Caitlin Clark can make the entire WNBA rich
The 2024 WNBA season was historic, enjoying unprecedented growth. Much of this attention is attributed to Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
In college, she single-handedly elevated college basketball. Her transition to the WNBA was remarkably smooth, setting multiple WNBA records en route to being named WNBA Rookie of the Year.
The numbers tell a story that places Clark among some of the most influential players ever to play not only in the WNBA, but also in the same stratosphere as NBA players who left indelible marks on their game.
Prior to the 2024 season, the highest average home attendance ever for any WNBA team was 16,202, set in 2002 by the Washington Mystics. This record was not eclipsed until 2024, with the Fever averaging 17,036 per game.
To put this number into perspective, the second-highest average home attendance in 2024 was 12,729 for the New York Liberty, the reigning WNBA champion. In addition, the Fever's average home attendance in 2023 was 4,066, ranking it second-to-last amongst all WNBA teams. This means that the Fever's 2024 average home attendance was over four times higher than their 2023 average home attendance.
This captures the Caitlin Clark Effect.
It follows the Fever on the road. Their 2024 average road attendance was 15,131, over 4,400 more people than the second-highest road attendance average (for the Chicago Sky, 10,676, with rookie phenom Angel Reese on their roster). Not surprisingly, the largest home attendances for eight of the other 11 WNBA teams occurred when they played the Fever.
The scarcity of tickets for Fever games has pushed ticket prices in the secondary market to unprecedented levels.
How can a single person have such an enormous influence on a team, let alone an entire sport?
Anyone who has watched Clark play knows why. She thrills fans with creative passing and a willingness to take long-range threes. Every possession has the potential to be magical.
Opinion: Why Muslim-owned coffee shops are Indy's best late-night hangouts
The Caitlin Clark Effect extends beyond the Fever and even the WNBA. Women's basketball is already very popular in high school and at the college level. Clark will give even more young girls and women a reason to pursue the opportunity to 'play like Cait."
Yet, Clark's arrival has highlighted several issues of fairness.
Objectively, arguments that WNBA and NBA players should be paid the same are misguided. Salaries ultimately come from revenue streams, and if revenue streams for the NBA are 100 times higher than for the WNBA, then salaries will be similarly affected. The gap is so large that the highest paid WNBA player earns less money than the lowest paid NBA player. Such a disparity cannot be overcome in one season.
Clark has the potential to make a dent in this situation, though, as she is single-handedly moving attendance numbers for the Fever to be on par with average home attendance for NBA teams.
In fact, the 2024 Fever average home attendance was higher than the average home attendance for five NBA teams (Hornets, Pacers, Grizzlies, Wizards, Hawks) in the 2023-2024 season and seven teams in the 2024-2025 season (Hawks, Kings, Pelicans, Wizards, Grizzlies, Pacers, and Clippers).
As more revenue flows to WNBA teams, it will lead to higher contracts for all players.
Then there are endorsement deals. Clark had numerous NIL contracts while in college that netted her an estimated $3.1 million. Such deals accelerated once she jumped to the WNBA.
Of course, NBA teams play twice as many games as WNBA teams. NBA ticket prices are also higher than WNBA ticket prices, and the NBA has lucrative television agreements, all providing tailwinds for higher player contracts.
It remains to be seen if the Caitlin Clark Effect is sustainable for the Fever, and most importantly, for other teams. Professional sports, including women's basketball, is entertainment, with grownups playing a child's sport.
If the entertainment level can be enhanced, then the rising tide will benefit all teams and the league. Right now, Clark is carrying the weight of the WNBA on her shoulders. If she can get some help to ease her burden, the WNBA is in store for a wild ride.
