Everyone knows the WNBA owes its surge in popularity to the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark. But precisely how much of that surge can be attributed to Clark? We now know the answer to that question.
Writing in the Indianapolis Star on Tuesday, Dana Hunsinger Benbow details new findings from valuation expert Dr. Ryan Brewer, who specializes in calculating the value of an individual’s financial worth.
What did he find? The WNBA owes nearly half of its broadcast value to Caitlin Clark.
“Total TV viewership due to Clark is up 300%, and 45% of total broadcast value came from Fever games,” Brewer said, according to the article. “The league’s merchandise sales catapulted 500%, with Clark ranking No. 1 followed by the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, another rookie.”
Brewer predicts that Clark’s share of the league’s popularity will only grow as her career progresses.
And who – other than the WNBA – reaps the biggest reward for Clark’s impact on the league? The city she plays for.
“The most astonishing number of all is Clark’s economic impact on the city of Indianapolis, which Brewer says is upwards of $36 million,” the article states. “Not as big as the NBA All-Star game’s $400 million financial boost to the city in February, but a respectable 10% of that.”
“Now, let’s take a breath for a minute and think about this,” said Brewer. “That’s for one year. We’re talking about one player.”
With Clark’s rookie season in the rear-view, a new coach, and a better chance at a post-season run, there’s every reason to believe her value will only go up.