SCOTTSDALE, AZ — On Monday night, Iowa Hawkeye women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark will take on LSU’s Angel Reese in a national championship rematch for a trip to the Final Four.
Here in the Valley, we have someone who shares the same name as Clark, and, due in part to the parallel, she’s become a champion for women’s equality in sports and beyond. She's even being highlighted alongside the star as part of a national commercial.
Standing at just over 5'2", the Valley's Caitlin Clark admits athleticism wasn’t always a strong suit of hers.
RELATED: Men's NCAA March Madness event coming to the Valley later this week
Video in the player below depicts previous coverage of Caitlin Clark earning the NCAA's basketball scoring title:
“In my early 20s, I played indoor soccer. I did have to quit after I broke my big right toe. It’s career-ending,” she said.
The Valley’s Caitlin Clark is a planning specialist with the city of Scottsdale.
She just happens to share a name with the now all-time scoring leader in NCAA basketball history for both men and women.
Admittedly, that’s about where the similarities between the two Caitlins stop.
“Caitlin Clark has changed my life because now I can say I’m a women’s college basketball fan,” she said with a smile.
One day, the Valley’s Caitlin Clark got a LinkedIn message from the communications company Xfinity about being in a commercial with the Iowa Hawkeyes point guard who is breaking all kinds of records and barriers.
Out of about 100 other Caitlin Clarks Xfinity reached out to, the Valley’s Caitlin was picked to be in the commercial now seen nationwide.
The commercial has the Valley’s Caitlin Clark doing basketball drills over a voiceover that says, “Not all Caitlin Clarks are the same… just like not all internet providers are the same.”
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When asked how it felt to see herself on national TV, Clark said, “Nerve-wracking. I love the commercial, of course, I’m my own worst critic. Whether or not I’m acting, that can be open to interpretation.”
Iowa’s Clark has partnered with major brands like Gatorade, Nike, and State Farm totaling north of $3 million in deals — and she’s poised to be the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft and is the presumptive player of the year.
Perhaps most importantly, Clark is helping bridge the gap between inequities in women's and men’s sports, bringing it to the attention beyond the sports world.
“We need to continue this conversation and hopefully, women will be paid just as much as men in the NBA and beyond,” said the Valley’s Caitlin Clark.
The WNBA average salary is just over $100k, and the average salary for the NBA is $9.4 million.
When shooting the commercial, Iowa’s Caitlin was shot at a different time than the Valley’s Caitlin – so the two never actually met. So, if and when she gets a chance to meet the basketball star she’d ask, ”Hey, want to shoot some hoops?"
