The Caitlin Clark effect! Wild video shows WNBA’s incredible surge in popularity with the Indiana Fever star driving record crowds

A video going viral on Tik Tok is showing just how much of an impact Caitlin Clark has had on attendances in the WNBA.

The video shows multiple  New York Liberty games over the course of the past four seasons – with attendances slowly rising since 2021.

But the final image shows a packed Barclays Center for when Clark and the  Indiana  Fever visited earlier this season.

It just goes to show how popular Clark currently is and how that has raised the appeal of the sport across the country.

It’s thanks to that popularity that the WNBA is looking for a new media rights deal that could lead to bigger pay days for the sport’s stars.

These images show the difference in attendance for the  New York Liberty over the years

According to Front Office Sports, the WNBA could be on track to quadruple its annual television rights payout in new negotiations.

Currently, the 12-team league makes a horrifically low $60million per year from its television and streaming deals.

The league has divided its rights with Disney, Amazon Prime Video, CBS and Ion.

But thanks to new long-term agreements that are being discussed, the league may be able to increase its payout within the range of $240million.

Front Office Sports says that the discussions are being led by the NBA, which owns more than half of the women’s  basketball league that was started 28-years ago.

The NBA itself is currently in discussions with multiple media companies for $75billion in long-term television rights extending through the 2030s.

‘The NBA is soliciting one total bid from media companies that does not separate the values of the NBA and the WNBA rights, according to people familiar with the process, and some media companies involved in the bidding are not assigning a specific figure to the WNBA rights,’ per The Washington Post.

The league is trying to negotiate a new deal which could reportedly triple its rights payouts

Increased attention in the WNBA, thanks to Caitlin Clark among others, could mean big bucks

The league is trying to negotiate a new deal which could reportedly triple its rights payouts

‘That means the NBA’s massive deal could be rocket fuel for the WNBA—or that the WNBA’s increased popularity is more of an afterthought. It also could be a bit of both.’

Front Office Sports adds that the league has reserved the right to try to negotiate a separate media deal on its own if they don’t like the number the NBA gets for them.

While Clark may not be the sole reason for the increase in attention, it’s impossible to ignore that she has been its biggest catalyst.

The league drew its most watched opening month ever – with 1.32million average viewers watching on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, Ion, and NBA TV. That’s up from 462,000 viewers.

In race demographics, viewership bumped up 60 percent among people of color – with viewership among Black and Hispanic people up 96 percent and 67 percent respectively.

Television viewership, in-person attendance, and merchandise sales are all up this year

Television viewership, in-person attendance, and merchandise sales are all up this year

In-person attendance is also up huge – with the league experiencing it’s best attended opening month in 26 years.

The WNBA saw 400,000 fans attending live games through the end of May.

In addition to all this, the league has seen WNBA branded merchandise sales jump up 236 percent year-over-year.

Related Posts

Jason Whitlock: Angel Reese is only famous because she taunted Caitlin Clark.

Former sports pundit turned conservative talk show host Jason Whitlock delivered a surprising and scathing commentary on the abilities of  LSU basketball basketball star Angel Reese. Reese played her final…

The truth behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s early replacement: Roberto Martinez reveals surprising reason

In a surprising turn of events, Roberto Martinez, the head coach of the Portuguese national team, has shed light on the true reason behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s early…

NBA star Jalen Green welcomes his second child in three months as his girlfriend – who is 17 years older – reveals she gave birth on Mother’s Day

Jaleп Greeп of the Hoυstoп Rockets has received his secoпd kid iп jυst three moпths, followiпg the aппoυпcemeпt by girlfrieпd Draya Michele that she had giveп birth…

Max Verstappen Breaks Silence After Costly Collision with Lando Norris at Austrian Grand Prix

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen were involved in a heated battle that led to chaos at the Austrian Grand Prix. Red Bull superstar Verstappen, who had qualified…

Lando Norris hits out at ‘reckless’ Max Verstappen after F1 Austrian GP

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collide on the 64th lap. Photograph: Sky F1 McLaren’s Lando Norris has condemned Max Verstappen’s driving as desperate and reckless after the…

FIA issues penalty to Max Verstappen following McLaren’s evidence submission

The battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the Austrian GP was nothing short of intense, with both drivers vying for the win until the very…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!