Caitlin Clark’s Instagram followers spiking by the thousands with Iowa’s Final Four trip
There’s nothing like winning and winning on the big stage to gain sports fame.
Not that Caitlin Clark needs any help. She’s already a superstar. But, she and Iowa are justifiably garnering plenty of national attention with the program’s second Final Four trip.
In the process, Clark is receiving plenty of individual focus. Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Dick Vitale are among those extolling Clark’s greatness. It’s no surprise a new audience is getting caught up in Clark mania.
What’s not to like? There’s logo 3s, 40-point triple-doubles in the Elite Eight and a per game assists average that leads the country. All of those accomplishments earned the 6-foot guard from West Des Moines, Iowa, the Naismith Trophy. Clark is the second Hawkeye to earn the award given to the National Player of the Year, joining Megan Gustafson.
As Iowa’s Friday date against undefeated South Carolina nears, there’s been more conversation about Clark and the Hawkeyes than ever before. There’s also been a lot of eyes along the way.
Iowa’s 97-83 Elite Eight win over Louisville brought in a whopping 2.49 million viewers. That figure topped any NBA regular-season game’s viewership this season on ESPN.
As all of this transpires, Clark’s social media following continues to soar. On Tuesday morning, Sports Business Journal reported Clark had gained over 35,000 followers on Instagram since the Hawkeyes punched their Final Four ticket.
Since @IowaWBB punched their ticket to the #WFinalFour, Caitlin Clark has gained over 35k followers on Instagram 📈#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/yYiQ7ve2Zh
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) March 28, 2023
Clark is a ratings magnet and her social media following makes her more attractive to branding opportunities. As the Des Moines Register’s Kennington Lloyd Smith III detailed recently, Clark has a lengthy list of NIL partners.
Per Smith, that list includes The Vinyl Shop, Hy-Vee, H&R Block, Topps, Nike, Shoot-A-Way, Bose, Buick Automotive and Goldman Sachs.
Clark’s growing popularity means that set of NIL deals should only get more lucrative.
The Sports Business Journal also looked at Final Four teams’ social media value through the Elite Eight. According to its numbers, Iowa’s social media value was $1.7 million as compared to LSU’s $1.04 million, South Carolina’s $686,000 and Virginia Tech’s $379,000 thousand.
.@IowaWBB leads the women’s Final Four teams in social media value 🏀#WFinalFour pic.twitter.com/h4Nv5AuEot
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) March 29, 2023
Iowa’s $1.7 million social media value figure also topped Connecticut’s mark of $1.09 million by a wide margin. The rest of the men’s Final Four social media values through the Elite Eight were $95,200 for Miami, $38,800 for Florida Atlantic and $38,000 for San Diego State.
Iowa is slated for an 8:30 p.m. CT tipoff on ESPN Friday night against South Carolina.
More!
Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano, McKenna Warnock break down Final Four win over South Carolina
Everything Lisa Bluder had to say after Iowa took down South Carolina in the Final Four
Sports stars, media react to Caitlin Clark's otherworldly Final Four performance
About last night! A look back at Iowa's historic win over South Carolina in pictures
National Championship Tidbits: Get to know the Hawkeyes' opponent, the LSU Tigers
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