Sheldon H. Jacobson is a professor of computer science in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He applies data-driven, risk-based decision-making to evaluate and inform public policy. He is the founder of Bracketodds, a STEM learning lab showcasing the mathematics of March Madness.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark Effect will lead to more WNBA sellouts, cash | Opinion
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NBA slaps Draymond Green with $50,000 fine for yelling betting spread at referees
The NBA on Wednesday fined Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green $50,000 "for making an inappropriate comment that questions the integrity of game officials," president of league operations Byron Spruell said in a news release. The incident happened late in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's 102-97 victory in Game 3 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday. Advertisement During a timeout with 15.2 seconds remaining and Minnesota ahead 102-94 and Green no longer in the game, he yelled the spread – 5½. It's common for the NBA to fine players for questioning the integrity of referees. Last season, the NBA fined Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert $100,000 for making the money gesture with his fingers. Green also has five technical fouls in the playoffs, two away from drawing a one-game suspension. Minnesota leads the series 3-1 with Game 5 Wednesday in Minneapolis (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT), and the Warriors will again be without All-Star guard Steph Curry (strained left hamstring). This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors' Draymond Green fined by NBA for questioning refs' integrity
Fox Sports
20 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton is on historic clutch streak; here are his best moments
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is having a postseason run for the ages. The funny thing is that Haliburton isn't necessarily lighting up the box score. Across Indiana's 17 postseason games, Haliburton, a two-time All-NBA honoree, is averaging 18.5 points, 9.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 46.6/33.1/80.4. Of course, the other side is that Haliburton has led the Pacers to the NBA Finals, and they now lead the Oklahoma City Thunder 1-0 after a fourth-quarter comeback that ended with him hitting a game-winning jump shot with 0.3 seconds remaining. This has been the theme for Haliburton this spring: hitting game-winning jump shots, sending games to overtime and pulling off clutch moment after clutch moment. Here are Haliburton's best moments of the 2025 NBA postseason. Game 5 of Eastern Conference first round The Pacers had the Milwaukee Bucks on the brink, leading the latter 3-1 in the series and having a closeout Game 5 on their home floor — and it turned out to be quite eventful. Milwaukee led 103-99 with 53 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Then, Haliburton connected on a pair of free throws and tied the game with a dunk following a Bucks possession where they came up empty, and the game went to overtime. Haliburton had Indiana's last six points in regulation. The Bucks were looking good in overtime. Even after a missed free throw by AJ Green, the one he knocked down gave Milwaukee a 118-111 lead with 40 seconds remaining. Then, it began to unravel. Andrew Nembhard hit a 3-pointer on the other end and then came up with a steal. Haliburton got an and-1 on the ensuing possession, and Milwaukee turned the ball over once again. With the Pacers down by one, Haliburton brought the ball up the court and went around Giannis Antetokounmpo for a go-ahead layup with 1.3 seconds remaining. No miracle took place for the Bucks, and the Pacers finished off theirs to advance to the semifinals. Haliburton finished with eight points in overtime, and 26 points, nine assists, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks for the game. It's the second consecutive season that the Pacers defeated the Bucks in the playoffs, with Indiana doing so in the first round last season. Game 2 of Eastern Conference semifinals After taking Game 1 from the No. 1-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pacers were going to be in solid shape going home, regardless of how Game 2 played out. This was probably the thought that crossed the state of Indiana's mind when Donovan Mitchell knocked down a pair of free throws to give Cleveland a 119-112 lead with 57 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Then, it started. Aaron Nesmith got a dunk and then forced an offensive foul on Mitchell, which Indiana capitalized on with Pascal Siakam getting an inside bucket, getting the Pacers within three. The Pacers forced a turnover and Haliburton got fouled on the other end with 12 seconds remaining. Haliburton made the first free throw, missed the second but got his own rebound off a deflection. After bringing the ball out to the perimeter, he made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining. Cleveland didn't score thereafter, and Indiana took a 2-0 series lead. The Pacers won the series in five games, going 3-0 on the road. Game 1 of Eastern Conference Finals Jalen Brunson made a 3-pointer with 2:51 remaining in Game 1, giving the New York Knicks a 119-105 lead on their home floor. While this was a high-scoring affair, it appeared to be a game that New York had in the bag. Emphasis on "appeared." On the ensuing possession, Haliburton knocked down a 3-pointer. And while New York scored throughout Indiana's run, Nesmith hit override