Colin Cowherd Slams Time Magazine for Snubbing Caitlin Clark's Influence

Colin Cowherd slammed Time for omitting Caitlin Clark on their '100 Most Influential People in America' list.

Feb 1, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; Radio personality Colin Cowherd broadcasts on radio row at the Moscone Center in advance of Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images | Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

At this point in time, it is hard not to face the reality that WNBA star Caitlin Clark has had the biggest impact on the sport of women’s basketball, and has arguably elevated women’s sports across the board in a major way.  From driving record-breaking attendance to commanding nonstop media attention and shattering viewership numbers, all signs point to Clark as the face of this historic shift.

Thus, one could reasonably assume she would be considered at the top of the most influential athletes of 2024, yet in the April issue of Time Magazine, Clark was left off the list of the 100 Most Influential People in America.

There has been some significant backlash to the article's roster, including from sports media personality Colin Cowherd, who questioned the authenticity of the list.

“She played one year of pro basketball in a small market for the worst team in the league and she literally changed the entire financial makeup of the WNBA. That defines ‘influential,’” Cowherd argued. He continued, “Time Magazine is telling me she went from Athlete of the Year in December to less influential than Breanna Stewart by April? Yeah, I’m not buying it.”

One day later and @ColinCowherd still cannot believe that Time Magazine left Caitlin Clark off their list of the 100 Most Influential People pic.twitter.com/ZUyuORw8Qn

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) April 17, 2025

Cowherd backed his stance by pointing out that [during Stewart’s time in the league], the WNBA never had to move games to bigger arenas to meet the demand of fans, nor did it come close to breaking viewership records the way it has with Clark in the spotlight.

“Time Magazine, you used the word, I didn’t. You invalidated your list. You made it inauthentic.”

Colin Cowherd

With all due respect to Breanna Stewart’s greatness (and role in launching Unrivaled), as there is no denying that, the rub lies in the influence. The numbers don’t lie, when it comes to shifting the sports landscape and driving the bottom line, Caitlin Clark is leading the charge.