WNBA ratings down 50% since Clark injury

[atl-cock]

I suppose it's a good tradeoff, except that the money has eroded everything about the game. If you took all the TV money out of the game, all the ills of the current game like never come to pass, including NIL and transfer portal.

But, yes, commercials. Remember when they said they were changing the clock rules to shorten games by not stopping the clock after 1st downs? And then games ended up being just as long because they only added more commercials? Yeah.

Exactly! Especially true in MLB.

TV and collegiate athletic conferences dictate much of the scheduling and start times.

About the only thing good to come out of this IMO is the SEC office scheduling football opponents each season, Back in day, each school "picked" which 6 of the other 11 members they wished to schedule in football.

When Bobby Dodd was coaching at Georgia Tech, he refused to schedule the Mississippi schools, citing issues with travel and stadium facilities. During the Jackets' time in the SEC, they did not play Ole Miss State at all! And played Mississippi only twice - a 1946 contest in Atlanta (an anomaly, I imagine) and in the 1953 Sugar Bowl (this avoided the segregation issue).

Of course, with 16 schools now in the SEC, it of course becomes more difficult to play all members as frequently on the gridiron.

 

[adcoop]

Well, the WNBA is going to get another test. Caitlin will miss another game with a Strained Groin. She has to be careful with that. Those type of injuries can linger and can keep you out for several weeks if you try to come back too soon.

 

[18IsTheMan]

One. Woman. League.

WNBA All-Star vote numbers show astonishing 13-fold Caitlin Clark impact

The WNBA has seen a surge in fan engagement for All-Star voting since Caitlin Clark entered the league, with the Indiana Fever guard nearing 1.3 million votes

www.themirror.com

In 2023, the top-voted player was A'ja Wilson, with 95,860. The following year, Clark received 700,735. Clark smashed her number out of the water in 2025, receiving 1,293,526, an increase in fan vote volume of 13,494x in just two years.

 

[Forkcock]

One. Woman. League.

WNBA All-Star vote numbers show astonishing 13-fold Caitlin Clark impact

The WNBA has seen a surge in fan engagement for All-Star voting since Caitlin Clark entered the league, with the Indiana Fever guard nearing 1.3 million votes

www.themirror.com

In 2023, the top-voted player was A'ja Wilson, with 95,860. The following year, Clark received 700,735. Clark smashed her number out of the water in 2025, receiving 1,293,526, an increase in fan vote volume of 13,494x in just two years.

Yet the league treats Clark like crap.

Clark is to the WNBA as the Glazed Doughnut is to Krispy Kreme. The problem is, the WNBA fails to recognize it.

 

[adcoop]

Yet the league treats Clark like crap.

Clark is to the WNBA as the Glazed Doughnut is to Krispy Kreme. The problem is, the WNBA fails to recognize it.

What are they supposed to do? Congratulate mediocrity? I get that Clark is popular. I give her credit for that. However, the on-court product has to follow at some point or it is all hype. Clark is putting up great individual numbers, but so did Carmelo Anthony. I am starting to question if all the logo threes contribute to a lack of consistency. They look good when they go in, but Clark shot 34% from 3 last year and is shooting 30% from 3 this year. The fever were 20-20 last year and 8-8 this year. You take Caitlin Clark's name away from those facts and you just say, ho hum. With Clark, it's everyone's fault. The referees call the game too rough (Refs getting blamed for soft tissue injuries that Clark probably had coming into the season), Teammates get blamed (Who can forget how Indiana Fever and Clark fans treated our very own, Aliyah Boston). That is until they found out that Boston is probably Clark's best friend on the team. So, now Boston is golden, but they treated her so badly last year that the poor girl had to cut off her social media presence. My point is that all of this is going to hit a breaking point. You can't have your face of the league playing .500 basketball and getting put out of the 1st Round of the Playoffs.

