Women’s basketball is undeniably on the rise, and WNBA rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are among the sport’s most recognizable names.
For the first time, the NCAA Women’s Tournament saw record viewership, and the championship game between Iowa and South Carolina outdrew the men’s championship game. For a second year in a row, Clark and Reese battled in one of the most-viewed NCAA women’s basketball games in history.
Now, stars like Clark, Reese and the rest of the 2024 rookie class are aiming to help grow the WNBA as they helped grow college basketball.
What’s at stake for the WNBA?
Simply put, the WNBA is looking for financial viability, or as WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert put it on draft night, a business transformation.
On the whole, the league has seen transformation under Engelbert. The WNBA completed a $75 million capital raise in 2022 and continues to add sponsors or WNBA Changemakers to their lineup. The 2023 league impact report shows WNBA full season viewership is up 21% and Finals viewership is up 36% year-over-year. Additionally, nationally-televised games increased 39% from 2022 to 2023.
However, none of these gains have led to what players say they want the most:…
