When Caitlin Clark got herself a deal with Wilson, she was compared to the legendary Michael Jordan, the only other athlete to have his own ball with the company. To top that, her deals with Nike and Gatorade once again placed Clark in His Airness’s company. While fans do accept that Clark is comparable to the 61-year-old for the immense popularity he has brought to the sport, a certain analyst claims that Clark has already surpassed the former Chicago Bulls star. And instead, she now could be compared to the legendary golfer Tiger Woods.

Jason Whitlock was present on his namesake YouTube channel on Tuesday when he opined that Clark had left behind Jordan.“She’s the biggest star in American Sports. I don’t compare even to Michael Jordan. The only person I really compare to is Tiger Woods and what he did for professional golf,”  Whitlock stated.

Notably, Clark has tirelessly brought a lot of fan following to the WNBA. The 2024 national championship final drew nearly 19 million average viewers, becoming the most-watched game in women’s basketball history. By the end of her college career, she was deemed as the  “GOAT of TV Ratings” by the Wall Street Journal. And it was no different in the WNBA.

The Indiana Fever passed a million mark for six regular season games on the ION network and each one of them featured Clark. In May, one of her games against the New York Liberty set a record of 1.71 million viewers, and apart from that, ESPN and the NBA TV brought on more audience. Thus Clark has somewhere increased the popularity of the game much like Tiger Woods. But that isn’t all Whitlock seems to be talking about.

“I know golf’s not… a contact sport… but Tiger Woods’ toughness, winning the US Open on one leg. All the surgeries, he’s gone through… He used to go through military training in preparation for golf. That’s who I would compare Caitlin Clark and obviously Tiger Woods’ passion for golf. His love of golf. He would have played the game for no money,” Whitlock concluded.

During the 2008 US Open, Woods won the Championship title with two stress fractures and an ACL tear. Additionally, two years ago, he had joined a military camp for training. Although experts say that he wasn’t given training that tough, Woods impressed with his dedication to fitness and sports as a whole. A passion, Whitlock believes, Clark adorns as well. And hence, despite Jordan having billion-dollar links with Gatorade, Nike, Jordan Brand, and Wilson, according to the analyst, Clark has eclipsed the NBA legend.

However, he is not the only one to compare her to Woods.

Nancy Lieberman thanks Caitlin Clark

When Jordan burst onto the ball scene in the 1980s, the game wasn’t that popular. Jordan would change that, eventually leading the Chicago Bulls to its glory. Owing to his popularity, Nike capitalized on his name and introduced the Air Jordan. The company would witness first-year shoe sales totalled at $126 million — forty times the company’s three-year sales estimate. Referring to same the popularity, the WNBA legend Nancy Lieberman compared Clark to him. And also Woods in the process.

“What Caitlin Clark has done for the game is generational. As a baller to a baller, I just want to say thank you to you Caitlin Clark for just lifting our game up. You and so many great players for what you’re doing. You’re going to make all these women multimillionaires one day. Like Tiger did. Like Michael Jordan did. And we shouldn’t hate on her. We should celebrate her. Not tolerate her,” Lieberman stated.

Clark seems to have inspired a similar fan following. During the pregame training of the Olympic games against Japan, despite Clark’s snub from the team, a fan was donning her jersey while another was holding a placard demanding Clark be given a chance with Team USA. But it is only the beginning for the 2024 Rookie of the Year.