Caitlin Clark has yet to be drafted, but her assumed impact on the WNBA is already happening in real time. The WNBA dropped its 2024 TV broadcast schedule on Wednesday, and the Indiana Fever — the team Caitlin will likely join — will have nearly all of its games nationally broadcasted.
Caitlin Clark’s popularity in college basketball was undeniable, and her impact helped change the game in ways some fans hadn’t seen in their lifetimes. And now, the WNBA is banking on some of those same things happening during the 2024 season.
On Wednesday, they released their television broadcast schedule for the upcoming season, which will have several games shown on networks like ESPN, ABC and CBS but will also spotlight the Indiana Fever with 36 nationally televised games. That’s more than the defending champion Las Vegas Aces (35 games) and the runner-up New York Liberty (31 games). That’s also a 35 percent increase from the 2023 season when the Fever had 22 games on national television.
With such a substantial increase in coverage, it got us thinking: how many ways has Caitlin Clark impacted the WNBA before even being drafted?
Here’s what we found:
1
When Caitlin declared for the Draft, fans (and the Indiana Fever) jumped at the opportunity to get creative with her impending debut
Caitlin Clark’s declaration for the 2024 WNBA Draft had fans making Shaq and Kobe memes at the thought of her with Aliyah Boston. It also caused the Indiana Fever to not-so-subtly drop tweets about the Draft and the upcoming season.
2
Maybe that seems like nothing, but then things started to get weird in a totally "this couldn't be anymore apparent" way
On March 5, Clark and Gainbridge — the same company with naming rights to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Indiana Fever and Pacers play — announced a totally NOT obvious NIL partnership.
3
Next, tickets to the 2024 WNBA Draft sold out in 15 minutes
Was it the Caitlin Clark effect? Yes, but not in the way you think.
Truthfully, tickets to the Draft being sold out wasn’t just about Caitlin lighting it up at Iowa or making the decision to turn pro. It was—and will always be—about women’s sports. People are following Caitlin for the moments she creates, but it’s the movement that will keep them. The movement has been happening for a long time now. WOMEN HAVE BEEN HERE. They are just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.
4
Speaking of movements, the league is already preparing for the simultaneous growth it's experiencing that will also align with Clark's rookie season
Per Margaret Fleming of Front Office Sports, here are some examples of single-game ticket price increases for the Indiana Fever’s road games as of April 10:
- Chicago Sky: $125 for Fever games on June 23 and Aug. 30. When the reigning champion Aces come to town, tickets are $25.
- Las Vegas Aces: $108.07 for the May 25 game at their usual arena. Tickets for the Aces usually start at $15, including for the T-Mobile Arena game against the Fever, and the team has already sold out five games this season, including the Fever.
- Minnesota Lynx: Single-game tickets are not available yet, but the StubHub get-in prices are $189 and $210 for games on July 14 and Aug. 24.
- New York Liberty: $88.35 and $115.67 for Fever games on May 18 and June 2. Tickets for Liberty games usually start at $33.85.
- Washington Mystics: As of Wednesday afternoon, only one standard ticket was available for the two Fever games in Washington, and it cost $600. Tickets for the cheapest Mystics games are listed at $20.
5
Need more proof? The WNBA might not say it outright, but the league is leaning on Caitlin and the impressive 2024 rookie class
The WNBA released several visuals and commercials during March Madness centered as part of a campaign called “Welcome to the W,” fully leaning into the notion that while Caitlin and her fellow rookies might have lit it up in college, the W is a different game. You may have also seen the Phoenix Mercury social media team jump in on the conversation after comments Diana Taurasi made about Caitlin went viral.
