When WNBA star Caitlin Clark turned professional, her jerseys sold out everywhere, and demand initially reportedly outstripped sportswear companies’ production capabilities.
Clark’s jerseys began selling out the moment she was drafted by the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. For example, within an hour, her jerseys were all sold out. sold out According to Front Office Sports, it will be held at Fanatics.
The site goes on to explain that demand for women’s sports jerseys often exceeds manufacturers’ supply, and Clark’s jersey isn’t the only one in demand: WNBA players A’ja Wilson, Rekea Jackson and Breanna Stewart have also seen sales soar.
A growing number of sportswear and casualwear companies are rushing to release sports-related clothing, hats, jerseys and t-shirts for women, with companies like Fanatics, Togetherxr, BreakingT and Nike all dedicating additional resources to women’s sports, particularly to WNBA players.
Caitlin Clark’s entrance into the sports world exposed the lack of attention that sportswear companies have traditionally paid to women’s sport.
Kimberly Alura, senior vice president of merchandising at Fanatics, said the company is selling five times as much WNBA merchandise this year as it did last year, and the company is working hard to expand its WNBA lineup to meet pent-up demand.
But licensing has been an issue preventing mass expansion of women’s sports, as few companies place much value on female sports stars and many don’t have licensing deals at all.
Of course, while the WNBA is a big target for these companies, it’s not the only focus of this manufacturing boom: Female Olympians, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, women’s hockey and other sports are also gaining attention as demand grows.
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