Will Caitlin Clark be the most famous Iowan ever?

sioux34 said:
I personally doubt she will be able to draw the same level of attention in the WNBA. Not because she won't be dominant there, but because there is almost no interest in the WNBA, and I doubt even she can change that.
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You're mostly right.
But it won't take much.
I dunno how many WNBA games air on network/cable. For the most part, they've done like the MLS. $25/season for all access.

If they increase viewership by 1%, it's worth millions. With current numbers, it's entirely possible Iowans alone will bump it .5% (?)

I'd put her on the Olympic Team and put her into the game as soon as they're up by 10 with instructions to not do anything but dish dimes and take shots from the logo. That'd give em another chance to bump WNBA eyeballs by another .5%. Or more.

If the Fever can get to the finals...or they open the Law Firm of Clark and Boston (I'm betting Boston will be pretty good at handling Clark's laser passes)...there's another full 1%.

WNBA playing a long game here. As for the Fever, if they can add 1000 butts in seats average over the season, they know exactly all the revenue that comes from that.

I can guarantee you that I will watch my first ever WNBA game next season. Not just because I'm am Iowan and a Hawk fan.

I have never been a basketball fan. I've watched exactly 2 NBA games from start to finish. One was an invite to a friend's who's basketball mad yo watch a Jordan era Bulls game on TV. The other, we took a basketball mad Jaapanese exchange student to a Grizzlies game to see Yuta Watanabe. Never went to a Hawks game when inwas there. Maybe watched a total of 10ish of their games on TV since i graduated in the early 90s. At best, I'd dip in on a game just to see.

And yet, 3 years ago, I flipped on an Iowa womens game simply because it was on and thought I'd dip in. And have watched every game I could since. Because she's just that electric.

When the WNBA gets my eyeballs..even if it's ultimately just dipping in, it's a HUGE win for them. And I am not alone.
 
I went to a Chicago Sky game this last season. I think some people will want to watch CC play. She is presently better than anyone on the Sky. That may not be saying much. I will certainly watch her in the WNBA. So now that we know who is leaving the Hawks who will start next year?
 
I don't know about forever but she sure as hell is as we wake up today. What else can be said that hasn't already about her? Unreal. All of it is unreal. Wish I coulda been there is about all I can say
 
HaydenHawk56 said:
I was listening to an ESPN guy who thought it was a mistake for Clark to leave Iowa. He said, she should have held out for another year.....and had her agent(s) work behind the scenes to get a Pro WNBA team in Des Moines that she could have played for. He said if you think that if far-fetched......in ABA team was made in San Diego to try to get Walton to play for them after graduating UCLA. He ended up declining and went to the NBA.

He said that Clark would have drawn big time in a hypothetical Des Moines market. She is like a God in Iowa and people would go watch her.

Other things I have read in the media is that Clark might draw some eyes for a few games, but the WNBA just is not interesting enough....and it is being played during summer.....a terrible time when people are outside doing things.
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I was thinking DSM would be a good place for a WNBA team too, imagine if they got Gustafson on the same team. WNBA is a mess though, not promoted and played at the wrong time of year.
 
M1911A1Hawkeye said:
This was put up this morning by Nike.
AnogYSB.jpg

U4FVFwS.jpg
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I was downtown yesterday after the game. Across the street from this hanging on the parking ramp I park in was a basketball hoop similar size with a certain saying on it that I can't quite remember. Something like "It was never in doubt" or similar.

It was done to look like she was shooting across the street for a logo 3.
 
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Will C said:
My uncle from Des Moines led the iron work on that dam for Eagle Iron Works, also in Des Moines. I only learned this at his funeral. Sadly, he was an ISU grad. But then he was never in to sports.
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I forget how many people ended up dying when building that dam but it was an awful lot of them. So dangerous.
 
Gander Hawk said:
I was thinking DSM would be a good place for a WNBA team too, imagine if they got Gustafson on the same team. WNBA is a mess though, not promoted and played at the wrong time of year.
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They play it that time of year so they don't have to compete with all other major sports besides baseball. They aren't going to want to play against football and the NBA, along with college.
 
dagdaj said:
You're mostly right.
But it won't take much.
I dunno how many WNBA games air on network/cable. For the most part, they've done like the MLS. $25/season for all access.

