As a young girl, Caitlin Clark would get angry every time her family visited the Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play.

It wasn’t because she hated them. But because she’d be forced to sit in seats way up high, while her brothers sat close to where all the action unfolded. She’d often wonder why. Especially after Clark’s whole toddler and teenage life revolved around the team. Every Sunday, like clockwork, the future WNBA superstar would accompany her dad to watch the NFL in her home’s basement, as a Chiefs-themed vending machine peered from the corner. Every time her cousins would visit Des Moines from Kansas City, she’d stick a kid-size Chiefs helmet on her head, knocking heads in the front yard.

So, as baffling as the “discrimination” felt to little Caitlin, it only made her love for the game and her team stronger with every passing year. “It’d be like a yearly thing. We’d go down there, watch one of the Chiefs games. So not a bandwagon Chiefs fan. I was a Chiefs fan even when they weren’t very good,” she had confessed during an interview earlier this year. Clark’s fiercest rival, Angel Reese, on the other hand, would beg to differ…

Growing up in Randallstown, which is precisely 19.9 miles away from Baltimore, there’s no question where Reese’s allegiance would lie. Though the 22-year-old plays for the Chicago Sky and often cheers for the Chicago Bears, attending the Ravens’ matches are also a staple till date—which is what makes the next bit we’re about to tell you even more exciting for Bayou Barbie!

As much as the two WNBA rookies love the NFL, they’re getting the same love back! And this time it’s the Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson who’s leaving no stones unturned to appreciate the duo’s impact…

Speaking to ESSENCE Sports host Shari Nycole in a YouTube video released December 24, Jackson was asked, “I’m a basketball girl…So I’m super excited about what’s going on right now leading into the WNBA season. For you what sport on the women’s side are you really excited about or you enjoying…soaking it all in?”

The Louisville Cardinals alum usually keeps his focus on football, but lately, he’s been celebrating women athletes who are changing the game. “Basketball, WNBA…I really wasn’t like too fond of [women’s] basketball cuz I’m like, ‘Man, they not dunking and stuff!” But now I’m like, “Not women dunking?” They got handles. Like women going crazy…on a high level, I’m seeing Angel Reese, I’m seeing all Caitlyn [Clark]. I’m seeing all these girls just go crazy now…It’s inspiring.” 

Immediately after, he also pointed out the immense impact that Clark and Reese have created on young girls, and how they are reshaping the narrative around women in sports. “Other girls can grow up and play basketball.They don’t got to be doing hair and stuff. They can play basketball, play some sports.”

It’s not just basketball catching his eye, though. Lamar shared how women’s soccer blew him away during a recent trip to Germany: “Then I was just in Germany last week. I’m watching soccer. I’m seeing these great women in soccer. It’s like, ‘Damn bro! Women [are] stepping [up]. Like the sports for the women is going crazy right now. It’s amazing. Like I’m inspired by it.” 

Oh, and here’s the kicker—he joked about his struggles on the court as well, and confessed, “I couldn’t shoot then, but I can now!” So relatable to see our favorite stars take inspiration from some of the best athletes in the sport. This shows Lamar is just like us, simple and focused.  “Women’s sports are going crazy right now,” he said, hyping up the incredible women, who are making it big in the sports world. But this is a learning Jackson’s definitely taken from his mother, who was a former college basketball player herself.

Felicia Jones isn’t just a mom. She’s her son’s manager who helped him ink a five-year, $260 million contract (making him the highest-paid NFL player by average annual salary), his coach, and most importantly, his biggest inspiration. As a single mother to four kids, Jones was always a fierce protector, sometimes even making her son do drills at home. “People don’t believe me. She was an athlete. She used to play basketball. She saw what we were able to do, and she’d go back there and play football with us. She was just making us tougher because she’s older, so she’s bringing power that we’re not used to feeling. We didn’t take it like anything different,” he had said in an interview with ESPN.

Whether he’s speaking from the heart or being boldly honest, Lamar Jackson clearly shows his inspiration. And honestly? It’s hard not to feel inspired too. He makes it look so cool to celebrate women’s sports and shows fans everywhere how much these athletes deserve their respect and admiration. While his support for women in other sports is unbreakable, he is also breaking records in his league.

How Lamar Jackson is raising the bar for QBs

Lamar Jackson made history when he surpassed legend Michael Vick’s record for the most rushing yards by a QB. This all went down in a crazy game against the Houston Texans. Where Lamar didn’t just break the record—he also led the Ravens to a big win. Now, Jackson holds the career rushing yards record for a QB with 6,110 yards, just ahead of Vick’s 6,109 yards. While Vick isn’t in the picture anymore, Lamar will be keeping that title for now.

So, if you have seen that Christmas game, it showed off Lamar’s dual-threat skills, with him running the ball and throwing passes like a pro he is. His rushing stats alone—87 yards—were a huge part of him securing his place in the history books.

This milestone also gave a big boost to Lamar Jackson’s MVP bid. His ability to change the game for quarterbacks earned him props as one of the league’s most innovative players. Lamar Jackson didn’t just win the unanimous MVP in 2019 because of his insane stats—it showed how he changed the way people see quarterbacks today. He is the only player after Tom Brady to get a unanimous vote, that’s just crazy. As he keeps breaking barriers and records, Lamar’s legacy is getting bigger both on and off the field.