The ‘pay equality’ among men’s and women’s sports has been in discussions for over a decade now, and recently, the female athletes are also pulling in the ‘crowd’ for the games. In recent data, WNBA dominates 2025 online search growth at 140%, outpacing UFC. While the WNBA is taking the lead in popularity and growth parameters, the catalyst for the same is Caitlin Clark.
The prime example of CC’s dominance and WNBA’s surge was her appearance on the ‘Sunday Night Live’ where the star hit back at disrespectful jokes on women’s sport. Though fans showed huge appreciation for her ‘bold’ appearance, the SNL now welcomes two more female athletes who also took over the show, bursting the hosts.
USA Hockey Star Follows Caitlin Clark’s Footsteps
During her short cameo on SNL, the former Iowa star gave the SNL host an apron to hit back at his ‘jersey retirement’ joke. The concept and WNBA star’s response received huge cheers from the studio audience and even from the netizens. Now two hockey stars did the same to host Connor Storrie.
Olympic Gold Medalists Hilary Knight and Megan Keller appeared on SNL’s February 28 show, alongside men’s hockey stars Quinn and Jack Hughes. It was not a simple Q&A appearance but a roast, as expected. Knight said, “It was gonna be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys, too.”
NEW: Crowd goes absolutely nuts as Team USA female hockey stars Hilary Knight and Megan Keller are brought on stage during Saturday Night Live.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 1, 2026
The women were introduced after Team USA men’s stars Jack and Quinn Hughes.
“It was gonna be just us, but we thought we'd invite the… pic.twitter.com/20pFB0iBwZ
Interestingly, this is only the second time female athletes appeared on the show, which took almost two years after Caitlin Clark’s memorable appearance.
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As the USA hockey members hit the news portals with their SNL appearance, CC will also be back in the spotlight with her first senior national-level game.
Caitlin Clark Suiting Up For Team USA Schedule
The 24-year-old star shared her honest thoughts about being snubbed from the Olympic team. She worked hard on her game and fitness and made herself available for selection in the USA’s World Cup qualifier games.
After training camp in December, the player made the roster and will be part of their campaign starting from March 11, in Puerto Rico. The first game will be against Senegal, as the team will compete against five other nations for the main event in September.
The U.S. opens competition March 11 vs. Senegal, followed by Puerto Rico (March 12), Italy (March 14), New Zealand (March 15) and Spain (March 17).
— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@vanshaym) February 11, 2026
In addition to San Juan, qualifying tournaments will also take place in Istanbul; Lyon-Villeurbanne, France; and Wuhan, China. https://t.co/rW5RkjOSWA
CC, though, has concerning news, as Aliyah Boston might not be available for the games following an injury in the final regular season game.