"Legend with a capital L": College basketball fans pay respect to $3.1 million NIL-valued Caitlin Clark amid final game in front of Iowa home crowd

Caitlin Clark is playing her final game in front of her home crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Iowa crowd gave their beloved star a thundering welcome as she made her way to the court ahead of the game against West Virginia.

Barstool Sports re-posted the video of Caitlin Clark's final introduction. The video has garnered about 204.7k views since it was posted.

Fans also took to social media to shower love on the Iowa guard.

"Legend with a capital L"

Some fans commented on the atmosphere at the arena:

However, some fans were unhappy that Iowa was playing at home in March Madness.

Despite the pros and cons, it is going to be one memorable night for Caitlin Clark to bid adieu to her home ground. But the $3.1 million NIL-valued (according to On3) senior guard is not alone, as two of her teammates, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall, accompany the Iowa star as they play their last game in the arena.

Caitlin Clark has revolutionized women's sports viewership

College basketball witnessed one of the most successful regular seasons in history in terms of popularity and viewership.

The regular season viewership on ESPN platforms averaged 476,000 views, representing a 37% increase. According to Jon Lewis, who studies sports ratings on his website "Sports Media Watch," Caitlin Clark is the primary force driving these statistics.

“These are the type of players that, when they’re playing, people tune in and pay attention to in a way that they don’t for other players,” said Jon Lewis via CNN.

According to Sports Media Watch data, Iowa and Clark have appeared in six out of the top 10 most-watched women's basketball games this season, all of which attracted over one million viewers.

Michael Mulvihill, president of insight and analytics at Fox Sports, said that viewership of women's college basketball has increased by 60% on the national networks and 48% in games.