In September, Caitlin Clark was unanimously voted the Associated Press (AP) WNBA Rookie of the Year after an extraordinary first season in professional basketball. She added to her accolades by being named the AP Female Athlete of the Year, though this recognition was not unanimous.
A panel of 74 sports journalists from AP and its member outlets voted for the AP Female Athlete of the Year. Clark secured 35 votes, while Olympic gymnast Simone Biles came in second with 25 votes and boxer Imane Khelif, whose 2024 Paris Olympics gold-medal run sparked gender debates, earned four votes to place third.
Some fans playfully referenced the “privilege” Caitlin Clark mentioned in her TIME Athlete of the Year profile, while also expressing surprise that Khelif ranked so high.
“Must’ve been Caitlin Clark’s ‘privilege’ that got her named Female Athlete of the Year—because dominating the court, redefining women’s basketball, and being the best clearly isn’t enough anymore,” a fan quipped.
“She definitely deserves it. And she’s even a woman,” another fan said.
Since the publication of her Athlete of the Year article, Caitlin Clark has faced backlash for being labeled as “woke.” In the piece, she openly recognized her “white privilege” and shared her intent to use it to highlight Black players.
“Poor Caitlin with all that white privilege, bless her heart!” another commented.
“CC disappointed me with her white privilege crap but she is very talented. I’m glad to see an actual woman win Female Athlete of the Year and not a man who gets paid to beat up women,” another said.
Many were surprised that Khelif ranked third.
“Love the top two choices. Shameful that they couldn’t find one more biological woman more deserving of this recognition,” one said.
“There was no 3rd place Female Athlete of the Year award this year—unless you consider the female named 4th as the 3rd place award winner. The delusion proceeds at pace. The headwinds generator needs more fuel,” another added.
Former AP Female Athlete of the Year commends Caitlin Clark
Rebecca Lobo, a former AP Female Athlete of the Year and current ESPN analyst, praised Caitlin Clark for elevating women’s basketball to new heights.
“She’s brought unprecedented attention both in the building, but also viewership to the sport that was worthy of it but didn’t have it yet,” Lobo said (per AP). “There’s never been anything like this.”
The WNBA experienced its highest total attendance in 22 years, a 48% increase from the previous season, according to AP. Clark’s Indiana Fever set a league record with an average home game attendance of 17,035.
Lobo also applauded Clark’s composure under intense public scrutiny.
“I would say she’s navigated it almost flawlessly. she hasn’t had an big missteps or misspeaks at a time you’re under constant scrutiny,” Lobo said.
“She’s seemed to say and do all the right things. That’s just incredible at a time when it’s constant attention and scrutiny. She has not done anything to tarnish this sort of mild persona she has.”
Lobo earned the AP Female Athlete of the Year award in 1995 for her remarkable achievements in college basketball. That year, she guided UConn to its inaugural NCAA championship, completing an undefeated 35-0 season.
Lobo was honored as the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Final Four and received multiple prestigious awards, including the Naismith National Player of the Year.
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Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro
