Caitlin Clark just snagged one of the biggest honors in sports: TIME Magazine’s Athlete of the Year for 2024. It’s the type of recognition that cements legacies, sparks debate, and yes, fuels some jealous grumbles. But if you’ve been paying attention, you’d know Clark’s meteoric rise was inevitable—critics be damned.
From her no-mercy days at Iowa, where she dragged her Hawkeyes into NCAA tournaments like a one-woman basketball SWAT team, to lighting up the WNBA with the Indiana Fever in her rookie season, Clark has been nothing short of a phenomenon. She’s the type of player who makes defenders wish they’d just stayed home that day.
But not everyone’s popping champagne. Sheila Johnson, co-owner of the Washington Mystics, chimed in with what can only be described as a side-eye compliment. “This year, something clicked with the WNBA, and it’s because of the draft of players that came in,” Johnson said to CNN. Oh, but wait—she wasn’t done. “It’s not just Caitlin Clark; it’s Angel Reese as well. We have so much talent out there.”
Translation: “Sure, Clark’s amazing, but can we focus on the whole class, please?” It’s like saying, “Yeah, LeBron’s great, but let’s not forget the guy who handed him his towel during timeouts.”
Enter Lisa Bluder, Clark’s former coach and official president of the Caitlin Clark Fan Club (unofficially, of course). Bluder wasn’t having any of the shade. In an interview with “Sports Seriously,” she came out swinging like Clark at the three-point line.
“It’s silly to me that anybody’s trying to take away from something that’s so good in your sport right now,” Bluder said, clearly ready to make the case for Clark’s sainthood.
Bluder even compared Clark’s impact to none other than Billie Jean King. That’s right, the Billie Jean King. No pressure, Caitlin.
“[Clark] is a person that’s really helped athletics, helped women’s sports in a way that nobody has helped women’s sports, maybe since Billie Jean King,” Bluder added.
Mic. Drop.
Bluder then hit the critics with a reminder that Clark’s shine isn’t selfish; it’s a glow-up for women’s sports as a whole. “When Caitlin’s light shines on her, it shines on all of us,” she said. Translation: “Stop complaining and let the star do her thing.”
At this point, Caitlin Clark’s critics should probably take a breather. The 2024 Athlete of the Year title isn’t just about a killer three-point shot or breaking ankles on the court—it’s about shifting paradigms in sports and giving women’s athletics the spotlight it deserves.
So, here’s the real question: When’s the Caitlin Clark documentary dropping? Because with every swish of the net, she’s rewriting history—and leaving her doubters eating her dust.