Some have called her the “Michael Jordan” of women’s basketball. Certainly, that’s not a fair comparison, and in itself shows the gender inequality that exists in our society. Why must the success of a woman always be compared to that of a man?
From her stunning performance as point guard with the Hawkeyes, Caitlin Clark has become a basketball phenomenon in her own right. Notice I said basketball phenomenon, not just a women's basketball phenomenon. Her career highlights and awards are so extensive that there’s not room to list all of them here. The NCAA Division 1 all-time leading scorer, two-time national player of the year, 4x All-American, and the list goes on and on. She was an absolute superstar on the collegiate court, where she captivated and transformed the world of basketball. While it’s tempting to make comparisons to the GOAT, Michael Jordan's accomplishments in college don’t even come close. Clark’s success has continued in the WNBA where she was named Rookie of the Year (2024) and AP Female Athlete of the Year while leading the league in assists.
Impressive as she is on the court, Clark’s impact on professional sports is unprecedented. In her final two seasons at Iowa, her games set several attendance and television viewership records. Dubbed the “Caitlin Clark Effect”, analysts have credited her with single-handedly boosting WNBA attendance and viewership. She was labeled the GOAT of TV ratings, with her impact on television viewership exceeding any modern athlete. Her appearance in the 2024 National Championship Game drew 18.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched basketball game since 2019. Clark’s presence in the WNBA drove a staggering 25% increase in revenue!
So, enough raving about Clark’s accomplishments. Where am I going with all of this? Historically, female athletes have always been viewed as inferior to men. Not just in skill, but also in terms of economic value. Men’s sports are so ingrained in our society as the standard of excellence, and much of this is measured by financial standards. Despite Clark’s popularity, she still makes significantly less than any NBA player. In fact, her earnings are nowhere near comparable. Her WNBA annual salary is $100,000 and it’s estimated she made over $11 million last season with endorsements, making her the world’s highest paid female athlete. The minimum annual salary for an NBA player is about $1.1 million, and the average salary is almost $12 million, not including endorsements. Some of these players barely see the court!
From a radical feminist perspective, pervasive inequalities still exist in professional sports, despite the success stories of superstars like Clark. Inequalities rooted in cultural power structures systematically diminish women’s achievements. In these systems, male and female athletes are treated differently, not just in economic terms, but through the entrenched hegemonic belief that men are inherently superior to women in athletics. Caitlin Clark is not Michael Jordan. She shouldn’t have to be. Her success should be celebrated on its own merit, defined by her incredible talent and transformative impact on sports. Isn’t it time we stop measuring female athletes against male standards and start recognizing them for who they truly are, icons in their own right, deserving of equal admiration and respect?
https://www.ncaa.org/news/2024/2/15/media-center-the-caitlin-clark-effect.aspx
She's incredible!
ReplyDeleteOne of my best friends was the Varsity girls basketball coach for Gabriella Jaquez from Camarillo High School. Despite being one of the top 20 basketball recruits during her senior year, the high school she attended had a minimal budget for girls basketball. To make ends meet for the program, fundraisers were necessary through most of the basketball season because the schools' sports budget was mainly allocated to the men's teams. The idea that female athletes are inferior to men starts with the inequity of an initial monetary investment in the early years of development.
Another friend of mine tells the story of her now ex-husband telling her there would not be a budget for her daughters "lessons". My friend was a stay at home mom but started side hustles to be able to afford putting her kids in dance and performing companies.
The radical feminist perspective is necessary when society has standardized the devaluation of women.
It's frustrating that female athletes' success is still overshadowed by their comparison to men. It happens across all sports, not just basketball. Look at Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of her age yet somehow people still speculate how she'd fare against her male counterparts. Why does it matter? Her insane amount of Grand Slam titles and dominance in tennis should speak for themselves. Instead of forcing women to answer questions of male dominance, we should strictly celebrate their achievements. This might help the people that fix the salaries see women as worthy of recognition in their own right, not because they overcame expectations of men.
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