That didn’t take very long, you might suggest.

But by today’s standard, it took eons for the Caitlin Clark Effect on women’s basketball to become yet another polarizing topic in our ever-inflamed world.

A meteor in 2023, Clark’s flame burned on, through her final season at Iowa and, given the WNBA calendar, quickly into a rookie season that has been good at times, bad at times, and unfortunately, increasingly ugly from a societal standpoint.

Clark’s unique abilities — her long-range shooting but, just as impressively, her court awareness and passing — attracted a cascade of new fans to the college game. Given that the WNBA plays a May-through-September schedule, her wave had no time to ebb before she was drafted first overall and anointed as face of that professional league.

Not self-anointed, by the way, which is important to keep in mind.

NASCAR Iowa Speedway is surrounded by corn, of course. But did you know all this about the NASCAR track?

Given how there’s attention to be gathered and pulpit placements to justify within the downtown bazaar we call modern media — cable “news,” fringe-luring websites, talk radio and its podcasting cousin — Caitlin Clark has become yet another totem around which all sides gather and shout their hardened beliefs.

If you’re old enough to remember or interested enough to do the research, there’s an oh-so-obvious comparison to be made between this and 1979. Some 45 years ago, Larry Bird attracted wide legions of devotees during his One Man Show at Indiana State and subsequently turned all of them into Boston Celtics fans.

You’d be foolish to suggest there wasn’t a racial aspect to it, especially once the Celtics-Lakers/Bird-Magic rivalry took root. But in those days there weren’t wall-to-wall media gardens needing daily water, so such chatter was generally reserved for bar stools and man caves.

Yes, objects in mirror may appear fonder.

Today, with Caitlin Clark, the WNBA and the world in general, the societal angle is turbocharged with … right after a word from our sponsor … the sexual-orientation angle.

After a quick double-check of the Indiana Fever roster, Caitlin Clark is indeed still listed as a 6-foot guard, not a “straight white woman,” regardless of how often you might read or hear that descriptor nowadays.

While that’s where the Larry Bird comparisons take a detour, there’s still a Larry Bird lesson that Clark would be wise to follow.

Become a dominant player. Rookie of the Year, champion, MVP, catalyst of an entire organization’s rejuvenation.

Bad news: You don’t just flip a switch or don a magic cape to make that happen. It takes generational greatness, intense competitive fire and a good supporting cast.

That Clark story is the one that can’t be told yet. If it doesn’t unfold in such a way, perhaps her legend truly fits the template of a man whose name resurfaced early this year as Clark chased down his college scoring record: Pete Maravich.

Pistol Pete’s flash and dash inspired countless imitators on the playground courts of our land. It also translated into an NBA career full of highlights and buckets (including a scoring title), though precious little team success.

Becoming a great pro is the easiest way for Clark to redirect the narrative along the fringes. Needless to say, it’s also the hardest.

For what it's worth, Pistol Pete does have a statue in his honor. It's on his former campus at LSU.

— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Caitlin Clark saga now turns to race and sexual orientation, of course