Caitlin Clark Effect Fails to Haunt Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu’s Throne; Remains Less Relevant Among WNBA Teams

The introduction of Caitlin Clark in the WNBA turned out to be exactly as everyone thought. Within a few days of her inception into the professional realm, the 2024 No.1 overall draft pick had her impact on the fans in the form of sold-out stadiums and overpriced tickets. However, some numbers suggest that her magic, often referred to as the Caitlin Clark Effect, lags behind in comparison to some senior pros like Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu.

The reception that the 2024 WNBA season is receiving speaks volumes about the popularity the division has managed to garner. However, this is not purely because of the fresh college faces that became a part of the league this year. After grabbing an average of 889,000 eyes in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals and making it the most-watched WNBA Finals Game 4 on record, the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty are in business once again. According to StubHub, in the 93% surge in WNBA sales, both these franchises hold the highest margins.

The back-to-back WNBA champions hold an edge over their 2023 Finalists as their sales have tripled this time with a 190% hike. Superstars like A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and even their latest recruit, Kate Martin, get the most in-demand status among their followers. Moreover, they also get to play host to three out of the top 10 selling games in their campaign, making it the most by any team.

At the same time, the New York Liberty appeared to be the second most in-demand team. Evidently, the franchise is witnessing a hike of 30% as per StubHub’s sales record. Also, their pre-season encounter against Caitlin Clark and Co. is experiencing three times the numbers in comparison to their 2023 home opener. Nonetheless, the contributions made by the Caitlin Clark effect are no less.

Caitlin Clark escalates Indiana Fever’s sales

Not only has the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer boosted the WNBA sales with her arrival, but she has also made the Indiana Fever the top trending franchise. 10 of the Indiana Fever road games resulted in acquiring the best-selling reputation. In addition to this, Indiana’s involvement in any game has an 80% jump in the average ticket prices. At the moment, the average ticket price of $175 tops it all. 

A noteworthy influence of Caitlin Clark helping the overall culture of the game. Anyhow, the supremacy of the old guards is also not hampered courtesy of the aforementioned facts. The outcome of it all seems to be that the contributions of any athlete are undermined in any way.