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New York Post
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
It's crazy to be reminded of how seismic Caitlin Clark's impact on sports is — both the good and the incredibly ugly
On the night of April 19, 2024, I argued with one of my childhood guy friends. It was a few days after Caitlin Clark had been drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever. He predicted her star would wane after entering the WNBA. Or more specifically he said: 'no one will give an f—k about Clark in a year.' I told him he had rocks in his head, as another friend watching made a note in his calendar. Advertisement On April 19, that other friend sent us both a reminder to check in on our debate, a year on. I smugly proclaimed victory. 7 After getting drafted by the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark, pictured with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert, had an immediate impact on the league. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST Everyone still gave a f—k about Caitlin Clark: her legions of fans, the city of Indianapolis, where Clarkmania brought in an estimated $36 million, and especially her haters. Even Shane Gillis recently told Flagrant podcast that he was 'starstruck' when Clark came to his show in Indiana. Advertisement A year on, the basketball world is still spinning on her axis and she's transformed the landscape of women's athletics — the way Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods did in their respective sports. All the proof is in Christine Brennan's new book, 'On Her Game' which chronicles the rise of Clark from an Iowa-grown phenom to WNBA megastar. The veteran sportswriter was drawn to the project because Clark continuously grabbed national headlines, even more than her male peers. In fact, she notes that the women's 2024 NCAA final pitting Iowa against South Carolina drew four million more viewers than the men's Final the next night. 7 Then rookie, Caitlin Clark is introduced during a game in Seattle. NBAE via Getty Images Advertisement 'That's a sentence I never thought I would write. Women's college basketball being more popular than men's college basketball? In 21st-century America? How was that possible?' wrote Brennen. 'The answer was Clark.' She added that there was 'so much to tell.' Indeed, it is a whiplash inducing book. It's pretty insane to recap just how much happened to Clark in the span of a year. But also, how much Clark happened to us. Her impact was immediate. When she arrived in May, the league, which had previously flown commercial, were now given charter flights and many teams moved their Fever match ups to bigger arenas to accommodate the demand when Clark came to town. Advertisement Brennan's book underscores just how uniquely equipped this confident 22-year-old was for this moment. 7 Christine Brennan was drawn to the book project because Clark dominated national headlines. The WNBA, however, was not. Brennan noted that the media covering the league was insular and protective of its status quo, which was majority black, LBGT and hyper focused on social justice. 'When a league is small and often ignored, as the WNBA has been, there can be inclination among some members of the media to want to fight for it and even reluctance to let outsiders in. 'Into this landed Caitlin Clark, a white, straight 22-year-old woman' who hadn't played a single possession, but was already the face of the league, wrote Brennan. 'To say people were conflicted about it would be an understatement.' 7 Christine Brennan's new book chronicles Clarks rise from an Iowa hoops phenom to WNBA megastar who transformed the women's sports landscape. AP Advertisement Veteran Diana Taurasi famously told Scott Van Pelt in March of 2024, 'reality is coming' for Clark. (By September, Van Pelt noted that Taurasi was wrong and that Clark, who would win rookie of the year and led her team to the playoffs, 'was the reality'). Clark faced many inhospitable veterans. In June, Chicago Sky's Chennedy Carter hip checked Clark in an outrageous foul that was far from a basketball play. On Threads, Carter wrote of Clark, 'beside three-point shooting what does she bring to the table man?' 7 Caitlin Clark was dressed in head to toe Prada for the WNBA Draft – the first basketball player to be dressed by the Italian fashion house for a draft. NBAE via Getty Images Advertisement Clark took the high road, saying Carter didn't owe her a public apology. 'No, basketball is competitive. I get it.' Then came her Olympic snub last summer, which Brennan saw as malpractice. 'How did all those skilled basketball minds on the committee miss how good Clark already was — and how well she would be playing by the Olympic break? The answer was becoming clearer by the day: because they wanted to.' But she was also expected to answer for society's ills and maybe some nasty things fans of her said on social media — despite loads of ugly race-based insults thrown her way. Advertisement In mid-June, Clark was asked by a reporter about people using her name to push agendas. 