Caitlin Clark’s presence has consistently been a game-changer, and there’s a reason Stephen A. Smith dubs her the “Golden Goose of the WNBA.” Her fame extends beyond the court, drawing audiences wherever she goes. This offseason has shown that the “Clark Effect” isn’t limited to basketball—it’s making waves across sports, from golf to football. Now, since Clark has joined a group bidding for an NWSL expansion franchise in Cincinnati, even soccer is experiencing her remarkable influence.

A few weeks ago, it was revealed that Caitlin Clark, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, joined Cincinnati’s ownership group for their NWSL expansion bid. Now, it’s clear her involvement has already made a significant impact on their social media presence. As reported by The Athletic, “social media posts surged from 10,000 per day to almost half a million,“ marking an astonishing 4900% increase. This spike highlights Caitlin Clark’s impressive ability to attract attention.

By mid-July this year, Indiana Fever had recorded 800M views across all platforms. This ranked them above all the teams in WNBA, NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB. Fever also led the league in followers gained and social media engagement right from the first month of the season. If that wasn’t enough, ANNIKA Pro-Am reportedly saw about a 1200% increase in ticket sales during Clark’s participation.

Jeff Berding, a key member of the ownership group, is aware of the eyes the 22-year-old brings and acknowledged her involvement in significantly boosting their visibility. “She’s very proud to be a part of this effort and she’s very competitive. She wants to win and see this happen. She’s 100 miles away (with her Indianapolis-based WNBA team) and she’s going to have a great opportunity to be involved in a meaningful way,” Berding added.

This comes as the Cincinnati bid gains momentum, surpassing their rivals including Cleveland group.

Cincinnati’s proposal stands out as the only one publicly supported by an MLS club, meaning the potential NWSL team would have access to the city’s TQL Stadium, which opened just three years ago. The plan also includes building a new training facility specifically for the women’s team, with the group seeking $5 million in public funds for the development site.

The proposed training facility would be located in Hamilton County’s suburbs, similar to FC Cincinnati’s $30 million Mercy Health center. The 24-acre site would feature three full-size, floodlit soccer fields and a 30,000-square-foot, multi-level building for the team.

“We will have access to the site and have fields there ready to go for the 2026 season. The construction of the facility would still be underway, but we would use, effectively, a temporary building on-site to house the locker room and meeting rooms and medical suite, etc., while the primary building is underway,” Berding said. This plan addresses their training facility needs, especially as Cleveland had an advantage in this area with its ongoing developments.

Caitlin Clark boosts Cincinnati’s NWSL bid amid Cleveland competition

Cincinnati’s bid to join the NWSL is encountering stiff competition, especially from Cleveland. While Cincinnati benefits from its established TQL Stadium, opened in 2021, Cleveland’s ownership group is making significant strides. They’ve acquired a prime 13.6-acre site across from Progressive Field for a $150 million stadium, which will initially seat 12,500 fans, with plans for future expansion to 20,000.

Cincinnati has been at the forefront of the bid for the NWSL’s 16th expansion spot, but Cleveland’s efforts made things difficult for Caitlin Clark’s ambitions. The expansion fee for the new NWSL team could approach $100 million, according to several sources, following the $53 million paid by both Boston and Bay FC to join the league in 2023.

Despite the uncertainties, the franchise ownership group is excited to have Caitlin Clark on board. “The NWSL Cincinnati bid team is thrilled to have Caitlin Clark join our ownership group as we work to bring a professional women’s soccer team to our city,” the FC Cincinnati organization shared in a statement earlier. And her involvement is already proving beneficial, as shown by a significant boost in their social media engagement.