 

[kidrobinski]

What are they supposed to do? Congratulate mediocrity? I get that Clark is popular. I give her credit for that. However, the on-court product has to follow at some point or it is all hype. Clark is putting up great individual numbers, but so did Carmelo Anthony. I am starting to question if all the logo threes contribute to a lack of consistency. They look good when they go in, but Clark shot 34% from 3 last year and is shooting 30% from 3 this year. The fever were 20-20 last year and 8-8 this year. You take Caitlin Clark's name away from those facts and you just say, ho hum. With Clark, it's everyone's fault. The referees call the game too rough (Refs getting blamed for soft tissue injuries that Clark probably had coming into the season), Teammates get blamed (Who can forget how Indiana Fever and Clark fans treated our very own, Aliyah Boston). That is until they found out that Boston is probably Clark's best friend on the team. So, now Boston is golden, but they treated her so badly last year that the poor girl had to cut off her social media presence. My point is that all of this is going to hit a breaking point. You can't have your face of the league playing .500 basketball and getting put out of the 1st Round of the Playoffs.

My friend, no one cares about the wnba; they're for the most part boring, hateful, boorish, and borderline disgusting. They care about Caitlin Clark; she's athletic, slick, intelligent, and fun to watch. You obviously don't like Clark and resent the attention she gets, for reasons beyond the basketball imo; we get it. But it is what it is nontheless.

 

[adcoop]

My friend, no one cares about the wnba; they're for the most part boring, hateful, boorish, and borderline disgusting. They care about Caitlin Clark; she's athletic, slick, intelligent, and fun to watch. You obviously don't like Clark and resent the attention she gets, for reasons beyond the basketball imo; we get it. But it is what it is nontheless.

I get that you and a lot of people don't care about the the WNBA. I have no dog in the fight. I don't dislike Caitlin. I care about basketball and facts. What I see is that a lot of people want to say they don't care about the WNBA, its players and such, but want that same organization and its players to bow down to Caitlin Clark. If you don't care, why is it so important for the players to bow down. You said you don't care. I put the same standards on Caitlin Clark that I put on all star players in basketball. I want to see them play well and I want to see them win. Clark has done the play well part, at least sometimes. Not consistent enough for me, but you can tell she is going to get there. I am not some fly-by-night as a basketball fan. I have watched probably 90% of Caitlin's WNBA games. There are reasons that the Fever were 20-20 and again a .500 team this year and it does not all fall on Christie Sides (coach they fired last year). It does not all fall on Stephanie White (coach a lot of Fever fans want to fire this year). It does not all fall on her teammates. Yes, her teammates have made mistakes, don't catch the ball all the time, and could be more skilled. However, we can't truthfully say everything is great with Caitlin when the numbers glaringly say otherwise. Caitlin shoots under 40% from the field. We just ran off a popular SC guard (Mylasia Fulwiley) for that. Caitlin averages 6 Turnovers per game. Yes, she averages 9 assists per game, but the turnovers are way too high for an elite guard. She has to get that down to about 3-4 turnovers per game. I want Caitlin to be successful because if that happens Boston is successful. However, I have to be honest. Caitlin is not quite there yet if the goal is to win. Now, if the goal is to be popular, talk about crowd size, and to have discussions about how all the other players are jealous, then the goal has been accomplished. Now, I will admit that the players saying she is the 9th best guard in WNBA All-Star voting is ridiculous. So, both sides need to grow up IMO. The real basketball fans are saying please stop. The extremes on both sides are not helping the game.

 

[18IsTheMan]

What are they supposed to do? Congratulate mediocrity? I get that Clark is popular. I give her credit for that. However, the on-court product has to follow at some point or it is all hype. Clark is putting up great individual numbers, but so did Carmelo Anthony. I am starting to question if all the logo threes contribute to a lack of consistency. They look good when they go in, but Clark shot 34% from 3 last year and is shooting 30% from 3 this year. The fever were 20-20 last year and 8-8 this year. You take Caitlin Clark's name away from those facts and you just say, ho hum. With Clark, it's everyone's fault. The referees call the game too rough (Refs getting blamed for soft tissue injuries that Clark probably had coming into the season), Teammates get blamed (Who can forget how Indiana Fever and Clark fans treated our very own, Aliyah Boston). That is until they found out that Boston is probably Clark's best friend on the team. So, now Boston is golden, but they treated her so badly last year that the poor girl had to cut off her social media presence. My point is that all of this is going to hit a breaking point. You can't have your face of the league playing .500 basketball and getting put out of the 1st Round of the Playoffs.

