Caitlin Clark pushes WNBA past $500 billion brands in growth race

Indiana Fever superstar rookie Caitlin Clark helped the WNBA become the fastest growing brand in the country.

Caitlin Clark pushes WNBA past $500 billion brands in growth race

WNBA and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark coming into the WNBA helped the league reach new heights in terms of popularity. Her arrival helped them compete with bigger leagues in terms of viewership, while also massive increases in merchandise sales and reach have fueled that growth.

In their official communication prior to the Olympics break, it was clear that the Indiana Fever superstar led the league in merchandise sales. At the same time, she was also instrumental into packing arenas wherever she played.

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That growth in popularity helped the league as a whole, as other players and franchises saw their popularity rise. Despite that, some tried to disregard her impact by suggesting the league was bound to grow.

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But a report released by Morning Consult revealed that her impact helped the league reach a level where they outpaced several prominent and established brands. According to their report, the WNBA was the fastest growing brand of 2024 as they concluded their survey.

That meant, the WNBA was growing faster than the likes of Ben & Jerry’s, Experian, YouTube Shorts, Disney+ and Pizza Hut. If one were to arrive at an approximate figure, those brands are worth more than $500 billion.

Quite a staggering turnaround for a league that is valued at just over a billion taking in the valuations of all its teams. If Caitlin Clark can help the league continue to grow at this rapid pace, it will not be long before she and others can earn those million-dollar salaries.

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WNBA needs more than just one Caitlin Clark to sustain growth

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal stated that he wants to see Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese earn millions in salary. The rivalry the two have started has already set it in motion as their games also happen to be the most watched in the league.

But to sustain this growth, they alone will not be able to. The Los Angeles Sparks expected rookie Cameron Brink to do that. She did that until her season ending injury stopped that growth in its tracks. Next season, the Sparks will hope she can spearhead them to be the most popular franchise on the West Coast.

But she won’t be alone in the Western Conference when Paige Bueckers possibly joins the Dallas Wings. Then, the likes of LSU superstar and rapping sensation Flau’jae Johnson, USC star JuJu Watkins and others can keep the ball rolling.

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All of these players have millions of followers. Once they come in and on separate teams, it will draw more fans to the WNBA. But more crucially, the viewership, ticket and merchandise sales will spread throughout the league. Only then can the league continue to grow at this rate.