Caitlin Clark’s Conundrum

The photograph of Caitlin Clark on the cover of Time magazine honoring her as its athlete of the year is a stunner. Her dark hair blows back breezily as she faces the camera with a confident half-smile. Her workout top exposes her muscular midriff and sinewy arms, while the fingers on her right hand are perfectly poised to dribble the basketball. Inside, the magazine devotes close to 7,000 words describing her off-the-court life (new BFF: Taylor Swift), her basketball brilliance (“her signature 30-ft. launches. . . are akin to home-run balls”), and her impact on the WNBA during her rookie year with the Indiana Fever (incalculable).