The rise of Caitlin Clark has been a unidirectional ascent that has taken every avenue by storm. Starting with her storied career at Iowa, she became an icon for women’s sports, a tradition that has continued with her as she has come to the WNBA.
Now setting records with the Indiana Fever, she’s turned the franchise, and by extension the league as a whole, on its head. With popularity, ticket sales, and ratings surging, she has become a significant force in women’s basketball. Thanks to her contributions, Clark earned a major honor above some of the biggest names in women’s sports.
Caitlin Clark Earns Rare Review
The 2025 season did not go according to plan for Clark. Injuries kept her shifting in and out of the lineup for Indiana before she was officially ruled out for the season with a groin injury.
Even without her, the Fever were able to go on a monstrous run through the playoffs, and pushed the eventual champions, the Las Vegas Aces, to the brink in the semi-finals.
However, the impact she’s had on women’s sports wasn’t undersold one bit. Moreover, on the latest edition of Forbes’ top 25 most powerful women in sports, Clark found herself at the number four spot.
The highest among all active athletes, she beat out legendary names like Simone Biles (18), Coco Gauff (13), Dawn Staley (20), and even Serena Williams (11). The only three names above her were those of executives and owners, who had been given the nod by the illustrious website.
Those names were, in order, the owner of the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans franchise, Gayle Benson, the CEO of FanDuel, Amy Howe, and the Brand President of Nike, Amy Montagne.
With regards to Clark, Forbes wrote, “Caitlin Clark has turned her record-breaking college basketball career into early dominance in the WNBA. Her estimated $8.1 million in income from her rookie season with the Indiana Fever was bolstered by big deals with Nike, Wilson, and Gatorade, and signals a shift in how female athletes are being valued in the world of professional sports.”
Even addressing the injury, they added, “The injury doesn’t change the fact that Clark has, in the last two years, been the spark that lit the match that set women’s sports on fire.”
While she wasn’t able to have a substantial impact on the court for Indiana during the season, her star continues to shine as bright as ever. Thanks to the influx of talent into the league, spearheaded by the former Rookie of the Year, the players have a newfound voice in the WNBA.
That could impact the league in a major way and get the players the salaries they are rightfully owed. As the CBA negotiations continue, the overwhelmingly positive consequences of Clark’s popularity are being felt across the WNBA.