By this point, it’s been well established that Caitlin Clark is an unprecedented draw for the WNBA.
But how valuable will the Indiana Fever star be to the league in just the second season of her professional career? Potentially $1 billion.
Yes, billion. With a B.
As a part of a deep dive into the business of Clark, NBC News spoke with Indiana University Columbus associate professor of finance Ryan Brewer about the former Iowa standout’s star power. And in attempting to put a price on her presence in the league, the valuations expert estimated that it’s not a stretch to think that she could have a 10-figure impact on the WNBA by the end of 2025.
“If things just go as they were, and we have an expanded season of 22 home games with modest inflation, I’m looking at $875 [million],” Brewer told NBC News. “And I could easily see that eclipsing a billion dollars on the economic impact of Caitlin Clark this year.”
Brewer also spoke to the Indianapolis Star about Clark’s financial impact this past February, noting that the time that the numbers “don’t even seem real.” Yet just three months later, it seems like there isn’t a figure that’s big enough to encapsulate the value of Clark, who has already cemented herself as one of the most reliable attractions in all of sports.
Earlier this month, Clark’s return to Iowa for a matchup against the Brazil National Team drew 1.3 million viewers for ESPN, a staggering number for a preseason WNBA game. And that ratings success has unsurprisingly translated to the regular season, with last week’s matchup between the Fever and Chicago Sky amassing the league’s biggest regular-season rating in 25 years with 2.7 million viewers on ABC.
In addition to TV ratings, Caitlin Clark has had a sizable impact on the WNBA’s attendance and merchandise sales. Brewer also estimates that her presence has increased the Fever’s franchise valuation to $340 million and that she could have an economic impact of $41 million on the city of Indianapolis if the interest in her performance is maintained.
Obviously, Clark isn’t the only reason for the WNBA’s recent surge in success, as the attention surrounding her rivalry with Sky forward Angel Reese has shown. But according to Brewer, any conversation regarding the league’s current business standing has to begin with Clark, whose value has already far exceeded her eye-popping box scores.
“It’s important to recognize that there is this rival and there are other rivals, but Caitlin Clark is illuminating the sport,” he said. “She particularly is the one who’s driving in a new kind of demographic that is reaching new kinds of people from the traditional WNBA fan base that is causing this growth rate and also accelerating interest in corporate sponsorships.”