Did Caitlin Clark acknowledge the hype train has gone too far?

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark was named Time Magazine Athlete of the Year in December 2024, capping a stellar 12 months for the dynamic player.

Time Magazine wrote a lengthy profile summarizing what led up to Clark winning the honor. One topic mentioned in the piece was the notion of white privilege, which the Fever star acknowledged that she benefitted from.

Clark was also quoted in the piece as saying that past and present black WNBA players should receive more credit than they do, since the league was built on their accomplishments.

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The examples of Clark's popularity are seemingly endless. Unrivaled is a new three on three basketball league, founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. They were willing to do nearly anything to get Caitlin Clark to play.

Caitlin Clark was reportedly offered a minimum of $1 million in order to play during the 10-week Unrivaled season. Other participating players are receiving six-figure payouts, but the league went the extra mile to try and sway the Indiana Fever star. She ultimately declined.

Everyone has been talking about Caitlin Clark as the Indiana Fever star is taking basketball by storm.

Fans all over the country have taken their affinity for her to new levels. But have the immense heaps of praise gone too far?

One orchard in Indiana went above and beyond in early September 2024 with a tribute dedicated to the Fever superstar rookie.

As outlined by CBS Sports, County Line Orchard decided to redesign their corn maze in order to recognize the brilliant season Caitlin Clark is having.

As seen best from above, the maze displays Clark holding a basketball on her shoulder, in her number 22 Indiana Fever jersey.

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Additionally, “we love Caitlin Clark” is also engrained in the maze, with the word “love” being replaced by a heart symbol.

This isn’t the first time that a food-related theme has been used to express appreciation for Caitlin Clark’s supreme skills on the basketball court.

As covered by Sporting News in August 2024, the Iowa State Fair decided to honor Clark’s unprecedented college career at the University of Iowa with a life-size sculpture of her, made out of butter.

Sculptor Sarah Pratt and her daughters Hannah and Grace took great care to make sure that Clark’s butter likeness resembled the basketball star.

As her college career at the University of Iowa came to an end, Caitlin Clark received another impactful tribute. The International Business Times detailed the lengths to which Nike wanted to celebrate her accomplishments in college with a tribute commercial.

Anything goes in the current NIL era of college sports, but Nike left no stone unturned to communicate just how special Clark’s Hawkeyes career was.

The narrator in the commercial went through Clark’s sizeable accomplishments in college. It was an interesting decision by the footwear brand, who has usually reserved such celebratory spots for professional athletes who are nearing the end of their career.

Sports Illustrated highlighted a post on X from a Clark fan in early September. The text read, “she has Steph Curry’s offensive game mixed with LeBron’s passing. It’s already over.”

Angel Reese has experienced Clark’s meteoric rise every step of the way; in high school, in college, and now in the WNBA. However, the Chicago Sky forward thinks her supporters often take things too far.

On her podcast Reese said, “I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans… They ride for her, I respect that, respectfully, but sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it. I don’t believe she stands on any of that, but… I think her fanbase has gone…it’s a lot.”

USA Today also wrote about how a Caitlin Clark fan attempted to challenge Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter at the team hotel. Carter infamously knocked Clark to the ground early in a game early in her rookie season.

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