As a league, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has started increasing in popularity in recent years. Whether it’s through attendance, viewership, media, or merchandise, the WNBA has been on a rise. One of the main reasons is one player in particular: Caitlin Clark, whose impact is better known as the“Caitlin Clark Effect.”
Caitlin Clark first rose to fame during her college years at the University of Iowa where she became the all-time leading scorer in both men’s and women’s NCAA basketball with 3,951 career points. Along with her exceptional 3-point shooting, her playmaking abilities and competitive drive helped to capture fans’ attention world-wide. Clark led the University of Iowa to the NCAA championship in both 2023 and 2024 before being drafted first overall to the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft. Caitlin Clark has now finished her 2nd season with the WNBA with many accolades such as the 2024 rookie of the year, All-WNBA first team, the WNBA assists award as well as being a two time WNBA All Star.
In 2023, before Caitlin Clark was in the WNBA, the average attendance overall of a game was 6,615 people. As of the 2024 season, the overall attendance has increased to an average of 9,807 people per game. Even at Indiana Fever games, according to an article on www.nbcnews.com, the attendance is now an average of 17,o35 fans, who are attending 20 home games. This is even more than the Indiana Pacers (NBA team) that share the same arena and have a span of 41 home games. NBC News also reported that, “Last season (2024), as Fever games produced the most watched WNBA games ever on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, CBS and NBA TV, leaguewide viewership also broke records, including an average of 1.2 million per ESPN broadcast.” To add even more, according to an article from the LA Times, “Clark’s regular-season games were watched by 1.2 million viewers on average, which was 200% more than games in which she didn’t play.”
In just one season of Caitlin Clark being in the league, the viewership has dramatically increased. Dr. Nasser (a lifelong WNBA fan) said, “I now watch it more on TV, have gatherings with friends to watch it, and have played in a WNBA fantasy basketball league.”
She also said when questioned if she’s attended or watched any WNBA games because Caitlin Clark was playing that, “Yes. I have watched many. I attended the game this summer at the Garden when she played!”
If the attendance and viewership increase isn’t convincing enough, the LA Times found that “Clark was responsible for 26.5% of WNBA economic activity for the 2024 season, including attendance, merchandise sales, and television. One of every six tickets can be attributed to Clark.” The same article also stated that, “WNBA merchandise sales rose 500%, with Clark ranking No. 1.” Caitlin Clark is actively boosting the WNBA economy whether it’s through ticket sales, media, and or merchandising.
This is the impact she’s had in the past two seasons that she’s been in the league but the question is, what kind of long-term impact will Caitlin Clark have on the league and its growth? When asked this, Dr.Nasser answered, “ I think Caitlin Clark’s long-term impact will be measured by how much she helps the WNBA grow in visibility, investment, and respect.”
Dr. Nasser also said that “She’s opening doors for future stars and helping to shift public perception about women’s sports. Her popularity is already leading to more sponsorships, coverage, and youth engagement.”
Caitlin Clark has already impacted the league so much and the WNBA needs to keep up this momentum so it can continue to grow and expand. Dr.Nassar says that the WNBA needs to, “Get a WNBA team in Boston! The momentum is there, and cities like Boston are ready to support women’s professional basketball in a big way.”
We’ll have to wait and see if Boston will get a WNBA team in the future.
