Ladies and gentlemen, in the 27-year history of the WNBA, we’ve seen our share of talent. But nothing – and I mean nothing – compares to the phenomenon that is Caitlin Clark. She’s the kind of player who makes you wonder if she’s secretly an alien sent to save basketball from the clutches of boredom.
The Indiana Fever rookie is doing more than just playing basketball; she’s single-handedly smashing records left and right. Ratings? Up. Attendance? Sky-high. Merchandise sales? Through the roof. And the WNBA is riding this wave like a pro surfer at Pipeline.
“I’m not going to deny the Caitlin Clark effect,” WNBA chief growth officer Colie Edison confessed to the IndyStar, probably while fanning herself with all the extra cash the league is making. “Our average viewership numbers are over 1.2 million. That sort of growth is crucial because we’re opening the aperture and bringing in new fans. Caitlin was really a catalyst in bringing in a lot of new fans, as well as our other rookies, who came in through NCAA into this draft. It’s been an amazing draft class to watch.”
Translation: Caitlin Clark is the best thing to happen to the WNBA since the invention of the basketball hoop.
Let’s put this in perspective. Clark’s games are must-see TV. Her Indiana Fever have starred in the 12 most-watched WNBA games this year. The All-Star game? It drew a jaw-dropping 3.4 million viewers and peaked at 4.1 million. For those keeping score at home, that’s a 300% increase from the 2023 All-Star game. Somewhere, someone in the WNBA’s marketing department just got a huge bonus.
On top of that, the Fever lead the league in attendance with an average of 16,898 fans per game. That’s nearly 4,200 more fans per contest than the second-place New York Liberty. They’ve even had to move games to larger venues to accommodate the Clark-crazy crowd. If this keeps up, they might as well start scheduling games at football stadiums.
Clark’s popularity is so astronomical that the WNBA is set to rake in a record $2.2 billion over its 11-year broadcast deal with Disney, NBCUniversal, and Amazon, starting in 2026. That’s $200 million per year, folks. And there’s talk of an extra $60 million per year from a separate deal with CBS, Ion, and other networks. If you’re doing the math, you’ve already fainted.
“I think [television] partners are recognizing the value of what this audience brings to their platforms,” WNBA Chief Marketing Officer Phil Cook told the IndyStar. “We are a distinctive audience. This isn’t just the same fans that are watching all sports. We have this distinctive audience, and our athletes deliver distinctive products.”
In other words, the WNBA’s audience isn’t your typical sports crowd. They’re here for the unique blend of athleticism and entertainment that only the WNBA can deliver. And leading that charge is none other than Caitlin Clark, the rookie phenom who’s turning heads, breaking records, and making us all wonder if she’s part superhuman.
So, here’s to Caitlin Clark: the WNBA’s secret weapon against TV snooze-fests and the new queen of the court. Long may she reign.
