some athletes are good some athletes are great but very rarely does an athlete make such an impact that they begin to transcend their sport you know those times where an athlete is creating so much Buzz that people who don't even follow the sport know their name these athletes hardly ever come around but when they do you know something special is going on growing up I used to skate so of course I know who Tony Hawk is but my mom also knows who Tony Hawk is in a report that tends to only retain the most DieHard fans Usain Bolt was so incredible that he became a household name and it also help that his name sounds like he was destined to be the fastest man of all time ask the average person to name any golfer and they'll instantly say Tiger Woods followed by no one else there are very few athletes that reach this level of popularity where they almost single-handedly lift their sport to new heights and right now women's basketball is home to an athlete that may just be next in line to be one of these Transcendent athletes Caitlyn Clark has only been in the WNBA for one season and she is already the face of the league drawing in more fans viewers money than ever before but it hasn't come without harsh criticism some of it targeted at the disproportionate admiration and attention being given to just one player and some of this criticism claiming she simply isn't nearly as dominant as we are led to believe a product of the sports media machine pushing their Golden Child is Caitlyn Clark really as good as advertised or have her talents been overblown for the sake of the WNBA and the future of women's basketball and I I want to personally thank Caitlyn Clark for lifting up our sport today's video is sponsored by DrftKings football season is here and my partners at DrftKings are ready to make your Sundays even better right now all new customers who bet just $5 will instantly get $200 in bonus bets that's right receive $200 in bonus bets for placing any $5 wager and you can 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the majority of this flocking attributed to one player Caitlyn Clark her unbelievable range and record-breaking performances proving to be must-watch TV the true Testament of her greatness and impact all of the doubt and border line to test that quickly followed her Ascent some fans and players both past and present questioning if her talents would translate to the next level and if the horde of fans she inspired would follow they did her WNBA debut attracted the most viewers of any WNBA game in the history of ESPN Indiana's home game attendance jumped from an average of 4,000 fans last season to an average of over 17,000 fans this season a more than 400% increase in just a sing single year transactions in the fever's Team Store jumped over 700% and WNBA viewership has skyrocketed to levels that even Clark's biggest Advocates could not foresee game four of last year's WNBA finals Drw in more viewers than any WNBA game over the last two decades with 728 th000 fans tuning in for the game living up to the hype as one of the most anticipated games in the history of the League this season there were 22 regular season games that Eclipse that Mark 21 of them drawing in over a million viewers even crazier 18 of those 22 games featured Caitlyn Clark and the Indiana Fever but the most revealing evidence of the now dubbed Caitlyn Clark effect is the fact that WNBA viewership has nearly caught up with NBA viewership in 2024 on ESPN NBA games averaged 1. 56 million viewers this past season WNBA games games averaged 1. 2 million viewers a number that was inconceivable just a couple years ago but Caitlyn Clark's soaring popularity has been a point of contention for many fans of the WNBA frustrated that in a league that is bursting with Talent right now it's all just being overlooked for the poster child of women's basketball do Caitlyn's abilities actually warrant the hype in just her rookie season Caitlyn broke over a dozen league and franchise records including the wnba's single season assist record she set the record for the most assists in a single game she received the most All-Star votes of any player in WNBA history set a new league record for double doubles by a guard in a single season scored the most points of any rookie in league history and became the first rookie in WNBA history to put up a triple double just this past week it was announced that Caitlyn made first team all WNBA which makes her the first rookie to make First Team all League since Candice Parker did it 16 years ago turns out those awe inspiring performances from her days in college did in fact translate to the pros because even against the best defense in the world she is pretty much an offensive cheat code throughout her rookie season with points and assists Clark generated 45.
2% of all points produced by the Indiana Fever for perspective she has a larger offensive load than every single player in the NBA last season outside of Luca donic and she's a rookie but to really understand Caitlyn's unparalleled offensive prowess here are the 200 most productive offensive seasons in WNBA history on a scale of points generated per game and among these Seasons you'll find the greatest players in the League's history Lisa Lesley Tama Catchings Cheryl swoops Candace Parker and Angel motry have tons of Seasons littered throughout this chart climb towards the top and you'll find Seasons from Asia Wilson and Cynthia Cooper but with four of the top 10 most productive Ive offensive seasons in WNBA history is Diana terasi her 2006 campaign being the best of them all producing 33. 9 points per game and then there's Caitlin Clark who is already the most potent offensive player in the history of the WNBA in her rookie season women's Hoops has never seen a player like this and as absurd as her numbers are how she puts up these numbers is just as incredible here are the the players who attempt the longest three-pointers on average in the NBA last season with Trey young leading the league with the deepest three-point attempts with an average distance of 27. 94 ft and Damen Lillard and Stephen Curry just a shade closer despite it still being worth the same amount of points the longest shooters in the NBA are stepping 4 feet outside the three-point line on their attempts but even amongst the deepest Shooters in the world Caitlyn Clark is on her own Island because because throughout the 2024 regular season her average three-point distance was 28.
