Caitlin Clark may have stumbled in her playoff debut on Sunday, and we have no idea if she'll be able to save Indiana's season tomorrow night in Connecticut. She's had an amazing year, but no one expected the Fever to be a true championship contender.
Whatever happens on the floor against the Sun, though, it's abundantly clear that Clark is the ultimate superstar when it comes to elevating the WNBA and generating money for the league. It's happening everywhere--on TV and online, in the ticket prices and the subsequent crowds, and in the merchandising arena, where Clark is changing the game when it comes to revenue and visibility.
Caitlin Clark is the ultimate draw on TV and in person
It's easy to dismiss the numbers associated with Clark's popularity as momentary hype, but some are impossible to overlook. Start with well over two million people tuning in to see Clark's name called first on WNBA draft night.
Hoops purists will note that NBA TV went on to set new viewership records in eight Clark games it broadcast, and Ion experienced a 100+ growth rate in its audience over the course of its contract to broadcast 43 WNBA games this year.
Those numbers bring in advertisers, but if you're looking for more concrete numbers to verify the kind of money Clark is generating, look no further than the ticket prices.
The WNBA has long been known as a reasonable option price-wise when it comes to seeing pro basketball, but the average ticket price to see Clark against the Sky, Wings and Mystic ranged from just over $200 to just under $350.
She's redefining the merchandising and card market
Clark is also posting some serious money numbers in the merchandising arena, too. Her signature basketball, which was initially priced from $25-100, sold out in 40 minutes when it first became available online, and prices on the aftermarket have been as high as $200.
Her initial WNBA autographed draft card, which showed her in a Fever jersey for the first time, recently sold at auction for $84. She was initially featured in seven different card sets, but that number has ballooned to well over 600, and many include autographs.
To get an idea of the significance of those numbers, consider what some other WNBA stars have done in the card market. A’ja Wilson, who will be this year's MVP, is a good example. She was drafted by the Aces as the first pick in the 2018 draft, but until Rittenhouse released a set featuring her that year, the only card featuring Wilson before she was drafted was a Sports Illustrated for Kids card that was included in the magazine in 2016.
Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu had a similarly parallel experience. She was drafted in 2020 in a much-publicized pick, but a single card offered by SI for Kids was the only product offering before that.
It’s also important to note that WNBA card sets and offerings have a much more limited print run compared to their NBA cousins. Wilson’s 2018 rookie card, for instance, was printed in a run that was sold in parallel to the Rittenhouse set, but there were only 25 cards in that set and just 500 copies.
NBA card runs offer feature color parallels and rookie inserts, but prior card runs for then-rookies Tina Charles (2010) and Maya Moore (2011) had print runs of just 250 and 233, respectively.
The future of Caitlin Clark stock is bullish indeed
It's naive to think any of this business success is going to drop off or go away any time soon. Clark’s first season has been a whirlwind tour of the college and pro basketball experience, and there are times when she's looked absolutely exhausted by the non-stop pace.
Whenever her season comes to an end, she'll have a chance to rest and reset, and more business deals to capitalize on her unprecedented popularity will continue to be developed. Given her obvious competitive fire, Clark will doubtless work on her game, and while she is we'll still be seeing her in sports drink commercials and analogous ads.
The WNBA will continue to make more money and become more popular, and so will the other players who will benefit as Clark's rising financial tidal wave continues to lift all boats. It's one of the most stunning alterations in the sports landscapes we've seen in years, and who knows when and where it will all end.