ESPN Executive Calls Caitlin Clark a “Gateway Drug” for Women’s Sports Growth

Bristol, Conn. – ESPN Executive Vice President of Women’s Sports Programming Susie Piotrkowski sparked conversation last week when she likened Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark to a “gateway drug” for new women’s sports fans, stressing that the analogy was intended as high praise.

Speaking at the Front Office Sports Live Summit, Piotrkowski used the term to describe Clark’s singular ability to draw casual viewers toward the WNBA and women’s basketball at large.

“I say this in quite literally the most positive way possible,” Piotrkowski told attendees. “Caitlin’s a gateway drug for some people to women’s sports. If that brought you in, I’m going to keep you here.”

The executive, who oversees ESPN’s women’s sports content strategy, emphasized that converting first-time viewers into long-term fans requires education rather than scolding. “Nobody wants the finger wagged at them,” she said, noting that some industry veterans still question whether recent ratings spikes are merely the product of the so-called “Caitlin Clark effect.”

Piotrkowski’s comments follow a season in which Clark, the former Iowa Hawkeye, helped make the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four a larger television draw than the men’s equivalent games. The surge in viewership has already influenced ESPN programming decisions; the network recently announced that women’s sports properties will fill the Sunday primetime window previously occupied by Sunday Night Baseball.

While the “gateway drug” phrasing raised eyebrows, Piotrkowski doubled down on its positive connotations, arguing that Clark’s popularity offers a critical entry point for broader engagement. “I’m going to tell you why it is more than that,” she said. “And that’s OK if you’ve come by way of her. Now I’m going to tell you why it’s necessary for you to stay here.”

Clark, who has already been compared on-air this year to Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, has yet to respond publicly to the latest analogy. For ESPN, the focus remains clear: leverage the momentum generated by the rookie sensation to solidify women’s basketball within the mainstream sports calendar.