After former Iowa Women's Basketball superstar Caitlin Clark entered the WNBA, she made her impact felt on and off the court. The Indiana Fever selected the Iowa superstar No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and she lived up to the hype.
During her rookie campaign, Clark led all rookies in points (19.5), assists (8.4), and steals (1.3) per game and was named the 2024 Rookie of the Year.
She also earned an All-WNBA First Team selection after receiving 52 of 67 first place votes.
After setting the WNBA on fire in her first season, Ryan Brewer, a finance professor at The University of Indiana-Columbus, was charged with determining her economic impact on the WNBA and how it would increase this season.
After last season, Brewer determined that Clark was responsible for 26.5 percent of the WNBA's economic activity.
After this season, Brewer believes Clark's value will approach close to 875 million dollars, and he would not be surprised if it surpassed one billion.
The WNBA continues to expand, adding the Golden State Valkyries to the league this season and adding teams in Portland and Toronto next season. As the league continues to grow, so does the revenue stream.
In 2026, the WNBA will enter the first year of an 11-year, 2.2 billion dollar media rights deal, projected to triple the current media-rights value.
During last season, an average of 17,035 fans attended Indiana Fever home games and 9,807 attended WNBA games nationwide, up from 6,615 in 2023. As the league grows, more eyeballs will be on Clark and the league.
Clark impacted viewership and merchandise sales. WNBA merchandise sales on Fanatics increased 500 percent from 2023 to 2024.
After last season, the Indiana Fever's overall value was estimated at 90 million, but with Clark's impact, Brewer estimated the actual value to be closer to 340 million.
Clark's impact on the WNBA cannot be denied, and as the league grows, Clark's impact will continue to grow to a billion dollars or more.