The sports world thrives on debates about greatness, and this year’s Time magazine Athlete of the Year selection has ignited another great debate as fans on social media are split over who truly deserved the 2024 title.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark took the honor, but many believe gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles should have won. Some argue that race may have played a role in why the 2021 AOY winner was snubbed.
Caitlin Clark’s greatness is hard to dispute. In her final season at the University of Iowa, she led the Hawkeyes to a second straight national championship appearance and finished as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. Her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever was equally historic. The No. 1 draft pick became the first rookie to record a triple-double and finished the season as the Rookie of the Year.
Sports Illustrated highlighted her unprecedented impact, noting that no WNBA point guard, rookie or otherwise, has ever scored and assisted as much in a season in the history of the league. However, even with all of her accomplishments, the backlash over her AOY win was swift and pointed.
Some corners of social media erupted with criticism, primarily focusing on what critics perceived as a lack of championship credentials.
One X user captured the sentiment bluntly, “By winning nothing? White Privilege at its height. Simone Biles broke Olympic records but @Time named a woman who won nothing as Athlete of the Year.”
Another critic echoed similar sentiments, saying, “Simone Biles was certainly a more deserving athlete for the honor. But these white media outlets have their own agenda.”
One X user wrote, “I feel like I’m in a fever dream because how did she get this,” as another replied to her, “White woman whose TEAM did not win a championship, while Simon Biles excelled in her sport.”
The argument for Biles is compelling. At 27, she dominated the Paris Olympics, securing three gold medals and one silver.
Furthermore, her athletic résumé is unprecedented: eleven Olympic medals, seven of them gold, and a total of 40 medals across world championships and Olympic competitions —more than any gymnast in history, male or female.
Financially, Biles stands tall as the ninth-highest-paid female athlete in 2024, earning $11.1 million through sponsorships and athletic achievements. Her representation of the United States on the global stage has been nothing short of extraordinary.
However, in 2021, when Time named Biles “Athlete of the Year,” it was not her gold medals or athletic prowess that landed her the honor. Instead, her mental health took center stage.
Just one month after suffering from the “twisties” and withdrawing from four out of five events at the Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles and three other gymnasts testified before the Senate about not being protected while their team doctor, Larry Nassar, was allowed to sexually abuse them. Later that year, Time applauded the gymnast for safeguarding her mental health amid a tumultuous year leading into the Olympics. Biles was named 2021 Athlete of the Year, while Elon Musk received Time’s 2021 Person of the Year honor.
It’s also worth noting that since its inception in 2019, no athlete has been named Time’s Athlete of the Year twice. Time has also only repeated sports categories once with the United States women’s national soccer team being honored in 2019 and soccer star Lionel Messi receiving the title in 2023.
Taking all this into account, not all fans sided with the criticism against Caitlin Clark.
One passionate supporter argued, “Simone biles is great GREAT but she does this all olympics. she literally always wins everything by herself, she’s not in a team sport. caitlin clark change a entire TEAM sport in the span of 5 months bffr. pls say to me another play that ever did this? men or women. i can wait.”
Indeed, Clark’s impact is quantifiable. She brought unprecedented attention to the WNBA, with record-breaking audiences at games and a rookie season that redefined expectations for point guards.
And when it came down to the bank, her earnings for 2024 matched Biles at $11.1 million, a testament to her marketability and influence, Sportico reports.
While the debate rages, both athletes have been named finalists for BBC Sports’ 2024 World Sports Star of the Year award, alongside exceptional athletes like Catherine Debrunner, Armand Duplantis, Sifan Hassan, and Leon Marchand.
The controversy surrounding Clark’s selection reveals more than just a disagreement about athletic achievement. It reflects broader conversations about recognition, representation, and the metrics by which we define sporting excellence.
The race issue has plagued Clark for years, as it has been used when talking about her rivalry with fellow WNBA player Angel Reese.
Aware of this discourse, she released a statement regarding her recent honor.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them,” she tweeted, adding, “The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Whether you stand with Clark or Biles, one thing is certain: Both athletes have transcended their respective sports, inspiring millions and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in women’s athletics.
