Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA director, was present at a conference in Nashville on Thursday evening when Christmas arrived ten months first.
A word from WNBA executive Colie Edison rang into Engelbert’s telephone. Caitlin Clark, the star of Iowa’s sports team, shared a link to a social media post announcing her strategies to participate in the future WNBA draft. There were unanswered questions about Clark’s potential gain to Iowa for a fifth and final season of eligibility, who was already the highest-scoring female college basketball player ever.
When Engelbert saw the words, she immediately inquired with Clark’s Excel broker to find out if the news was true. Engelbert stepped out of her conference and into a new fact when that verification came up.
In one of her first public comments since Clark’s announcement, Engelbert told Sportico on Friday,” This could n’t have come at a better time.” ” I keep referring to the convergence of great speed around the WNBA as it is today, with the addition of millennial players like Caitlin from the NCAA, growth, and media disruption,” I keep saying. All of it supports our progress.
The group, which is in its 28th time and in the middle of what Engelbert refers to as “hyper development stage,” will be greatly affected by Clark’s news. The WNBA’s 2023 battle had its highest regular season attendance in 13 years and the most viewers in more than 20 years. Digital and social media measures have reached new all-time spikes. The club’s stars ‘ business opportunities have also increased significantly over the past few years.
The most well-known college basketball player in the country is now being folded by the WNBA. Some sports fans have seen her visit because of Clark’s capturing range and vision. She has sold out arenas both on- and off-road, and she has more than 1 million Instagram followers.
” A millennial person like Caitlin will help all of our people find more recognition, support our league find more value, and that means everything from the patch on the uniform to placement on the court to a media ad buy,” Engelbert said. As people become aware of the quality of this division, the quality of these gamers, and Caitlin being this national prodigy leading that, it’s going to cause valuations to go up, and that’s what’s going to happen here.
One big question is: How much of Clark’s fame in school will be transferred to the NBA?
An average of 9.9 million viewers watched the NCAA ultimate between Clark’s Iowa and LSU last year on ESPN. The WNBA Finals, a dream matchup between elite Las Vegas and New York teams, cost 728, 000 per game, which is a 20-year great. About 9 % of the market for the NCAA tournament watched the deciding activity on average, or 889, 000.
Engelbert, who has never met Clark in man, said she “absolutely” believes the officer’s appeal and acceptance will accept the change.
Engelbert claimed that “people like her game.” They “like her three-pointer, they like her departure, and they like how she sees the court,” she said,” and that’s going to work really well for the WNBA.”
Women’s professional sports experience rapid growth in popularity, consideration, and investment, according to Clark’s decision. Women’s college basketball has grown significantly larger corporate properties in the last few years, in part due to Clark’s notoriety. Late last month, a novel, all-encompassing women’s hockey league was founded with the support of Los Angeles Dodger users. Just a few years back, NWSL groups were selling for low prices; today, the average group is fair$ 66 million. CEO Alan Waxman told Sportico that “everything that indicates everything is architecturally undervalued was flashing clean, on every vector.” When private capital big Sixth Street bought into the group last year.
The WNBA, which first gained support from the NBA in 1997, has also experienced speed, though perhaps not quite as linearly as the NWSL. The WNBA closed a$ 75 million funding round for the league in 2022 that included contributions from Nike, Joe and Clara Tsai, Condoleezza Rice, Dee Haslam, Linda Henry, Ted Leonsis, and Laurene Powell Jobs. According to Sportico at the time, that deal valued the league and its teams at$ 1 billion.
The Seattle Storm and the Chicago Sky both recently raised money at a club report$ 85 million, the second-highest assessment in club history. The Golden State Warriors of the NBA agreed in October to give a report$ 50 million expansion charge to send a WNBA group to the Bay Area. The majority of the league’s ownership is also owned by NBA owners.
Due to new NIL regulations that allow college stars to mark marketing agreements while competing as NCAA athletes, Clark’s decision was especially noteworthy. Clark has a sizable NIL secure that includes H&, R Block, State Farm, Gatorade, Buick, Topps, State Farm, and Nike.
Her income in the WNBA may be 76,535, but the overall financial picture is much more complicated. She’ll be able to level manufacturer deals on top of that, for one. Additionally, the group itself has a plethora of different potential sources of income. In accordance with the league’s new player marketing agreements ( PMAs ), a new program in the league’s 2020 labor agreement, she may be eligible for an additional$ 250, 000 next year. Additionally, she is qualified for up to$ 100,00 under the team marketing agreements ( TMAs ), another program designed to assist players who are making the most money to raise the league’s profile. Additionally, there are more than a few potential efficiency bonuses.
There has never been a better day for Clark to join the league, pay-wise. Additionally, there has never been a better day to welcome a person of her caliber and fame. Previous college stars now enter the group with larger followings and established brand connections, which is another beneficial outcome of NIL. Combine that with the recent investment made by the league ( both in- and outgoing ), and Engelbert asserts that” all the stars are aligning.”
Get the yearly review for the league, for instance. The WNBA made the announcement this week that the celebration may take place in Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City in April, a larger space than it has been in recent years. This will be the first WNBA document since 2016 to have followers present, which is a practical development given that this will almost undoubtedly be its most anticipated review in recent memory.
Engelbert claimed that Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA in 2019 was possibly too late. It’s then prepared to make the most of it.
She said,” I never imagined that we would reach this speed, but now that we are,”” I want more.” With this formula of household names, competitions, and games of effect, there are so many other things we can do. That’s a great recipe for continuing our super progress, especially with these younger players like Caitlin joining the group.