But they are in the situation that whether or not she’s the best player in the league or even close to it, she is the only reason most people watch. It’s not like Jordan who was head and shoulders the best player and also the reason a lot of people watched.

I can understand other players feeling resentment that she gets undo attention disproportionate to her on court production, but it’s just reality they have to reckon with.

 

[adcoop]

But they are in the situation that whether or not she’s the best player in the league or even close to it, she is the only reason most people watch. It’s not like Jordan who was head and shoulders the best player and also the reason a lot of people watched.

I can understand other players feeling resentment that she gets undo attention disproportionate to her on court production, but it’s just reality they have to reckon with.

Whether the other players are resentful, it will all play out in time. Clark fans are trying to rush the process IMO. If Clark is what a lot of people hope and thinks she is, it will be undeniable just like Jordan. My problem is with both sides not making it about basketball. Maybe I am a purist, but it should always be about the product on the floor. Otherwise, it's some basketball form of WWE. Part of my attraction to sports is that it is best form of reality media out there. If I get any inkling that it is scripted, I am out. Both sides having some growing up to do IMO. Fandom can't make you the best player and resentment won't stop a player from being great. Let's play the games and see what happens. That's what sports are all about. At least to me.

 

[kidrobinski]

Whether the other players are resentful, it will all play out in time. Clark fans are trying to rush the process IMO. If Clark is what a lot of people hope and thinks she is, it will be undeniable just like Jordan. My problem is with both sides not making it about basketball. Maybe I am a purist, but it should always be about the product on the floor. Otherwise, it's some basketball form of WWE. Part of my attraction to sports is that it is best form of reality media out there. If I get any inkling that it is scripted, I am out. Both sides having some growing up to do IMO. Fandom can't make you the best player and resentment won't stop a player from being great. Let's play the games and see what happens. That's what sports are all about. At least to me.

Sports is about entertainment.

Mick Jagger is by no means what most would call a singer, but he sells out (or was) stadiums and sells records like the boss he is. Because he makes people happy; he entertains them.

Same with Caitlin Clark.

 

[adcoop]

Sports is about entertainment.

Mick Jagger is by no means what most would call a singer, but he sells out (or was) stadiums and sells records like the boss he is. Because he makes people happy; he entertains them.

Same with Caitlin Clark.

Part of it is entertainment but it is also about hard results. Show me the sport where the face of a league is not either a champion or competing for a championship. I am not saying she can't be the face. I am telling you, as a person that actually watches the games, that she is not quite ready. She should get there, but she will have to improve the things I outlined. Better shot selection.. That will improve her shooting percentages. Her fans don't want to hear that, but do you want to see her win? Get a mid-range game. Players are playing up on you for the 3. Be more of a threat going to the rim and develop a mid-range runner or pull-up to back the defense off. Develop offense on the right side of the floor. Every team's scouting report says that you want to shoot a step-back going left. The greats develop their weaknesses and get better. They don't complain about the defense competing too hard (Caitlin doesn't do this, her fans tend to).

 

[I4CtheFuture]

What are they supposed to do? Congratulate mediocrity? I get that Clark is popular. I give her credit for that. However, the on-court product has to follow at some point or it is all hype. Clark is putting up great individual numbers, but so did Carmelo Anthony. I am starting to question if all the logo threes contribute to a lack of consistency. They look good when they go in, but Clark shot 34% from 3 last year and is shooting 30% from 3 this year. The fever were 20-20 last year and 8-8 this year. You take Caitlin Clark's name away from those facts and you just say, ho hum. With Clark, it's everyone's fault. The referees call the game too rough (Refs getting blamed for soft tissue injuries that Clark probably had coming into the season), Teammates get blamed (Who can forget how Indiana Fever and Clark fans treated our very own, Aliyah Boston). That is until they found out that Boston is probably Clark's best friend on the team. So, now Boston is golden, but they treated her so badly last year that the poor girl had to cut off her social media presence. My point is that all of this is going to hit a breaking point. You can't have your face of the league playing .500 basketball and getting put out of the 1st Round of the Playoffs.

