Caitlin Clark’s impact on basketball can be measured simply by understanding the tremor she has created in popularizing the WNBA and women’s basketball. One such case was seen recently when Clark’s rookie player card sold for $660,000.
Be it packed arenas or selling high-value player cards, Clark’s impact can only be comparable to how Michael Jordan revolutionized NBA globally as the league’s certified superstar.
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Many WNBA stars have come and gone before Caitlin Clark, but none had such an impact. The 2024 Panini Flawless WNBA Platinum Caitlin Clark Rookie Logowoman Patch Auto 1/1 card features an inscription, “769 pts and counting,” which is her rookie season figure. The amount at which the card sold shows how it was one of the most coveted patch in the game.
Clark’s rookie card broke the previous women’s sports card record of $366,000, set by her own 2024 Prizm Gold Vinyl 1/1 rookie auto. The fans, however, are showing mixed reaction to this news of the sale. Taking a dig at Clark’s rival Angel Reese, some fans wrote:
“Angel Reese punching the air rn.”
There has been a growing sense of scepticism around WNBA being on par with men’s basketball. And to top that, the disparity in income among men and women basketball athletes. Perhaps highlighting that, some fans had these to say:
“At that price you could buy the WNBA.”
“Sold for over 8 times her salary this year 😭”
“I thought it was going to be $1 😂”
But not everyone had something negative to add. Some fans seemed truly appreciative of Clark’s impact on the sport and how the sale amount was a testament to the same. Here were some positive reactions:
“This card will be worth over 6 million in a few years🔥catlin Clark is a future HOF and a top 5 greatest of all time🔥great investment for the future 🔥”
“She deserves each and every dollar of that and the respect it comes with !”
Colin Cowherd compares Caitlin Clark’s impact to that of Tiger Woods for the PGA Tour
Analyst Colin Cowherd recently spoke about Caitlin Clark’s impact in a recent episode of “The Herd.” Though Caitlin Clark did not play in the WNBA All-Star game this year, it still was the second-highest in terms of viewership in the league’s history.
Comparing that to Tiger Woods’ impact on the PGA Tour, Cowherd explained why the WNBA players’ “Pay Us, You Owe Us” campaign matters. He said:
“And that matters. That’s why the women—despite you guys not liking the t-shirts they wore, “Pay Us, You Owe Us” —that’s why the women have the leverage. This is what Tiger Woods did to the PGA Tour.”
Caitlin Clark had to withdraw from the All-Star game due to a groin injury. Without her, the All-Star game drew 2.19 million viewers, down from 1.25 million viewers last year.
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