Caitlin Clark's impact as a rookie in the WNBA has very clearly been felt as evidenced by her jersey sales and the attendance figures she brings in every night.
As a college basketball star at Iowa, everything Clark did was under the microscope, from her on-court exploits to what she did off the floor. What's more, Clark's historic career with the Hawkeyes made her one of the most popular college basketball players in recent years.
Because of all that she accomplished there on the court, her stardom continued to grow, to the point that many fans and celebrities went to Iowa's games just to watch her shoot from the logo with ease or to make another spectacular play when given the opportunity. When she declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft , it was all but confirmed she would go No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever.
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And when the Fever inevitably called her name as the No. 1 pick in the draft, Clark's impact was immediately felt. Fanatics reported that the first batch of Clark's No. 22 jersey with the Fever sold out within minutes, making it the top-earning jersey ever.
Fans were upset by the news, with many going to social media for their displeasure. As a result, Fanatics posted on social media that pre-orders were available for Clark's jersey, with the next batch slated to arrive in August.
As for the draft itself, it was viewed by more than four times more people compared to the previous year's draft. ESPN's coverage averaged 2.45 million viewers, a record, with 3.09 million people watching the broadcast at its peak. The previous record was set in 2004, when 601,000 people tuned in to watch.
Not only was Clark's pull felt in viewership numbers and jersey sales, but also in attendance figures. In mid-June, the WNBA announced that an estimated 400,000 fans filled arenas from the start of the season on May 14 to the end of the month.
It was reported that more than half of those games hosted sellout crowds and over 90 percent of the arenas were filled, a 17 percent increase from the previous year, according to the WNBA. Fans also showed their support from the comfort of their home, with the WNBA reporting that 1.32 million viewers tune in every night, up from just over 460,000 reported last season.
Despite the reported growth of the WNBA, the league is still on pace to lose money in the 2024 season. The Washington Post reported that league executives believe the WNBA will lose an estimated $50 million, even with the addition of Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and others.
"The truth is, this league would be hard-pressed to exist without the NBA," an anonymous team executive told The Washington Post . Currently, the NBA owns roughly 60 percent of the league.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver explained in 2018 that since the WNBA inaugural season in 1996 - with play starting in 1997 - the league had been bleeding $10 million per year. Still, media executives believe that the time is right for the WNBA to see its profits increase, thanks to a new broadcast rights deal.
If the broadcast deal goes as projected, the WNBA could see its revenue triple to anywhere between $180 million and $200 million. Considering how popular Clark is, she undoubtedly will be among the wave of superstars ushering the league to the next era.
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