In a nutshell, I agree with you. - I didn't follow WNBA at all until Clark appeared on the scene. I still don't watch it, however I have scrolled enough youtube shorts / clips to at least look up the record and see how they're doing and perhaps see if I can watch a game somewhere for free..... and I noticed they're .500 - and that's somewhat of a headscratcher for me. They got Clark, Boston, and apparently that other tall chick that people are now calling 'the enforcer' - Now I don't know too much about basketball, but that seems like 3 solid pieces of the puzzle that they ought to be at least a tad bit better than .500....

So, it's either a lack of defense or Boston and the other chick just aren't that good. I'm not saying none of the blame falls on Clark.... but there's a reason so many people are watching her. She is electric. As you say, she needs to limit her turnovers and perhaps reign in her shot selection at times but the other 2 need to step it up, or all 3 need to play better D..... no matter how you slice it, there's a headscratcher in there somewhere.

 

[Anon1751452117]

Well the Fever did whoop the best team in the league last night without Caitlin. to be fair, it was a game that doesn't count in the standings. I have watched the Fever quite a bit and its their defense (or lack thereof at times) that holds them back. Last night, they played lock down D and won by 15 and held the number one team to a measly 59 points.

 

[Forkcock]

Whether the other players are resentful, it will all play out in time. Clark fans are trying to rush the process IMO. If Clark is what a lot of people hope and thinks she is, it will be undeniable just like Jordan. My problem is with both sides not making it about basketball. Maybe I am a purist, but it should always be about the product on the floor. Otherwise, it's some basketball form of WWE. Part of my attraction to sports is that it is best form of reality media out there. If I get any inkling that it is scripted, I am out. Both sides having some growing up to do IMO. Fandom can't make you the best player and resentment won't stop a player from being great. Let's play the games and see what happens. That's what sports are all about. At least to me.

If it was about the product on the floor, there would be no WNBA. The league is a joke. They lose millions every year and are propped up by the NBA.

 

[Piscis]

Part of it is entertainment but it is also about hard results. Show me the sport where the face of a league is not either a champion or competing for a championship. I am not saying she can't be the face. I am telling you, as a person that actually watches the games, that she is not quite ready. She should get there, but she will have to improve the things I outlined. Better shot selection.. That will improve her shooting percentages. Her fans don't want to hear that, but do you want to see her win? Get a mid-range game. Players are playing up on you for the 3. Be more of a threat going to the rim and develop a mid-range runner or pull-up to back the defense off. Develop offense on the right side of the floor. Every team's scouting report says that you want to shoot a step-back going left. The greats develop their weaknesses and get better. They don't complain about the defense competing too hard (Caitlin doesn't do this, her fans tend to).

It is ALL about entertainment.

 

[adcoop]

It is ALL about entertainment.

Well, she can go play for the Harlem Globetrotters. They play the Washington Generals and win every night. This is apparently what a lot Caitlin Clark fans want. I watched them lose a game to the LA Sparks over the weekend and the very things Fever and Clark fans complain about they were trying to do to Kelsey Plum. Guarding 94 feet, Trapping, being physical. Difference was Plum was physical in return and they got the win. I am just tired of the constant complaining and excuses when there are apparent solutions to winning.

 

[atl-cock]

It is ALL about entertainment.

Yes - that, in essence, is professional sports. Some, like the Savannah Bananas, are more upfront about it.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Bee for the win, as usual:

 

[will110]

That makes sense. I would put those on par with WNBA.

