ESPN executive sees Caitlin Clark as ‘gateway drug’ to watching women’s sports

March 2, 2026

The conversation around Caitlin Clark and her impact on women’s sports has always been a weird one.

The Indiana Fever superstar has been co-opted by various groups to prove whatever point they’d like to make about women’s sports, the WNBA, white female athletes, and many other things. She’s become an avatar for ugly, divisive opinions she hasn’t shown any personal affinity for.

So, in some ways, Clark being compared to recreational drugs is rather quaint by comparison.

Susie Piotrkowski, ESPN’s VP of women’s sports programming and espnW, spoke at a Front Office Sports event in Nashville last week and discussed how the company sees Clark as a “gateway drug” to bring new fans into women’s sports overall. AWFUL ANNOUNCING