photo credit: Adam Welch
The energy of Indiana high school basketball is like the equivalent of high school football in Texas; locals live and breathe their local schools-you’ll especially get that picture after watching “Friday Night Lights”.
Multiple high schools in Indiana boast costly and boisterous high school gyms, with 30 comprising over 5,000 seats in capacity, according to source. Indiana basketball has been put on display on a national scale in numerous instances over the years whether it be from being the home state of “Larry Legend” Larry Bird, one of the greatest small forwards of all time, or through the iconic high school basketball drama “Hoosiers” starring the legendary Gene Hackman.
A key factor when it comes to Indiana basketball though is that it has always been male dominated. If you search on Google: “Indiana high school basketball”, the first result is “Indiana High School Athletic Association Boys Basketball”.
So how did it come about in September 2024 that the biggest name in basketball for this state is not a member of one of its esteemed collegiate teams or a member of its NBA team, but rather a 22-year-old woman named Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark burst onto the national scene in women’s basketball at The University of Iowa in 2023 with a ballistic season. She gained respect from men and women alike for her three point shots with a range that was compared to Stephen Curry’s.
She followed up her 2023 season with a just as good 2024 season breaking record after record and constantly getting posted on mainstream sports social media in SportsCenter and BleacherReport posts. What had once been a sport mocked on sports social media by male viewers was now being watched more than ever by them; women’s basketball even surpassed men’s basketball in viewership.
Clark’s championship game against The University of South Carolina had over four million more viewers than the men’s championship between The University of Conneticut and Purdue University. The persistent rise of women’s basketball does not come without its faults, but according to the Sports Business Journal, males have surpassed females in viewership of the WNBA this year, making up 54 percent of the total viewer base.
However, more male viewers could equal more hate. Due to sports stars being more popular in today’s society than ever before and being within an arm’s reach away from being connected to, their active online personalities pose an easy target for many fans to take it upon themselves to send hate messages.
Rival team players and athletes of fans’ favorite teams become victims of abusive language in online direct messages when they make a crucial mistake constantly. Death threats and racist terms are used every year against athletes of any sport all over the world. In fact, referring to an anonymous poll conducted by The Athletic in 2019, 13.7percent of NBA players cited fan behavior as the league’s most pressing issue.
This number is concerning considering over 60 percent of NBA fans are of the male demographic. One could also only assume that the percentage has risen half a decade later from the original poll conducted.
Surprisingly, Clark has dealt with the phenom status beyond expectations. Constant pressure has not slowed her down as she has already broken WNBA records on the Indiana Fever, like breaking the assists record in an individual WNBA game.
However, this does leave me wondering if Clark has set a newfound precedent. Will new male viewers who all flocked to support Clark, eagerly expect the “Next Caitlin Clark”?
How will the next generation of female hoopers deal with pressure as viewership has skyrocketed, especially the 18 and 19 year old college phenoms, who will have the majority of the national spotlight. The next great female college ballers will be expected to play at the “Caitlin Clark standard” set at Iowa, something that may be extremely challenging and daunting on many future athletes.
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