Is Caitlin Clark’s star power enough to attract WNBA fans?

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Just eight days into the NCAA national championship, Caitlin Clark is poised to become the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft and launch into the professional ranks with star power, shaking up the league at a critical moment in its trajectory.

Large crowds of fans are expected to tune into Monday night’s national broadcast, when the Iowa star will almost certainly be drafted by the Indiana Fever. From the moment her name is called and Clark takes center stage, she will be the most anticipated rookie in the WNBA in years. Every signature 3-pointer she makes and every pinpoint pass she makes brings a boost in popularity similar to the one she generated in women’s college basketball.

At Iowa State, Clark’s impact was even greater than her resume, which was impressive in its own right, with three conference championships, two national championships and dozens of broken records, including NCAA All-time scoring record for Division I. When Clark played, every game was by appointment. Arenas sold out the show and television ratings records were broken.

The WNBA has grown in stature over the past few seasons with more nationally televised games, bigger audiences and more media coverage. But Clark, who even South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley described as “one of the GOATs of our game” after beating Iowa in the championship game, is expected to boost fan numbers, crowds and crowds as much as any player before him. A surge in television ratings, attendance and media coverage. Clark may have to continue to perform well and lift the Fever out of last place (Indiana hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016) to further boost the WNBA’s economy. But an early return suggests she will have a huge impact.

“I would trade my whole team for her,” said one general manager who asked not to be named. Competitor Talk freely about Clark. “Partly because our bosses are doing it to sell tickets. But most of all, it’s a great piece that’s really worth starting to build. She (like Diana) Taurasi comes out, look at Taura What did West do.

Clark will make his WNBA debut in due course. The league is entering its 28th season and is approaching a two-year window that could determine its long-term health and future. Last fall, the league announced the addition of a 13th team and plans to expand to 16 teams, according to sources familiar with the league’s plans. Charlotte, Toronto and Denver are the front-runners, and stakeholders from Nashville, Philadelphia, Portland and South Florida have expressed interest in adding a team to the league.

A new media rights deal is imminent after the 2025 season. Negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement may also come soon, and with them will come changes regarding league travel, roster sizes and salaries — including how revenue is divided between players and the league. If the league’s financial situation improves — something Clark could make a difference due to the potentially huge appeal to sponsors — players could also benefit, such as postseason bonuses and more travel accommodations.

The success of the 2024 draft class, led by Clark and also including college stars like Cameron Brinker, Camila Cardoso and Angel Reese, will help shape the WNBA for years to come. Partnerships and media deals remain the league’s biggest revenue sources, and Clark has been a magnet for sponsors and a driver of record-breaking ratings in recent seasons.

Combined with her stellar play on the court, that’s why getting the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft is so important.

“Kaitlin is going to be Kaitlyn Clark,” said Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who also played in the WNBA and coached in the NBA. “She’s an incredible talent who’s going to do amazing things in the WNBA. It’s an incredible thing for us, for the WNBA, to have fans following her.

Clark’s enthusiasm in college has carried over to the WNBA. This upcoming season, the Fever will have 36 nationally televised games (90 percent of its schedule), one more than the back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces. As of Wednesday, the average sales price for Indiana Fever tickets was up 190% from last season, according to ticket marketplace Vivid Seats. The average list price of Vivid Seats for Indiana’s season opener against the Connecticut Sun has increased 91% since Clark declared for the WNBA draft in late February.

Even before Clark officially joined the Fever, rival teams were already planning their schedules around her expected appearances. The Aces’ July 2 home game against Indiana was moved from their usual stadium to the larger T-Mobile Arena, which seats more than 6,000 people. The Minnesota Lynx will host Maya Moore’s jersey retirement ceremony on the same night they host Fanatics in late August. The Phoenix Mercury are already promoting their first game against Indiana, the GOAT (Taurasi) vs. the Rooks (Clark).

According to StubHub data, as of Thursday, sales of “Indiana Fever” have increased more than 13 times compared with the same period last year. “Caitlin Clark has had a tremendous impact on the WNBA,” StubHub spokesman Adam Budelli said in a statement.

That’s nothing new for Clark, who sold out all but two games his senior year and drew 55,000 fans to an exhibition game at Iowa State Football Stadium. Not only did Clark get fans to spend money on tickets, she also attracted sponsors. She’s been increasingly endorsed by blue-chip companies like Gatorade and State Farm, and has a new sneaker deal on the horizon. Multiple sources with knowledge of the sneaker industry say Clark will sign a contract worth more than $1 million per year, which would make him one of the richest WNBA players.