Actually WNBA is a significant step below these other sports.

5.4 million people watched the final round of the PGA Championship this year.

The average NASCAR Cup race receives 2.895 million viewers. Most NASCAR Xfinity series races are averaging over a million viewers on the CW this year.

The most watched non-exhibition WNBA game this millennium had 2.7 million viewers. The WNBA bragged that 22 regular season games in 2024 averaged over a million viewers.

 

[Cackmandu]

Actually WNBA is a significant step below these other sports.

5.4 million people watched the final round of the PGA Championship this year.

The average NASCAR Cup race receives 2.895 million viewers. Most NASCAR Xfinity series races are averaging over a million viewers on the CW this year.

The most watched non-exhibition WNBA game this millennium had 2.7 million viewers. The WNBA bragged that 22 regular season games in 2024 averaged over a million viewers.

Still beating the heck out of LIV and look at all the money flowing there! Different source, I know!

 

[Forkcock]

Still beating the heck out of LIV and look at all the money flowing there! Different source, I know!

LIV is an absolute joke.

 

[Gamecock72]

I don't watch enough women's college basketball (or any women's college sports) to be able to respond with any knowledge.

MLB is ruined. Interleague play, pitch clock, asinine extra inning rule with runner on 2nd base, designated hitters and the announcers are awful.

IMO, Interleague play and the pitch clock are some of the best changes in the game.

 

[Snake002]

Really can’t figure out how the WNBA stays afloat

 

[Forkcock]

Really can’t figure out how the WNBA stays afloat

Charity.

They haven't made a profit since the league began.

 

[SummervilleCock83]

What I see is that you have a lot of non-basketball fans following Caitlin. They don't follow the WNBA. They don't even follow the NBA or any kind of basketball period. They just want Caitlin to own the angry black girls so bad and the sad thing is that the Black girls already in the WNBA have done nothing to Caitlin. They have just been lumped into some foil that Caitlin has to conquer. When Caitlin's team loses it's her teammates fault, it's her coaches' fault, the other team is playing too rough, it's the referees fault. It has gotten to the point where I know other teams and players dread seeing that Fever game on the schedule and it's not because they are going to be playing such a difficult opponent.

The most insufferable and least knowledgeable fans are the Clark Cult. Their obsession with her is really odd.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Really can’t figure out how the WNBA stays afloat

I know, but I can't figure out why.

The argument is that by subsidizing the WNBA, the NBA helps grow its female fan base. But that hasn't been borne out. Women aren't particularly crazy about the WNBA.

 

[Piscis]

I know, but I can't figure out why.

The argument is that by subsidizing the WNBA, the NBA helps grow its female fan base. But that hasn't been borne out. Women aren't particularly crazy about the WNBA.

I think the NBA is funding the WNBA as a purely woke/DEI move and the "growing the female fan base" thing is a smokescreen.

 

[Cobie]

I know, but I can't figure out why.

The argument is that by subsidizing the WNBA, the NBA helps grow its female fan base. But that hasn't been borne out. Women aren't particularly crazy about the WNBA.

Future earnings. The Clark Effect helped ink a $2.2 billion media deal starting in 2026 (increasing annual TV revenue from $45 million to $200 million) and the league is also receiving $250 million in expansion fees from new teams.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I think the NBA is funding the WNBA as a purely woke/DEI move and the "growing the female fan base" thing is a smokescreen.

I would be willing to buy that back in the 90s when the WNBA kicked off, the NBA saw it as a way to grow the female fan base. That ship has sailed, though. The most ardent defenders of the WNBA are men. I don't know a single female WNBA fan. Sure, there are some, but the proportion of male to female fans is probably not all that different when compared to the NBA.

So, NOW, yes, I agree it is a woke/DEI issue for Silver and company. NBA owners are basically fed up with it. They are businessmen and they have seen absolutely zero ROI after a quarter century of dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into this thing. Problem is, there's no way out in this current climate. Although they are getting absolutely nothing from keeping the WNBA afloat, they would get absolutely crushed if they pulled out of it. ESPN would hammer them. So they are just stuck with it.

