Caitlin Clark has been making headlines for a while now and it seems like her popularity is only growing. And yet, I still don’t care.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about women’s basketball here, I’m talking about sports in general. Let me explain.

As far back as I can remember I was never into sports. I’ve never understood why some people religiously turned on the television every Sunday to watch people they have never met chuck a ball at each other for two hours. As I grew up my parents enrolled me in different sports programs, but they never really stuck, and the time commitment was just not worth it.

Now I’m not clueless; I accepted the fact that people like different things for separate reasons a long time ago. This article is not about that. This article is a call, a message to the people: it is okay to still not care. At the same time, it’s fine if you do care and that comes from a personal place.

Since she was in elementary school, my youngest sister has played basketball. And while all her other siblings have stopped or moved onto other sports, she has kept going. When she hit middle school she played on the school team, and when their season ended, she would hop right into club basketball and play their season. And club basketball was serious. You had to try out to make the team and then practice three times a week. The traveling was immense. For a while my dad would drive her an hour away just for those weekly practices, not to mention the plethora of tournaments spread all around the Midwest. And on top of that came shoes, basketballs, camps, and a brand-new basketball hoop installed right into our driveway. If it has to do with basketball, my parents are right there with a blank check, for both money and time.

But this, honestly, I understand. Even I have attended several of her games. My parents are deeply invested. To my embarrassment, they yell out directions to her while she plays. Though I’m still not convinced of the effectiveness of this. My enthusiasm begins and ends with being like, “Oh look! I know her and she is touching the basketball.”

I bet you can also imagine my family’s reaction to Caitlin Clark. These are people who have dedicated nine years of their lives to a women’s sport that was previously famous for jokes about how no one cared about it. Now suddenly all eyes are on women’s basketball. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t kind of happy for them. But at the same time, they are really starting to cheese me off. Besides the amp up of basketball themed content within the household, they have all started religiously tuning in to Caitlin’s basketball games, invading the living room, and canceling plans. It’s ridiculous.

The final straw was when my mom refused to come to the museum with me. I know it sounds silly and small, but visiting this museum was a rare opportunity and she would rather stay home and watch the basketball game. This is a woman who used to beg for family time, who used to plan outings and family trips. Someone who would drive a thousand miles for basketball would not drive five minutes to a museum.

Even in my safe Discord space, where me and my buddies are supposed to be talking about video games, these 20-something year old men, are talking women’s basketball and debating the merits of Caitlin Clark’s shooting. Again, I feel left in the dust here in a place I never thought to see such conversations.

So, in the end I have to say, I do appreciate and respect Caitlin Clark for what she did for women’s basketball. But just because there is a new monarch in town does not mean everyone has to drop everything and bow.