Caitlin Clark is one of the most popular basketball players in the game right now and is changing vi
- Caitlin Clark's popularity has driven sold-out arenas and increased viewership in women's basketball.
- A new YouGov study found Clark is one of the most popular basketball players in the game right now.
- She ranks among athletes LeBron James and Stephen Curry and performed highly with men and women.
Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark has changed perspectives of women's basketball and sports from her college days to the WNBA.
A new study conducted by market-research firm YouGov found Clark is the most popular women's basketball player in the US and that her broad appeal with both men and women rivals that of superstar male athletes like LeBron James.
Clark was rated positively by 42% of US adults. She ranked particularly high among males; 49% of the men surveyed viewed her positively, as did 33% of the women.
Clark ranked nearly as popular as NBA players LeBron James and Stephen Curry and ahead of Kevin Durant.
"There's definitely a moment in women's and female athletics right now where I think there's an increasing level of respect and acknowledgement of the level that they're playing at," Nicole Pike, the senior vice president and head of sports & gaming at YouGov, told Business Insider. "That has in part played into the overall positive ratings for her, again, across genders, which is really fascinating."
The findings, published by YouGov Profiles, were based on an ongoing survey of over 400,000 panelists in the US that rated over 450 active athletes. The data was based on responses from May 2023 to May 2024.
Clark's influence has contributed to sold-out arenas and increased viewership and attendance at collegiate and professional levels. Pike said the media coverage surrounding Clark has also helped bring more attention to women's sports.
"There's so much content out about her that I think that definitely helped to increase awareness," she said.
Clark is the most popular women's basketball player but trails some other women athletes
Clark's popularity is well ahead of other players in her league, in which the 22-year-old debuted in May.
The next most popular women's basketball players are former WNBA star Candace Parker, who holds a 26% positive rating, and Clark's Fever teammate Aliyah Boston who has a 25% positive rating.
Compared to other active women athletes in sports, Clark ranks third behind Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and tennis champion Venus Williams, who ranked most positively, according to data YouGov pulled in April.
Retired tennis star Serena Williams is the highest-rated women athlete overall, with a 63% positive rating.
Pike said Clark ranks lower than Biles and the Williams sisters because they're more recognizable.
"Caitlin is relatively quite new on the scene versus if you think of part of the input that goes into people being able to rank someone positively," she said. "The Williams sisters, Simone Biles, they've been active in their respective sports for a while…they're really, really, really highly recognized."
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