that 'Desmond is Amazing' might have a Virginia Ham you could use.

[@MSDIVASTYLE100]

It's a shame that this man is playing women's basketball! Yet, nobody is questioning it!