This is socialism, right? You don't deserve your money, I do. And if you don't give it to me, you're a racist, fascist, misogynist, Nazi.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Future earnings. The Clark Effect helped ink a $2.2 billion media deal starting in 2026 (increasing annual TV revenue from $45 million to $200 million) and the league is also receiving $250 million in expansion fees from new teams.

They better hope Clark is indestructible and immortal. Ratings league-wide went in the crapper the second she went down with injury.

 

[Cobie]

They better hope Clark is indestructible and immortal. Ratings league-wide went in the crapper the second she went down with injury.

True. But that media contract is for 11-years so she's already sealed the deal for them.

Personally, I'd rather stare at fish in an Aquarium than watch the WNBA at a 10:1 ratio.

However, investors obviously are convinced they can still bring the college baskeball hype to the league.

 

[Cobie]

Contrarian view:
Clark vs. The League angst that you see all of the time on TV is pre-planned/manufactured drama for promotion.

 

[Piscis]

I would be willing to buy that back in the 90s when the WNBA kicked off, the NBA saw it as a way to grow the female fan base. That ship has sailed, though. The most ardent defenders of the WNBA are men. I don't know a single female WNBA fan. Sure, there are some, but the proportion of male to female fans is probably not all that different when compared to the NBA.

So, NOW, yes, I agree it is a woke/DEI issue for Silver and company. NBA owners are basically fed up with it. They are businessmen and they have seen absolutely zero ROI after a quarter century of dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into this thing. Problem is, there's no way out in this current climate. Although they are getting absolutely nothing from keeping the WNBA afloat, they would get absolutely crushed if they pulled out of it. ESPN would hammer them. So they are just stuck with it.

This is socialism, right? You don't deserve your money, I do. And if you don't give it to me, you're a racist, fascist, misogynist, Nazi.

I would guess the majority of male WNBA fans are men with daughters who play basketball or are some other sort of athlete. ESPN is a Disney entity and, therefore, about as woke as any organization can possibly be. They will continue to push the "WNBA is great!" narrative forever, in spite of the fact that it is an abject failure as a business.

Now is the perfect time for the NBA to walk away from the WNBA. ESPN and people like the ones on here arguing about how great the WNBA is and how much better it is doing financially have given the NBA the perfect cover to say "the WNBA is finally standing on its own two feet and can support itself". ESPN would be put in the position of having to say the WNBA is not popular enough to exist on its own after years of saying how great it is. The NBA could take the heat for a little while but it wouldn't last forever and I don't think NBA fans would abandon the NBA over them walking away from the WNBA. If the NBA waits until after Clark leaves and interest in the WNBA goes back to basically zero to try and walk away, they will have a much harder time.

This isn't socialism as much as it is extortion. Give us money or we will hurt you financially with bad PR.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Contrarian view:
Clark vs. The League angst that you see all of the time on TV is pre-planned/manufactured drama for promotion.

Oh, I think that's a foregone conclusion. They DESPERATELY want Clark/Reese to be the WNBA's Bird/Magic. It's almost pathetic how bad they are pushing it.

 

[Cobie]

I would guess the majority of male WNBA fans are men with daughters who play basketball or are some other sort of athlete. ESPN is a Disney entity and, therefore, about as woke as any organization can possibly be. They will continue to push the "WNBA is great!" narrative forever, in spite of the fact that it is an abject failure as a business.

Now is the perfect time for the NBA to walk away from the WNBA. ESPN and people like the ones on here arguing about how great the WNBA is and how much better it is doing financially have given the NBA the perfect cover to say "the WNBA is finally standing on its own two feet and can support itself". ESPN would be put in the position of having to say the WNBA is not popular enough to exist on its own after years of saying how great it is. The NBA could take the heat for a little while but it wouldn't last forever and I don't think NBA fans would abandon the NBA over them walking away from the WNBA. If the NBA waits until after Clark leaves and interest in the WNBA goes back to basically zero to try and walk away, they will have a much harder time.

