Breaking: Iowa Reassigns Caitlin Clark’s Iconic No. 22 Jersey — “The Unthinkable Move” That Has Fans Angry Across the Nation! Following such news, Iowa City would never be the same. McKenna Woliczko, a freshman sensation, will don the most revered number in Hawkeye history—number 22, which was once owned by Caitlin Clark—according to the University of Iowa women’s basketball program.
The internet blows up in a matter of minutes. One fan tweets, “She’s the future!” Another exclaims, “This is a betrayal!” Breaking graphics are shown on ESPN. The move is discussed on every talk show from New York to Des Moines. The emotional impact of that number is unavoidable, even in a fictional setting.
In our fictitious scenario, head coach Jan Jensen approaches the podium composed despite being conscious of the impending storm outside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. She asserts, “McKenna is aware of the background to this number.” “She is prepared to continue that same spirit, but she is not replacing Caitlin Clark—no one ever could.”
In this training example, Woliczko—a 5-star recruit renowned for her poise, physicality, and fearlessness on the glass—would become the first player to wear the number since Clark’s retirement. She would have grown up mimicking Clark’s long-range confidence in her driveway by watching his highlights on YouTube. She is now standing in the same lights in this made-up world, answering inquiries about expectations, pressure, and legacy that she never requested.
For journalists, this scenario is a goldmine of emotion and context. How would a teenage athlete strike a balance between ownership and admiration? How could fans balance their enthusiasm for a new face with their devotion to a legend? It becomes extremely difficult to distinguish between overstepping and paying tribute.
Imagine the scene in the locker room. Woliczko is patted on the shoulder by veterans like Hannah Stuelke and Kylie Feuerbach, who remind her that the name on the front is more important than the number on her back. The crowd still gasps when she steps outside to warm up and the enormous “22” flashes on the scoreboard. Time briefly bends back on itself, and everyone recalls the thrilling evenings when Clark used that same floor to rewrite basketball history.
That is the amount of emotion that a number can contain. Sports are about more than just winning; they’re about belonging, identity, and memory. Even as a fictitious exercise, assigning 22 once more makes us examine how symbols function.
When does paying tribute to a legend become more important than the legend itself? And is it possible for a program to advance while maintaining the sanctity of the past? Some claim that Woliczko’s wearing number 22 represents continuity—a passing of the torch to a new era of excellence. In this case, fans are divided but fervently committed. Others contend that it diminishes Clark’s legacy and that certain legends ought to be protected