'People can talk about what they want to talk about… I'm just here to play basketball,' she said, adding she could not control others. Connecticut Sun's Dijonai Carrington tweeted, 'Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionality of them all is nuts.' 7 Clark was named Time Athlete of the Year in December. Past honorees include LeBron James and Lionel Messi. Advertisement Clark handled a follow up deftly, but a pile on ensued. It showed that the league could be unserious, making hoops an afterthought. Then in September, Clark caused another uproar by simply liking Taylor Swift's Instagram endorsement of Kamala Harris. In December, she was named Time Athlete of the Year. The next month, a man was arrested for stalking her. The book isn't full of bombshells, but Brennan is unsparing in her criticism of the league being caught flat-footed by Clark. 7 While the rookie Clark was not welcomed by many veterans, teammates like Aliyah Boston (pictured) and Erica Wheeler looked out for Clark. AP She called out WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert who during a '60 Minutes' piece on Clark and the league, refused to give the star sole credit for its insane growth. Reporter Jon Wertheim pointed out that when she is asked about Clark, she 'brings up other rookies as well.' 'No league is ever about one player,' she responded. Brennan wrote, 'By practically any measure, Clark was that one person.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers approve budget for agriculture, natural resources
The Iowa Capitol on May 8, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capitol Dispatch) State representatives approved a budget from the Senate on Tuesday that would increase funding for agriculture and natural resources departments by $682,000 compared to the current fiscal year. The budget for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year prioritizes funding to prevent the spread of foreign animal disease, supports state park maintenance and continues the Choose Iowa program, along with operations for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Senate File 646 would appropriate $46.6 million from the general fund and appropriate an additional $99.4 million from other funds for fiscal year 2026. The bill would put $1.8 million into the Choose Iowa fund for use on promotion, dairy innovation and value-added grants for Choose Iowa participants, which is on par with 2025 expected figures for the program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Choose Iowa is a network of producers selling Iowa-grown goods and has nearly 300 members across the state. The bill also ends the Choose Iowa pilot purchasing program and creates the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program, with an appropriation of $200,000 to help food banks purchase locally produced foods. The pilot program previously had two divisions, one that helped local food banks and another that helped Iowa schools purchase from local growers. Local farmers and food-security advocates hoped the program would have substantial funding this year following the cancellation of funding from a similar federal program. Rep. J.D. Scholten, D-Sioux City, proposed an amendment to expand the purchasing program to include schools, but the House did not adopt the amendment. Scholten said the amendment would have made 'sure that (Iowa) kids are properly fed.' The appropriations bill would also eliminate the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Fund in favor of creating an Iowa Animal Disease Prevention fund, which fulfills requests from Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and other stakeholders for increased funds to protect against the threat of foreign animal diseases. Those funds would go toward animal disease equipment, vaccine research and updates to state technology to track an outbreak. Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-DeWitt, tied the need for funding to the ongoing impact of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which since 2022 has killed more than 169 million birds in the United States. The bill also appropriates $200,000 to the Iowa Geological Survey to research and map the state's aquifers. The bill allocates $12 million from the Environment First Fund, in lieu of a standing $20 million appropriation from the general fund, to extend the Resources Enhancement and Protection, or REAP, program through 2028. This program funds county conservation, city parks and open spaces, historic preservation, conservation education, soil and water enhancement, and other projects related to natural resources. Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, proposed an amendment, which failed, to fund the project at the full $20 million. 'It's a long time program that has never received the full amount of money for which it was authorized,' Kurth said. The bill also has a special general fund appropriation for state park maintenance, floodplain management and forestry health management. The budget bill faced some pushback from Democrats in both the House and Senate who said it did not adequately prioritize local food, water quality and conservation efforts. The bill advanced from both chambers, and with no adopted amendments in the House it now goes to the governor for final approval. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
