The WNBA is having a real moment – Caitlin Clark and the league’s historic season by the numbers

CNN
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When many of us hear “Fall Classic,” we automatically think of baseball’s World Series. I’m not sure if this will be the case for future generations.

Yes, I’m being a little provocative with this statement, but the WNBA Finals are about to begin what can only be described as a historic season for the league. Based on all the statistics, it’s clear that America’s interest in the WNBA has peaked this century, thanks in large part to Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.

Let’s start simple: Google searches. They have been higher this WNBA season, starting with the draft in April, than at any time since we have data (2004). Searches for the WNBA are up over 300% compared to last season, up over 850% compared to five seasons ago, and up nearly 1,400% compared to a decade ago.

That said, the WNBA is on the rise, and this year it really took off.

That interest has translated into revenue for the league. Viewership is up an incredible 48% compared to 2023. In 2023, there was not a single team with an average home attendance in five figures (10,000+). This season there were six.

Leading the charge was Clark’s Fever. Just over 4,000 people attended their average game in 2023, placing them second to last. This season, there were more than 17,000, a 319% increase, far outpacing all other WNBA teams and five NBA teams, including the hometown Indiana Pacers.

We see the same pattern with goods. Sales increased by 600% compared to the previous year. That includes the boost from rookie sensations Clark, who had the best-selling jersey, and Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, who had the second-best-selling jersey.

In fact, the rivalry between Clark and Reese helped boost perhaps one of the most important measures of success: viewership. With 657,000 viewers, more people watched the average nationally televised WNBA game this season than ever before in the 21st century.

When we focus on games involving Clark, her influence becomes clear. On average, nearly 1.2 million tuned in for games including Clark’s Fever, about three times the average for games without Clark’s Fever.

Contests between The Fever and Reese’s Sky set league records. That included the league’s most-watched game in over two decades, which occurred on CBS Sports in mid-June (2.25 million), which itself was beaten by 2.35 million two weeks later when watching an ESPN game between the two teams .

But arguably more importantly for the league, the showdowns between Clark and Reese got people tuning in to channels they otherwise wouldn’t have watched. More people watched a Clark-Reese blowout in late August (1.6 million) than any other game broadcast in Ion history.

These Sky Fever numbers actually match or exceed the average nationally televised regular-season MLB games. And even though the Fever were eliminated, these WNBA playoffs continued to break records – Game 1 of the Liberty-Aces series was the most-watched WNBA semifinal game in 22 years until Game 3 broke that record with 994,000 viewers. Last year, viewership was less than half that mark.

Of course, MLB’s ratings will surpass the WNBA’s this postseason, as Clark’s Fever rebounded in the postseason.

But it’s clear that the WNBA really does have a bright future thanks to Clark and Reese.

Take a look at Q Scores data that helps measure celebrity popularity. More Americans know who Clark is (44%) than baseball stars Aaron Judge (30%), Mike Trout (25%) or Shohei Ohtani (23%). Reese has similar numbers to these baseball stars, with 27% knowing who she is.

An average of 21% knew who the average athlete tested was.

It’s not just that a lot of people know who Clark is. Many of the people who mention her rank her as their favorite celebrity (20%). This is significantly more than the average male or female athlete (13%). Reese also performed above average (16%).

As an old friend of mine once said, entertainment rises or dies because of the stars. This year seems to have proven that old adage and suggests that the WNBA has a bright future.