Unpacking the Caitlin Clark effect

Women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark will make her WNBA regular-season debut with the Indiana Fever later tonight.

And if the women’s basketball league had an actual fever, the only prescription would be more Caitlin Clark. Because while she has yet to score any official points, her presence is already having a noticeable impact:

• On draft night in mid-April, an audience of 2.4+ million viewers tuned in to ESPN to watch Clark go No. 1 to the Fever – more than 4x the previous record for a WNBA draft.
• The Fever averaged 4,067 fans in 2023, ranking second to last in the league. But after adding Clark in the offseason, the team now expects to be at or near capacity for all 20 home games (17,254 fans).
• The Connecticut Sun said tonight’s home opener against Clark and the Fever sold out all 8,910 tickets – the team’s first such occurrence since 2003.

Much like many of her step-back jumpers, Clark’s arrival comes at a key moment. The WNBA is currently in talks with TV networks over the rights for many of its games, with the league’s current deals with ESPN, Ion, and Prime Video all set to expire within 18 months.

Additionally, a new labor agreement between the WNBA and its players is expected during that span – and if Clark can keep attracting fans at the professional level, it could significantly boost players’ salaries.