Did Time Magazine make a huge mistake giving Caitlin Clark 2024 Athlete of the Year nod?

As 2024 wraps up, many major sports publications are looking back at the year as a whole. Time Magazine is no different.

Since 2019, Time Magazine has bestowed an award on the athlete or team that best defined that year in sports.

Time Magazine announced that Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark received the publication’s Athlete of the Year distinction for 2024. It’s an honor that will be associated with Clark’s legacy for the rest of her life, but there are a few reasons why Time should have gone in a different direction. All basketball statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

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There’s no doubt that narrowing the field down to select just one athlete across the world of sports for this recognition is one of the most difficult tasks out there. With that said, there appear to have been a couple of strong choices that might have been more deserving than Clark was at this point in time.

While the majority of the 2023-2024 NFL season was played in 2023, the postseason and ultimately the Super Bowl were decided in 2024. The Kansas City Chiefs legendary quarterback stepped his game up when it mattered most, winning the third Super Bowl of his career in 2024. He threw a game-winning touchdown pass to seal the deal.

Claiming a third ring with many prime years ahead of him should have been enough to put Mahomes in the conversation. However, he and the Chiefs further underscored their greatness by getting off to a blistering start during the 2024 NFL season, as they were the last team to lose a game. Given his body of work in 2024, Mahomes would have been an ideal choice for Time Magazine’s honor.

If Time Magazine was locked in on selecting a WNBA player for the award, they might have had a better option than Clark in 2024. Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson won her third WNBA MVP award in 2024, and put up remarkable numbers. Wilson averaged nearly 27 points and 12 rebounds per game, to go along with 2.6 blocks, while shooting 84 percent from the free throw line.

Women’s basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes wondered what the criteria were for selecting Clark. She said on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, “And my questions is, like, the criteria… Is it based off of her performance on the court? Yes, she had a great year. Or is it more about the impact she had on the game this season?” Swoopes also thought that Wilson, swimmer Katie Ledecky or gymnast Simone Biles should have been considered.

Wilson may very well be the best player in the WNBA. In addition to her individual accolades, she’s a two-time WNBA champion. The Aces star hasn’t won Time’s Athlete of the Year previously, and considering the remarkable seasons she’s had inclusive of winning, it doesn’t seem like she’ll ever truly be in the running.

Caitlin Clark broke a boatload of records during her first WNBA season, which deserves praise and credit. However, Clark’s name was also etched in the WNBA’s history books for something a little less flattering.

Clark posted 223 turnovers during her first professional season, which shattered the WNBA single-season total. Granted, the ball was in her hands a lot, so it’s natural to expect she would turn the ball over. However, doing so at a clip not previously seen in league history is something that should weigh into the discussion.

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For example, if Patrick Mahomes led the NFL in interceptions, Aaron Judge led MLB in strikeouts, or LeBron James had the worst shooting percentage in the NBA, it would be hard for them to overcome in a conversation involved the greatest athletes in a given year. Clark’s turnover woes seemed to be swept under the rug.

Clark wrapped up a memorable first WNBA season, and the future is as bright for her as any player who has ever played in the league. Her former teammate at Iowa, Kate Martin, told the New York Post that Clark constantly has to deal with the pressure “to be perfect,” which may have been involved in Time’s decision to make her Athlete of the Year.

Clark has dealt with that immense pressure about as well as anyone possibly could, but did that factor into Time’s logic here? An athlete bestowed with such an honor should rise above the noise to play their best, which Clark largely did. With that said, the recognition here may have been premature.

As we touched on earlier, multiple-time champions and MVP’s have not graced Time’s cover page for this distinction. Clark will undoubtedly achieve great things in the WNBA and might one day have a resume similar to Mahomes’ or Wilson’s. However, she’s been given one of the highest honors an athlete can receive already, which makes it challenging to wonder what she can do for an encore.

Anyone who has watched Clark play a minute of basketball can tell that she wants to be the very best, and win every game. Bleacher Report wrote in September 2024 that her level of competitiveness was on par with Michael Jordan’s, which is obviously saying something.

However, that fire has sometimes led to Clark being contentious with officials, which has sometimes put the Indiana Fever in a bad position. She was called for six technical fouls as a rookie, which was one away from her receiving an automatic suspension.

Taking away Clark’s burning passion for the game of basketball would be silly, considering the heights it has helped her achieve. However, when measuring her against the very best, as Time did for this exercise, her demeanor and attitude towards referees would be something to point out, especially if other superstars don’t treat respective officials in the same manner in their sports.

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