Caitlin Clark is often credited with increasing the popularity of women’s basketball more than any other modern player.
Often called the Caitlin Clark Effect, it is a distinction that she humbly shies away from, especially because she grew up a passionate fan of the WNBA and keenly understands that she stands on the shoulders of other women who came before her.
But the facts don’t lie.
Attendance nearly tripled at Iowa women’s basketball games when she played there. The Hawkeyes national title game versus South Carolina outdrew the men’s championship game for the first time in history. Following Clark’s arrival to the WNBA, the league had its highest monthly attendance in over two decades.
What is Clark’s superpower that has propelled this impact? It is joy.
You do not have to watch Clark play too many times before you pick up on the pure joy that she plays the game with. That joy is infectious. Our brains are actually wired to mirror the emotions we are witnessing. It’s why watching a sad film can make you cry, or a horror movie makes the hair stand up on your neck. The joy that Clark brings to the game is something we all love to feel and can explain her popularity and its impact on sports.
An article in Sports Illustrated said about Clark, “Fans who saw her in action simply couldn’t help but be captivated. Whatever the elusive “it” factor is, it’s synonymous with the effect that bears her name.” The effect even made its way to ESPN SportsCenter, where Scott Van Pelt reported his slot on the show got one of the highest ratings ever after one of her games with the Hawkeyes led into the show and featured highlights from it.
Clark’s joy for sports began at a very young age, when she would put on the football gear of her beloved Iowa Hawkeyes and dream of playing sports in stadiums filled with fans. “I’d like, run out and do a lap. So, it’s like, honestly, I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was a little kid,” said Clarke in a story reported by Women.com about her transformative impact on basketball.
She may have been donning a football helmet and jersey, but Clark’s first and forever love was basketball. She started playing at age 5, but the only problem was there were no girls’ leagues, so she had to play with the boys. Clark’s dedication was tested because that decision wasn’t popular with everyone. “One of the mothers complained because, ‘A girl shouldn’t be allowed to play in a boys’ tournament,’” recalled her father, Brent.
The SI article quoted ESPN’s Holly Rowe, who underscored Clark’s passion for playing basketball when she recalled Clark’s mom once sharing a childhood school project laid out in different colored blocks, mapping out what she wanted her future to look like. “The number one block is ‘Be a WNBA player.’”
Clark’s joy for playing hoops is maybe best illustrated in the cute story of when, as a young girl, she begged her dad to tear up the grass in their yard and replace it with cement so that there would be enough room to include a three-point line on their driveway court. The love of basketball trumped everything else, even the curb appeal of the Clark family home!
The power of Clark’s joy could be seen in the TV ratings and attendance records her playing helped to shatter, but did joy for playing actually make her a better player? Science suggests that it did. Here are 4 ways that joy can positively impact your game too:
Cortisol Flush: Joy reduces cortisol, which is the primary stress hormone. This action helps relax the nervous system and reduce anxiety spikes, all making you a better player during high-pressure moments in a game and throughout the season.
Dopamine Blast: Playing with joy sparks dopamine production. This improves memory, sharpens focus, and speeds up learning. A high sports IQ is often the differentiator between success and failure in sports.
Brain Activation: Joyful play sparks the prefrontal cortex (front of the brain). This boosts executive function (the management system of the brain) and creative problem-solving. This is especially important for point guards, quarterbacks, and midfielders, who have to figure out solutions on the fly during games.
Grittiness Boost: A joyful approach can help you bounce back from short-term setbacks and maintain the mental fitness and endurance that are required to achieve long-term goals. Most coaches will tell you the number one factor that separates great players from good ones, or good from average, is having the grit to overcome the adversity that inevitably comes their way.
What is the takeaway from this for all young athletes, playing high school, college, or even pro sports? It is this: Make it a constant reminder to always tap into your inner child, the one who first started playing on a driveway court, as Clark did, and keep joy alive in your game. Heck, maybe your off-season plan could even include a little two-on-two action on that driveway!
