I first learned of Caitlin Clark when an Instagram video was served on my feed of one of her games where a group of college boys from the opposing team kept yelling her name to distract her. And every time they did it, she scored. And never, never lost her composure. She just played on with that grit and determination and camaraderie. Then I was hooked. I started trying to find out when her games were on, when any women’s basketball games were on for that matter. The only saving grace was that the IG video came to me a couple of days before March Madness began, no irony there thanks to the ghosts in the algorithm machine.
Now I was able to start learning about a sport I honestly knew very little about. In fact, I don’t think I had ever watched an entire basketball game on television prior to this moment, having only watched one in person back in high school. The joy of basketball I’ve found is the pace and the turnover. In a matter of seconds, you have a new leader. And that changes more times than you can count, which makes for a nail-biter during the playoffs. For a newcomer? I loved it. And to be watching in March Madness during this moment of Caitlin Clark, legendary. Then the finals come along, and the games just keep getting better. The ratings are off the charts. The joy of the playoffs was not only witnessing the best in women’s athletics of the sport, but it was also the women commentators. A sense of belonging that I didn’t know I’d been missing.
The final game between South Carolina and Iowa, I’m not going to pretend to know the interworking’s of how good each team played. Or if they should or should not have done this or that. All I can say is that the game was incredible. Iowa came out on fire and ready to win. South Carolina was unstoppable. Coaches Dawn Staley and Lisa Bluder, class acts. Being able to witness Caitlin in her final moments of collegiate play and share that with my daughter and my son, beautiful. For my daughter to see possibility and not just “sports.” To see leadership, teamwork, character, records, grit. And frankly, for my son to see it as well.
A week or so later I see that the WNBA draft is happening and check on the deals. I know I’m late to the WNBA and the pay deals they have in place, but I’m not late to the pay gap. To the side hustles we as women must do to be close or equal to men. The amount of work we must do to be even close to our counterparts to show our worth. Caitlin is one of the best in the industry in this moment. And she is being paid sub standardly. Fellow standout rookie Angel Reese is being paid sub standardly. Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Draft salary is 1% of her male counterpart drafted to the NBA. 1%. What message is this sending young girls? What is it sending to young boys? This is a moment where we all need to pay attention.
To learn more about the league, I watched the “Power of the Dream,” a documentary about the league’s activism over the past few years. I was blown away by a referenced “Bet on Women” statement from Seattle Storm player Nneka Ogwumike. As President of the WNBPA, she was stating they were opting out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement in late 2018. The pay equity fight was a large part of the conversation, but it was also about equity in general – I’m still amazed that these women were having to travel to games on economy flights in the middle seat. Read the statement. My words can’t come close to how beautifully she put the importance of equity.
And here we are now. Because of the system, the players have just been making a ripple in a case to close the gap. No one has been listening this intently or going to the games in numbers as they are now. With the Caitlin effect that’s happening…as I’m a living, breathing example, this could be a moment.
It’s also the moment of all these incredible women finally being seen in this capacity. More than just the rookies. I realize there is a lot of noise about Caitlin in basketball and sports media and that seems to be all you hear and all that the players get asked about. At the same time, the good part is that people are talking, and the coverage is there. This could be a tipping point. This could be a moment where the tv coverage expands, the revenue share happens, the salary caps change even more significantly.
The TV coverage? Well, something happened. In July, the WNBA announced an 11-year media rights deal with Amazon Prime, Disney and NBC. Progress.
I’ve fallen in love with a new sport. I’ve dug in and I’m not leaving. The women in this league are beyond athletes. They are activists, business owners, wives, parents. They care about each other, and they care about their community. And they are bad asses at what they do on the court.
What it comes down to for me is that, as Nneka said, everyone is watching. And we are at a pivotal moment to do something about it. My ‘everyone’ is my most important everyone as she is watching from afar. She’s watched me take on starting a business and forge my own path. She’s watched me march and speak up, loudly. She’s enjoying learning a new sport with me, watching powerful women. She pays attention to what content I create. She’s asking the right questions. She’s holding me accountable. And I want her to. She will create her own path one day, taking these lessons with her.
He is watching, too. He is watching me get fired up. He sees when I’m most vulnerable about another setback. He celebrates this moment with me, and we watch many a game together. He is watching the wave of not only Caitlin but the rise of other stars and the legacy of the veterans. He watched as tears streamed down my face and my breath was taken away when Brittney Griner won her gold medal at the recent Olympics. He’s paying attention. He’s holding me accountable, too. And he’s going to hold others accountable; loudly and eloquently. He too will create his own path and we will be all the better for it because of this moment.
So, as “Everybody’s watching,” let’s pay attention and do something about it. It’s time.
*There have been Caitlin Clark’s before. Let’s invest properly this go round.
*For hope and inspiration as well as a reminder as to why Brittney Griner was in Russia, listen here. And then go buy her book.
*Need a place to watch the WNBA and other women’s sports? Good news, The Sports Bra is franchising!
