$4 Billion Problem Arises for WNBA Due to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Others– Here’s How

Jul 17, 2024 | 6:30 AM EDT

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Call it the Caitlin Clark effect or the immense skills of the 2024 draft class, the WNBA as a whole has seen many profitable numbers this season. It is no joke that the league is seeing sold-out arenas day in and day out. Neither is the fact that rookies like the first overall pick, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and more are paving a path for future talents.

One way that it is quite visible how this group of athletes is doing so is by their marketability. According to the Sports Innovation Lab, the apparel market for women has reached a whopping $4 billion in the USA. However, there remains one issue that is continuously pinching everyone’s nerves.

Caitlin Clark and WNBA stars face slowed merch availability

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A few days back, the Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, who will be making a debut in the WNBA All-Star on July 20, sold out her jersey in just 17 minutes! She also sold out most sizes of her No. 22 Indiana jersey within an hour of her draft announcement. Indeed, as the WNBA legend Rebecca Lobo said, “This girl is a tsunami,” the 2x NPOY is proving her correct.

But among all this rise, one problem that everyone noticed was how the supplies did not get refilled. This meant that while there were fans waiting to snatch the merch, the product itself was not available.

Jessica Robertson, co-founder of Togethxr spoke about the lack of availability, “This is not a build it and they will come. This is a make it available because they are here and they’ve been here.” Reflecting on the issue, she also added, “It’s another example of how hard it has been to be a women’s sports fan.” Surely enough, SIL reports say that over 80% of the fans have mentioned that they would buy women’s sports products but they cannot find the desired option, especially in stores.

The women’s sports apparel market has soared to $4 billion in the U.S.
However, retailers are unable to keep up with demand.
Without adequate production resources, licensing rights, and distribution abilities, fans can’t get the merch they’re asking for ⬇️
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 16, 2024

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According to Robertson, the unavailability also signals the resource deficiency that women’s sports have been facing. Angela Ruggiero, 4x Olympian and CEO of Sports Innovation Lab suggested that big and small brands should also look into trying the waters. The world of women’s sports is seeing more attention today than it has ever before. Let us look at how other WNBA stars are changing the tides as well.

Examples of growth of women’s sports

The Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese joined Caitlin Clark and sold out her No. 5 jersey within a few weeks of the draft night. Later, her viral dialogue after a huge win over the Indiana Fever in their third matchup grabbed attention. Merchandise company BreakingT seized the opportunity and produced the “I’m a dawg, you can’t teach that” shirt. Today, the Baltimore native is the highest-selling WNBA star of the brand.

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Sue Bird’s co-founded Togethxr has also grasped the chance of their own. When the ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’ invited the WNBA legend, she created a line of her own there. These famous words were, “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports.” Over time, the brand has earned over $3 million in revenue through this $45 merch.

Although the league has introduced several changes to its operations, it seems like this is simply not enough. Given the fact that the stars like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese continue to break barriers and create history, there is an urgent need for analytics to take over financial planning sooner rather than later.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video