Caitlin Clark visits KC to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day

Photographed by Drew Rich
Photographed by Drew Rich

Sports do much more than merely entertain. Sports can teach. Sports can uplift, enliven, and empower. You could see it happening at the 2025 Women’s Sports Awards where Caitlin Clark made an appearance.

The largest event in the country celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day was held Feb. 4 at T-Mobile Center. With an amazing 4,000 people in attendance — triple last year’s crowd size — six local honorees were recognized for their contributions to women’s and girls’ sports in the metro.

Kathy Nelson spoke. She’s the President and CEO of both Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation. 

Taylor Obersteadt spoke. She joined the Kansas City Sports Commission team last year as the Director of WIN for KC, the Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City.

And in a particularly cool and joyful moment, 350 female high school athletes from across the region in the “Parade of Champions,” took center stage. The athletes were celebrated for their accomplishments in tennis, volleyball, basketball, track and more. 

Most of the big crowd, though, came to see Catlian Clark. The WNBA superstar, dressed in red to support her favorite NFL team, of course, sat for an onstage interview with journalist Vinciane Ngomsi. Clark talked about perseverance. She talked about preparation as the key to confidence. She talked about the importance of mental health and work/life balance. She talked, of course, about her love for Taylor Swift. 

Addison Bjorn, a wildly gifted young basketball player, won the Rising Star Award. We asked Bjorn what playing sports can do for a woman. Pointedly, wisely, Bjorn said sports can do for women the same stuff that they can do for a man. 

Amber Clark-Robinson was another honoree. The head coach for the University of St. Mary flag football team and a star on the United States national flag football team, Clark-Robinson won the Hallmark Leadership Award. 

She told me why sports are so important to her.

“It just builds so much character. It gives confidence. It gives you a safe space and a sisterhood, and people to connect with who are like you,” Clark-Robinson said.

That connection was on display at this event. Character and confidence, too, along with safety and sisterhood. And that’s just some of what sports can do.

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