Caitlin Clark’s spectacular appeal could mark turning point WNBA deserves
Caitlin Clark’s marketability makes her stand out
Given that there is so much more money in potential professional endorsements, that means more opportunities for the WNBA to market her to the public at large and bring more attention to women’s basketball. She’s already getting more and more attention and 2024 will be the chance for the league to really promote her to their own advantage.
The problems that WNBA fans have finding ways to watch games could be solved by a player who is single-handedly responsible for ratings going up. Also, an openly progressive sports league has a chance to have its biggest star be someone from the middle of the country who can bridge all kinds of divides.
Let me end by telling you a story. In March, I went to my barbershop for a haircut and I was talking with one of the barbers about what I do and he told me that he had been watching women’s basketball recently, particularly “that white girl at Iowa,” “that sister at South Carolina” and “that white girl up north.”
Of course, even though he didn’t say their names, I knew that he was talking about Clark, Boston, and Bueckers respectively because I had written about games involving all three women respectively. The reason I tell this story is because these kinds of casual fans are the fans that the WNBA needs to draw in if they want to grow and Clark can do that for them.
She’s the kind of mesmerizing talent and profitable brand that the league desperately needs. I really do want women’s basketball to reach its fullest potential in terms of popularity and I truly do believe that she is the key, so I sincerely hope that the WNBA unlocks it once she arrives.