If they increase viewership by 1%, it's worth millions. With current numbers, it's entirely possible Iowans alone will bump it .5% (?)

I'd put her on the Olympic Team and put her into the game as soon as they're up by 10 with instructions to not do anything but dish dimes and take shots from the logo. That'd give em another chance to bump WNBA eyeballs by another .5%. Or more.

If the Fever can get to the finals...or they open the Law Firm of Clark and Boston (I'm betting Boston will be pretty good at handling Clark's laser passes)...there's another full 1%.

WNBA playing a long game here. As for the Fever, if they can add 1000 butts in seats average over the season, they know exactly all the revenue that comes from that.

I can guarantee you that I will watch my first ever WNBA game next season. Not just because I'm am Iowan and a Hawk fan.

I have never been a basketball fan. I've watched exactly 2 NBA games from start to finish. One was an invite to a friend's who's basketball mad yo watch a Jordan era Bulls game on TV. The other, we took a basketball mad Jaapanese exchange student to a Grizzlies game to see Yuta Watanabe. Never went to a Hawks game when inwas there. Maybe watched a total of 10ish of their games on TV since i graduated in the early 90s. At best, I'd dip in on a game just to see.

And yet, 3 years ago, I flipped on an Iowa womens game simply because it was on and thought I'd dip in. And have watched every game I could since. Because she's just that electric.

When the WNBA gets my eyeballs..even if it's ultimately just dipping in, it's a HUGE win for them. And I am not alone.
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You know, a week ago, I was 100% in agreement with this post. But, I'm starting to wonder if The Show is just moving on.

Indiana Fever sold out their season tickets. Well that was a bit a a yo! to me because my family has been to WNBA games and many a time they are lucky to have 200 fans in attendance. So for any of them to sell out a game is a thing and I don't know how many times any WNBA franchise ever sold out their venue.

Well I don't live in Indiana so no problem, surely I could catch Clark at some other place this summer. So, I started checking out road games for the Fever and they are almost all sold out. Tickets in Chicago are getting up to $250 for something worth sitting at. Tickets in Dallas are the same way. Vegas had some seating still left. New York was quickly selling out.

Now I'm sure the Caitlin Clark effect is good for one year and if she doesn't perform at an all-star level, it will go down as a revolutionary career in college sports. But, what if she does keep bombing away from the logo at the pro level with circus like passes to Boston who we know can finish at the rim? I think the ball will keep rolling.

So, I don't think the arenas are too distant for her success. As kind of alluded to here, Taylor Swift may be the only woman in America more popular than Clark right now. People have interest and want to see the show, where off nights are triple doubles, 3's rain from the heavens, and all the grit and competitive spirit you would ever want.

The other thing Clark has going for her, that shoe contract that expires very, very soon. I was hearing that 4 shoe companies were highly interested in Clark and the bid was going to start at $3 mil. I'm telling you, Nike isn't spending $3 mil on Clark just to watch her disappear into Tuesday night on ESPN2.

So, for now, I'm in a wait and see position. Clark draws eyes and if the spotlight is shining bright, she has the ability to single handedly raise the ceiling to all new levels for the WNBA. But, maybe her critics are right. Maybe she isn't athletic enough to make it work against a very tall and twitchy-fast league. But, how can any of us bet against her at this point.
 
trj said:
Is Fry the 4th? CC, Gable and Kinnick are clear cut I am not sure where you go with the 4th. Should Duke Slater be the 4th?
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If we are including coaches, I am not sure Fry is on there. He is a legend, but if we are looking at accomplishments, there are probably better arguments for KF, Bluder, and even Brands.

But, since this thread is about who is most famous, that is kind of generational I suppose. Hayden Fry was not just a great coach, but he was an amazing man outside of his coaching. From integrating SW, to ANF, to just his general personality and persona, he was larger than life. So, if we are talking "famous" whatever that means, and just related to athletics, I am ok with Fry coupled with CC, Kinnick and Gable.
 
SwirlinLingerie said:
In my opinion, there is no Mount Rushmore any longer for Iowa sports.

There is a mountain top with Caitlin Clark.
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Dan Gable is widely viewed as one of Top wrestlers in the history of the planet. Then he became the greatest wrestling coach of all time (I recognize Sanderson has some say in that).

CC may reach that status at some point, but Gable is a legend of legends in a sport that probably has a similar niche characteristic as WBB.
 
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