After Luring 74 Million People, Amanda Serrano Sets Her Eyes on Caitlin Clark’s Major Feat

Caitlin Clark is the match lighting the fire of women’s sports that’s been stacking up wood for a long time. All it needed was a spark and now women’s basketball has turned into a blazing wildfire. And it’s not just hoops the 22-year-old has affected. This year, the U.S. women’s soccer team became the most-watched championship game in NWSL history. Angel City FC became the highest-valued women’s professional sports team, at $250 million. No wonder Clark was named TIME Magazine’s Athlete of the Year. Now Amanda Serrano might just claim that title for boxing!

Congratulating Clark’s achievement on X, Serrano reposted TIME’s original post with the caption, “Congratulations to an Amazing woman & Athlete @CaitlinClark22 Well deserved! She’s incredibly gifted & makes us women look Good 🙏❤️”

Just last Friday, Netflix aired the iconic Katie Talor vs. Amanda Serrano fight from Nov. with 74 million live viewers globally. It was the largest audience to ever watch a women’s professional sporting event in the U.S., meaning women’s sports are gaining more traction across all factions. Is that TIME Athlete of the Year award close enough to grab for Serrano now?

While this achievement is already something, as the cherry on top, Forbes also named the Indiana Fever point guard to the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2024. Know how many athletes have achieved this feat in the last two decades? Just one, and a highly accomplished one at that – Serena Williams. In contrast, Clark just won Rookie of the Year this season.

Describing 2024 as “historic,” No. 22 told TIME, “I’ve been able to captivate so many people that have never watched women’s sports, let alone women’s basketball, and turn them into fans.”

To be fair, she has not done it alone. The stage had already been set up by league veterans like A’ja Wilson and Diana Taurasi, and half the stories around Clark had to do with her supposed rivalry with Angel Reese.

Serrano has seen something similar with Katie Taylor, with many calling them the women’s version of Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. Although the differences between them are obvious, it’s undeniable what these two have done for women’s boxing and the sport in general. For Clark, this energy of supporting women’s sports is all that it’s about.

Caitlin Clark doesn’t want people to watch women’s sports just to check off a box

Addressing the unsavory stuff that has lingered around, Caitlin Clark called it “gross” and “upsetting” because of how so-called ‘fans’ treated the rest of the league hiding behind her name. While the Fever player agrees it’s not something in her control, she has tried to keep her focus on her basketball and not noise off the court, only engaging with it when asked directly.

The number one priority for the 22-year-old? Feed off the energy of the record-breaking crowds that come to watch her games. “You feel powerful,” Clark told TIME. “Instantly, everybody goes crazy. People are invested in the game, they love the game, and that’s what makes it so fun for me. These people aren’t supporting women’s sports to check a box. It’s going to be the new normal.”

Her impact has already been felt league-wide. In this Olympics, there was already a gender gap in participation, favoring the women, even if Clark herself was not selected for Team USA. Four years from now, when the quadrennial event comes to LA, it’s almost a given that she will play for her country. If a rookie is this good, imagine what a few years in the pros would do.