Caitlin Clark, the WNBA Rookie of the Year and a transcendent figure in women’s basketball, was notably excluded from Time Magazine’s 2025 list of The 100 Most Influential People.
Which made absolutely no sense, considering the Indiana Fever star was named their 2024 Athlete of the Year. Is that to say somehow that the most important figure in all of sports doesn’t even register when it comes to influence?
Nobody is buying that.
There are, of course, other athletes on the list. There are even WNBA players, Breanna Stewart and Naphisa Collier.
Clark’s impact on women’s basketball—evidenced by record-breaking viewership, attendance, and economic activity—made her one of the most influential people in America.
Since Michael Jordan, no individual has caught the public’s attention in quite the same way.
Stewart and Collier are there, but they couldn’t find room for Caitlin?
Caitlin Clark Being Snubbed was not Well Received
Fans were certainly taken aback to discover that Time had left Caitlin Clark off the list of its most influential people.
Chief among them was Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd, who called the decision “idiotic” and “nonsense.”
“That’s idiotic! That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen!” Cowherd said. “That’s a dumb list… she’s the most influential athlete, I would argue, man or woman in America over the last year.”
"If Caitlin Clark's not in this, the list is nonsense"@ColinCowherd reacts to @CaitlinClark22 being left off the Time Magazine Most 100 Influential People list pic.twitter.com/mhcDYbBvqa
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 16, 2025
Other basketball fans wholeheartedly agreed with Cowherd’s take.
“Clark is the main reason the league is so popular, and she’s not on the list?” one fan wondered.
“Caitlin Clark is the most influential athlete since Red Grange was to college and pro football,” another suggested. “The W and the media still can’t accept that fact.”
One fan wrote, “I don’t always agree with Colin, but on this issue – she has to be on this list.”
More Controversy
Time magazine’s snub is just the latest controversy when it comes to the outlet and Caitlin Clark.
The Fever star raised eyebrows recently when she again suggested she’s the beneficiary of privilege, something that surfaced when Clark was named TIME Athlete of the Year for 2024.
In a recent conversation with David Letterman for the show, Clark said, “I definitely have privilege.”
The star player, according to Awful Announcing, added, “I’m obviously white, but I think I’m somebody who grew up a huge fan of this league.”
“I grew up watching this league, going to games, supporting this league,” Clark continued. “So I know where this league comes from: A lot of Black women that grew up making this league what it is. And that’s kind of the shoulders that we stand on.”
“So I think that was something I’m very aware of, and something I’m very thankful for.”