on all of them, drilling four 3-pointers in the final three minutes and scoring 14 points altogether. Still, the Knicks led by two with seven seconds remaining. But Haliburton sent the game to overtime with a jumper that bounced in. It was originally ruled a 3-pointer, but replay showed that Haliburton's foot was on the line, and the game went to overtime. Indiana proceeded to out-score New York 13-10 in overtime to steal Game 1. Haliburton finished with 31 points and 11 assists. To boot, Haliburton remade Pacers legend Reggie Miller's "choke" symbol, which he did against the Knicks in Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals (however, the Knicks won that series), after the buzzer-beater at the end of the fourth quarter. The Pacers then won Game 2 and went on to win the series, 4-2, eliminating the Knicks for a second consecutive season. Game 1 of NBA Finals With 9:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, Jalen Williams slammed home a bucket for the Thunder, who led 94-79. And then it started to happen. Indiana scraped and clawed its way within striking distance and put pressure on Oklahoma City to close the game out on its home floor. Following a pair of free throws from Nembhard and a block and score on the other end from Siakam, the Pacers trailed by just one point with 48 seconds remaining. The Thunder then had two chances to stretch their lead, but Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander couldn't connect, and the Pacers came down court in the final seconds, with Haliburton getting the honors. Despite Cason Wallace — who started Game 1 for the Thunder over center Isaiah Hartenstein — draped all over him, Haliburton fired a long-range two-pointer off the dribble and connected with 0.3 seconds remaining. That would be all, as the Pacers got a stop and finished off a 111-110 victory. Haliburton only had four points in the final 9:42 and finished with 14 points total, but, yet again, he hit the biggest shot of the game. In the aftermath of his latest crunch-time wonder, Haliburton has made four game-tying or go-ahead shots with under three seconds remaining in regulation or overtime this postseason, which ties him for second all-time in the play-by-play era (1996-97 season to present); LeBron James is first with eight. Haliburton and the Pacers have a 1-0 series lead in the NBA Finals. Who's to say his next heroic doesn't result in the Pacers hosting the Larry O'Brien Trophy? Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience National Basketball Association Indiana Pacers Tyrese Haliburton recommended Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
New York Post
23 minutes ago
- New York Post
Tyrese Haliburton applauds ‘real one' Scott Van Pelt for ‘late' Pacers respect
In late April, Tyrese Haliburton was revealed as the NBA's 'most overrated player' in a poll of anonymous NBA players. A do-over of that poll may have a different outcome now that Haliburton has gone on an epic playoffs heater that includes a game-winning jumper to stun the Thunder in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. Soome overdue recognition is better than none at all and ESPN's Scott Van Pelt gave Haliburton's Pacers squad credit for this surprising run that has them three wins from a title. 'The other night, I put my hand up on the show and I said, 'Look, I was late to the party on [the Pacers],' Van Pelt said postgame to Haliburton. 4 Tyrese Haliburton daps up SportCenter host Scott Van Pelt after he admitted he was late to respecting the Pacers. ESPN The NBA Finals Game 1 hero had no choice but to respect Van Pelt's admittance. 'You're a real one for that,' Haliburton said while sharing a friendly handshake with the 'SportsCenter' host. 'A lot of your counterparts wouldn't admit that.' Haliburton has certainly silenced the doubters at this point, but Van Pelt keyed in on Indiana being under .500 in late December being the reason for much of the pessimism. 'We were rough,' Haliburton said, admitting that the Pacers were not a great team at the time. 4 Tyrese Haliburton has been clutch in the postseason. NBAE via Getty Images Van Pelt once again admitted to being 'late to the party' on the Pacers train, to which the Indiana star responded: 'We were late to the party too.' The Pacers struggled for a good chunk of the regular season, as they couldn't quite find themselves clicking as a team. They opened the season 5-5, then didn't crack a .500 record again until 20 games later when they rattled off a five-game win streak to reach 15-15. Indiana sat at 16-18 entering the New Year — and that's when things began to fall into place. The Pacers went 10-2 in January, then went 15-5 across the final 20 games and entered the playoffs red-hot. 4 Tyrese Haliburton celebrating after one of his four playoff game-winners this postseason. AP Indiana's season resembled that of many of its absurd playoff comebacks: dead in the water until things just start clicking. The Pacers trailed the Thunder by 15 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 before they stormed back and stole the win in Oklahoma City for a 1-0 finals lead. For the fourth time this playoffs, Haliburton hit the game-winner. 4 Tyrese Haliburton celebrates with Aaron Nesmith after nailing the game-winning shot in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images The win caught the entire world by surprise, including Van Pelt. 'Every single note I had on this card getting ready for this show was about Oklahoma City winning this game,' he told Haliburton. 'And I'm sitting here with you. It's an amazing show that you're all putting on.'
