The Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark has been capturing hearts with her amazing basketball journey. However, not many know that behind her basketball brilliance is a human who enjoys the simple pleasures of life, like eating dessert. Clark is also a student at Iowa and is just 21 years old; a fact most of her fans forget when looking at her on-court brilliance. Her off-court life is as interesting as her on-court exploits.
What is Clark majoring in?
As per the Tippie School of Business’ official site, Clark wasn’t very sure what she wanted to major in. She had a lot of options to explore in Iowa, with degrees ranging from subjects such as psychology to complete organizational building majors, such as business. The 21-year-old was particularly fascinated by an associate professor in marketing, Nancy Abram’s lecture.
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Clark thanked Abram for featuring professionals who worked in top-notch companies like Amazon and Microsoft. They gave Clark an insight into the world of marketing and how she could use it to build her career. Other than that, Clark also got a lot of “guidance” from former students who shared their experience of learning the subject.
Nancy has been one of the most respected professors for Clark, who admitted to loving “her energy” and also “engaged me in marketing.” Clark’s social media networking profile on LinkedIn states that she is a student of BBA Marketing at Iowa College.
Clark did choose the right subjects for herself because she went on to sign major NIL deals and her degree would have proven useful for it. Today, Clark is one of the most successful brand names in the NCAA college basketball circuit. Her proficiency with marketing was quite evident when she became the first college athlete to sign a deal with the insurance company, ‘State Farm’.
Clark most recently scripted a historic deal with the energy drink company Gatorade when the latter decided to donate her jersey number matching $22,000 to the ‘Caitlin Clark Foundation‘ as equity. Apart from that, the Iowa-born also has major deals with the sporting goods company Nike, and her persona is so popular that her fans are often seen donning Clark’s 22 Iowa jersey.
Whatever time she gets outside the basketball court is utilized in learning more about business aspects, as she has stated that “my interest is in marketing and leadership” on her LinkedIn profile. As per her own admission, she is interacting with a lot of people from different strata in the business world ranging from executives to designers.
“I should get internship hours for living my daily life running my business and brand,” Clark stated as per the Iowa website.
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The normalcy in the star’s life
It was not only her interest and Abram’s proficiency as a teacher that led her to choose Iowa. Rather, she wanted to opt for a college that was close to her home since she describes herself as a “homebody.” Additionally, Clark has a sweet tooth and takes an interest in baking and cooking. She has taken up these hobbies that help her relieve stress.
The 2023 Naismith College Player of the Year also spends her time hanging by the pool or taking walks and playing golf. She is also believed to have participated in the PGA Pro-Am tournament during the summer alongside professional American golfer Zach Johnson.
While Clark will have a major in marketing, she will also have a minor in communication. Her communication abilities are quite evident in the way she has built her brand image. Getting a chance to work in ads for State Farm, Nike and other major NIL players has only leveraged her understanding of the business world.
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While other athletes are often embroiled in one controversy or the other, Clark has been free of any such image-soiling incident. Her dedicated fan base throughout America has also stamped her great communicative abilities as a brand.
Clark is also aware that at some point in her life, she will have to hang up her boots and then she will most probably pursue what she has learned in college all these years. As per the Iowa website, Clark might take up something related to sports management or have a team of her own.
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The 2023 Wade trophy winner is quite competitive not only on the court but off the court too, and she wishes she had the time and energy to score a 3-pointer in her academics as well. It is not only her skills but also her human personality that touches millions and continues to inspire people that they too can someday grow up and be superstars.
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