We're still several months away from the 2025 WNBA season, giving the New York Liberty plenty of time to continue celebrating the first title in franchise history. It also gives A'ja Wilson plenty of time to revel in her never-ending list of accomplishments. Once again, Wilson was named WNBA MVP following an outstanding season in which she dominated everyone. Wilson is setting an important example for the younger players, and that includes Angel Reese.
Reese followed up an impressive collegiate career with an All-Star Game nod in her rookie season. As she performs well on the court, she has used her fame to expand her brand in the media space with a new podcast. She uses her platform to try to uplift fellow women and talk about her life in and out of sports.
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But on Tuesday, it was Wilson who drew headlines. She posted a carousel of photos on Instagram that got everyone talking. Her outfit was the main talking point. She captioned the post "check pls", while wearing a hat that reads "put it on my boyfriend's tab".
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Unsurprisingly, this caught the attention of all of her fans. There have been rumors since the summer that Wilson is dating Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo. Despite everyone connecting the dots, there has never been real confirmation from either side.
Making matters even more intriguing for fans was Reese commenting on the post, asking "sis where can I find this hat?" That had some fans of Reese wondering if the Chicago Sky player has a boyfriend that no one knows about, too.
Reese had dated college basketball player Cam Fletcher previously, but the two confirmed their breakup in March of this year. She has mentioned that she's not actively looking to date right now.
Lucy Olsen scored 25 points and No. 21 Iowa stormed past No. 18 Iowa State in the fourth quarter to take a 75-69 win on Wednesday night before a sold-out crowd of 14,998 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Sydney Affolter added 16 points and Hannah Stuelke 13 points and nine rebounds for the Hawkeyes (9-1), who shot 43% to Iowa State’s 52% but scored 24 points off 21 turnovers with nine of those turnovers coming in the fourth quarter when Iowa outscored the Cyclones 22-13.
Audi Crooks scored 31 points with 10 rebounds and Addy Brown added 13 points for Iowa State (8-3). The Cyclones hurt themselves with the turnovers but also at the line where they made just 6 of 16 to 15 of 25 for Iowa.
Iowa State led for nearly 33 minutes but Iowa’s defense fed a 13-2 run over the final five minutes. After Crooks was called for traveling, Aaliyah Guyton hit a 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and Stuelke added two free throws for a 10-point lead.
Iowa State led by three after one quarter and the teams matched each other in the next two quarters, though the Cyclones had a 10-point lead with a few minutes left in the third.
Iowa State announced earlier Wednesday that junior guard Kenzi Hare would miss the rest of the season because of an ongoing hip injury. Hare started eight games, averaging 8.3 points in her first season with the Cyclones after two years at Marquette.
Iowa State is home against Eastern Illinois on Monday. Iowa is at Michigan State on Sunday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
The WNBA and the league’s players union met in person Wednesday to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement.
“Today’s meeting included preliminary conversations and constructive dialogue, with a mutual agreement to continue discussions for a transformational, new CBA,” the two sides said in a joint statement.
The WNBA players union opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement, two years before its expiration in October. The current CBA will still cover the 2025 season so the two sides have a year to negotiate a new agreement.
The early opt-out marks a crucial juncture for the league. The WNBA signed a historic 11-year media rights deal worth $200 million a year.
The league had record attendance and viewership this year that culminated when the New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx in overtime on Oct. 20 to win the WNBA Finals in a decisive fifth game.
At the meeting on Wednesday were WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike as well as Kelsey Plum, Elizabeth Williams, Napheesa Collier, Satou Sabally, DiJonai Carrington ,and Stefanie Dolson. WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson and additional union staff and advisors were there as well.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was joined by WNBA Labor Relations Committee members and additional league staff and advisors.
The league has been skyrocketing, with 2024 marking a huge breakthrough after years of significant and sustained growth. ESPN had huge increases in ratings with viewership in the regular season going up 170%, according to the union.
Engelbert said at her state-of-the-league address before Game 1 of the Finals that with the new media rights deal in place and many more corporate partners, the strength of the league is in a great spot. She also went on to say that the players have been getting a lot more marketing deals, making them into household names.
The union said it was hoping for a new economic model that transforms the current system, which imposes arbitrary and restrictive caps on the value and benefits of players. The players want an equity-based model that grows and evolves with the league’s increased business success.
Other areas that the union would like to see improved include salaries, retirement benefits, better child care, and family planning benefits.