Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark has been making waves yet again, dominating headlines with this year’s TIMES honor. Recognized as the Athlete of the Year, the instance marked the first time a WNBA player has ever received this prestigious honor. It has brought in some questions but count on Clark loyalists to prove her worthy. For one, a couple of words were enough to make a case.

The controversy started when Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson voiced her dissatisfaction during a recent discussion. “On Tuesday, you read Time Magazine, where Caitlin Clark was named Athlete of the Year,” Johnson began. “Why couldn’t they have put the whole WNBA on that cover and said, ‘The WNBA is the League of the Year,’ because of all the talent we have? … When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings.” Her remarks suggested a clear discontent with Clark being singled out, sparking a heated debate within the basketball community.

While Caitlin herself hasn’t responded to the comments, one of her most notable supporters, sports talk legend Dan Patrick, stepped up to defend her. During a recent episode of his podcast, Patrick didn’t hold back in addressing Johnson’s remarks.

“She [Caitlin Clark] brought eyeballs. That’s all. You’re flying charter jets now,” Patrick said, emphasizing the impact Clark has had on raising the league’s profile and increasing visibility for women’s basketball.

And Dan Patrick has a point. It was just this year, right as the season started in May, that the league announced fund allocation for charter flights for the teams. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert had assured that the program was to be launched as soon as the planes were in place. The whole of it would cost $25 million a year for the next two seasons as per reports.

The decision followed increasing criticism of the league’s previous policy requiring teams to fly commercial in most situations, raising questions about player safety and convenience. It was only during back-to-back games that the teams had ever flown the charter flights. But the increasing concerns, including the difficult response Brittney Griner faced after her detainment in Russia coupled with Clark’s massive following, seemed to trigger the league’s actions.

With Caitlin Clark, come the change, but the roots go deeper

It took the league 27 years to realize the need for charter flights for its players. It wasn’t just the crowded airports but the fatigue the players had to deal with through the long queues, tight spaces, and sometimes the layovers; all that after a game or right before. “It’s by no means a great way for us to travel that way with a game on Tuesday and then another game Thursday,” Jonquel Jones had conveyed the reality in 2023 as the Associated Press tracked their schedule on a commercial plane.

Now call it a coincidence or an impact, but Caitlin Clark and the 2024 rookie class’ popularity only highlighted the problems and fast tracked the need for charter flights. “At airports, it’s like a madhouse. You see Caitlin Clark walking through airports, people following her, people trying to touch her, get pictures with her. It’s just a safety measure, through and through,” said speaking about the implementation of the program.

It was a rough start though, with only selected teams flying charter and others commercial — Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky for their first games, respectively. But in about a week, the W had it all sorted out. “We’ve had moments in the league,” Cheryl Reeves had said. “But this is clearly a movement.” Whatever the cause, the league is finally enjoying the treatment in deserves.