Caitlin Clarke is behind Taylor Swift but ahead of Serena Williams on the cover of Time magazine

Caitlin Clark has scored some pretty impressive real estate on the latest Time magazine cover.

Time magazine published a special edition of “Women Inspiring'' on Wednesday, featuring eight women in leadership positions, including three athletes.

The top row of the photo collage included Clark and Taylor Swift. Swift was in the center and Clark was next to her.

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The player next to Clark on the left side of the second row is former women's tennis superstar Serena Williams.

Former women's soccer player Megan Rapinoe appears from the center of the third row.

Clark was paid more than both Williams and Rapinoe, even though she is only 22 years old and has only played one professional season. But Clark's growing popularity as a women's basketball superstar has arguably given her more attention than anyone other than Swift on this year's cover.

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According to a recent YouGov survey, Clark is one of the most popular basketball players in the world in 2024, ranking alongside athletes such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry, and Clark's followers include men and women. It includes a large number of people regardless of who they are. The “Caitlin Clark Effect” became widely adopted in the media last year to explain Clark's influence on women's basketball at the college and professional levels.

This year's WNBA Draft, in which the Indiana Fever selected Clark with the No. 1 overall pick, averaged 2.45 million viewers, the most in WNBA Draft history and the most-watched WNBA telecast since 2000. All seasons include Clark. She helped the league reach record television viewership for games played simultaneously with NFL games.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, 22, and Connecticut Sun forward exchange words during the first half of Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA basketball playoff series on September 25, 2024 in Uncasville, Connecticut. Dewana Bonner (24). (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Clark's popularity in the music industry has been compared to Swift's, and there has even been a crossover moment among their fans in recent weeks due to a controversial podcast episode by Clark's rival Angel Reese. Ta.

Reese hosts a woman named Kayla Nicole, who is a promotional model, media personality, on-air host, and entertainment journalist, and was dating Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce. During an appearance on Reese's podcast, Nicole shared personal details about her past relationship with Kelsey and its aftermath, sparking outrage from Swift's fans.

Then, courtesy of the Swift Army, a social media post from Clark's college days resurfaced virally, bringing in a swarm of engaged new fans.

“Taylor Swift, welcome to the good side,” Clark wrote on a Sept. 24, 2023, post by X, adding the hashtag “Chiefs Kingdom.”

Kaitlyn Clark and Angel Reese at the 2023 NCAA Women's Finals and Taylor Swift crying in front of Travis Kelce at the Super Bowl. (Getty Images)

Clark also drew praise from Williams, who defended the 22-year-old from women's basketball fans who chose not to accept her.

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“I really like that she tried to stay grounded and didn't look at social (media),” Williams told The Associated Press. “I get that. I don't either. And I think it's really important that she continues to do what she's doing.”

Mr Williams also suggested that some of the negative attitudes directed at Clark stemmed from jealousy.

“And no matter what other people do, if people are negative, it's because they can't do what you do…basically,” Williams said. “And hopefully she continues to do what she’s doing.”

But Williams also made comments that raised eyebrows among Clark's fans.

During a monologue at the ESPYS in July, Williams joked about the controversy surrounding Clark's unprecedented popularity within the league.

“Caitlin Clark had a great year and was nominated for three awards. Caitlin, you're Larry Bird in that you're a great player. You have that Indiana connection and white people are really into you.” is.”

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