The WNBA, which relies on partnerships as its main source of revenue, could see an influx of new companies interested in partnering with the league and connecting with Clark, and the fandom could flourish. Clark’s impact on television ratings could have a more significant impact on the future of the WNBA. The WNBA’s ratings were up last season. ABC and ESPN’s Finals averaged 728,000 viewers, the highest in 20 years. However, Clark’s presence may make the league more optimistic heading into these discussions.

South Carolina’s win over Iowa State in the championship game was watched by 18.9 million viewers on ABC and peaked at 24.1 million viewers — a 90% increase from the 2023 championship game and a 289% increase from 2022. It’s the most-watched non-football or Olympic sports event (men’s or women’s, college or pro) since 2019. Record ratings for a state college game. All told, women’s college basketball ratings records were broken on seven different networks in 2023-24, with Iowa attending every game.

The WNBA’s current television deal runs through the 2025 season, when its partnerships with ESPN, Amazon, CBS and Ion are set to expire. Its next media rights deal will likely include linear television and streaming broadcasts, and could be a mix of some of the NBA’s current rights partners and rights partners unique to the WNBA, as is currently structured.

The NBA is in the midst of an exclusive negotiating window with ESPN parent Disney and TNT Sports parent Warner Bros. Discovery Channel. When the WNBA enters the market, it will tie the WNBA rights to the NBA and represent the WNBA in those negotiations (the NBA owns 42.5% of the league, and several people own teams in both leagues).

Warner Bros. Discovery has expressed interest in acquiring the U.S. broadcast rights to the WNBA, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. It has just purchased the rights to the league in the UK and Ireland.

The next media deal will increase rights fees for women’s sports. The National Women’s Soccer League agreed to a deal that would pay the soccer league $60 million per year. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told CNBC she hopes to “at least double” the WNBA’s current fee, which is reported to be about $60 million per year, in the next deal.

“I think there’s no question, especially with the tremendous interest in women’s college basketball and the growth of the WNBA over the past few years, that interest is greater than it has been before,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during the discussion. Next Media Deals .

Clark’s popularity has also impacted the sports betting market, which could be a way to attract viewers and consumers. The Iowa vs. South Carolina championship game was FanDuel’s largest single-game women’s bet ever, breaking the hand record for Iowa’s Final Four game against UConn. FanDuel’s championship game also has 155% more control compared to the 2023 Iowa-LSU Championship Game, the company said.

sorry, @FDSportsbook disagree

Currently, you can bet on the following props:

Caitlin Clark leads Indiana in scoring -280
Clark averages more than 22 points per game in the WNBA regular season (must play more than 28 regular season games) -135
Set a WNBA record with 130+ 3-point field goals in 2024… pic.twitter.com/ETz0bTj759

— SportsGridTV (@SportsGridTV) April 9, 2024

Bettors appear to have followed Clark into the pros, with FanDuel saying that as of April 10, 76% of 2024 WNBA MVP bets were on the future feverish guard. If they also become spectators, it could be another potential way for the league to boost ratings and attendance.

Central to Clark’s appeal is her performance on the court. Ahead of the national championship, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder expressed concern that fatigue could impact Clark’s first season — from her final college game to her first WNBA regular There is only about a month between tournaments. Taurasi, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 WNBA draft, said Clark, like other rookies, needs time to adapt.

“When rookies come into the league, you have to give them a grace period,” Taurasi said. “We have some of the greatest players in the history of basketball and it takes two or three years to get used to different games (against) the best players in the world. As long as everyone has realistic expectations, it should be fine.

However, Indiana will look to help Clark succeed in the short and long term. She’ll have an ideal pick-and-roll partner in reigning Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston, who will play in the backcourt with 2023 All-Star Kelsey Mitchell. WNBA opponents — bigger, faster and stronger than the ones she faced in college — will attack Clark defensively. Still, some — even those charged with limiting her success this season — are already bullish on her potential impact.

“Her game is going to show,” ace coach Becky Harmon said. “You can see her work ethic and professionalism right now at Iowa State in the way she approaches her craft.”

(Illustration: John Bradford/ sports; Visual Data: John Bradford/ CompetitorAmy Cavinnell / sports; Fever logo and Caitlin Clark photo: M. Anthony Nesmith / Icon Sportswire / Getty, Thien-An Truong / ISI Photos)