As Caitlin Clark enters her rookie season, retired U.S. women’s national team player Megan Rapinoe considered the surge in prominence the WNBA is expected to reap, attributing her success to the groundwork set by the female basketball luminaries who came before her.
“Being at the Final Four was incredible,” Rapinoe said Tuesday at the Business of Women’s Sports Summit in New York. ”
The University of Connecticut’s victory over Oklahoma in the 2002 NCAA women’s championship game was another significant event in the history of women’s basketball, as recognized by the two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup winner. Over five million people saw future WNBA player Sue Bird—who is also fianced to Rapinoe—win the national title on television, while approximately 30,000 people attended the final at San Antonio’s Alamodome. As one of the most well-known figures in the women’s basketball league, Bird’s rise to prominence, according to Rapinoe, established a solid basis for women’s sports.
Rapinoe compared the USWNT, who played their inaugural game in 1985, or nearly ten years before the WNBA started play, with the WNBA’s durability in the women’s sports industry.
That’s the main reason Rapinoe thinks there is more to the tale of Clark’s growing influence on the WNBA than just the celebrity. The soccer player made reference to Staley, another significant individual in women’s basketball who has gained some notoriety. In front of nearly 19 million spectators, the South Carolina coach triumphed over Clark’s Iowa team to win her third national championship. “It’s so much more than Caitlin, though. [There’s] a huge storyline around Dawn Staley and her game,” she stated.
“It doesn’t look like she’s slowing down. Incredible, undefeated season and the only reason it wasn’t the only thing talked about is because Caitlin was going absolutely bonkers.”
Rapinoe also acknowledged that the WNBA’s recent attempts to forge an own identity had contributed to the league’s steady ascent.
Rapinoe also acknowledged that, similar to many others, she is excited to watch Clark in her first season.
Following her retirement, she referred to herself as “just a real fangirl” and said she “love[s] women’s sports so much” after attending the Final Four and the NWSL’s Seattle Reign home opener, where she spent ten years as a player. She also said she intends to watch Clark play several times this season.