This isn't socialism as much as it is extortion. Give us money or we will hurt you financially with bad PR.

You must have missed this part -- The Clark Effect helped ink a $2.2 billion media deal starting in 2026 (increasing annual TV revenue from $45 million to $200 million) and the league is also receiving $250 million in expansion fees from new teams.

 

[18IsTheMan]

Now is the perfect time for the NBA to walk away from the WNBA. ESPN and people like the ones on here arguing about how great the WNBA is and how much better it is doing financially have given the NBA the perfect cover to say "the WNBA is finally standing on its own two feet and can support itself". ESPN would be put in the position of having to say the WNBA is not popular enough to exist on its own after years of saying how great it is. The NBA could take the heat for a little while but it wouldn't last forever and I don't think NBA fans would abandon the NBA over them walking away from the WNBA. If the NBA waits until after Clark leaves and interest in the WNBA goes back to basically zero to try and walk away, they will have a much harder time.

You must have missed this part -- The Clark Effect helped ink a $2.2 billion media deal starting in 2026 (increasing annual TV revenue from $45 million to $200 million) and the league is also receiving $250 million in expansion fees from new teams.

I think @Piscis is right that the new media rights deal gives the NBA the crack in the door they need to say "Ok, we did our part. We floated you for a quarter century. We got you to the point of getting a $200 million/year media rights deal. It's time to let you stand on your own two feet." They could make it a very grandiose statement on the success of the WNBA. "They have proven they no longer need the male subsidy. The women's game is viable on its own."

 

[Cobie]

I think @Piscis is right that the new media rights deal gives the NBA the crack in the door they need to say "Ok, we did our part. We floated you for a quarter century. We got you to the point of getting a $200 million/year media rights deal. It's time to let you stand on your own two feet." They could make it a very grandiose statement on the success of the WNBA. "They have proven they no longer need the male subsidy. The women's game is viable on its own."

I'm sure that will be the case. The subsidy was reported around $40 million a year, so the deal would more than cover that in multiples. Plus, the $250 million kicker for new teams. Like it or not, this S-Show is here to stay.

 

[18IsTheMan]

I'm sure that will be the case. The subsidy was reported around $40 million a year, so the deal so more than cover that. Plus, the $250 million kicker for new teams. Like it or not, this S-Show is here to stay.

Time will tell. If the league can survive on its own, so be it. I'm just a bit skeptical on the long-term viability since ratings are 100% tied to Clark at this point. Problem is, she has not proven to increase demand for the league overall. It's only in demand when she's playing. The stunning thing about her recent injury is that ratings were down 50% across the entire league when she was out. Not just for her team's game.

 

[Cobie]

Time will tell. If the league can survive on its own, so be it. I'm just a bit skeptical on the long-term viability since ratings are 100% tied to Clark at this point. Problem is, she has not proven to increase demand for the league overall. It's only in demand when she's playing. The stunning thing about her recent injury is that ratings were down 50% across the entire league when she was out. Not just for her team's game.

It's going to be a long time at tell though. The 11-year contract alone brings in an extra $200 million a year to the league. That's 5x of the yearly deficit they were running so there's plenty of cushion.

With that said, if any league could find a way to screw it up ("Pay Us What We're Worth"), it would be the WNBA.

 

[adcoop]

True. But that media contract is for 11-years so she's already sealed the deal for them.

Personally, I'd rather stare at fish in an Aquarium than watch the WNBA at a 10:1 ratio.

However, investors obviously are convinced they can still bring the college baskeball hype to the league.

The NBA did provide this share of their larger deal of 76 billion, but I think you are giving Caitlin a little too much credit for this deal. This is the NBA deal that they had been negotiating well before Caitlin became a big thing. The WNBA is just receiving 2 billion as their share of it. That's a 3% share of the media rights deal. So, it's still a a charity play on the part of the NBA when you look at the full scale of the deal.