WNBA Marketing Ignoring Caitlin Clark Amid Impressive Sales
There’s been some chatter about whether the WNBA could capitalize on the kind of star power Michael Jordan brought. Interestingly, the league’s marketing team decided not to include Caitlin Clark in promotional materials for key Indiana Fever games. It’s quite ironic, really.
Recent sales data from Fanatics shows that, despite the league’s apparent reluctance to promote Clark, fans are still eager to spend their money on her merchandise.
Clark’s Impact on Indiana Fever Ticket Sales
This year, tickets for games featuring Clark’s Fever are selling at astonishing rates—90 times more than last year on Stubhub. To put it plainly, she has claimed the title of the second best-selling basketball jersey in the U.S., surpassing big names like LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama.
Only Stephen Curry is ahead of her in jersey sales. That’s pretty remarkable for a third-year player, right? But those plugged into the WNBA’s official marketing might not even know who she is.
Curious Marketing Decisions
In fact, right before an exciting matchup between the Fever and the Storm, the league posted promotional graphics highlighting Seattle’s Gia Cook and Indiana’s rookie guard Raven Johnson. But the glaring omission? Caitlin Clark—her absence was pretty noticeable given her role in driving ticket sales and merchandise interest.
Fans voiced their frustrations, pointing out that sidelining the league’s most marketable star seemed counterintuitive to promoting women’s basketball. Clay Travis from OutKick emphasized how this approach doesn’t align with sports marketing traditions—could you imagine if Michael Jordan was left off promotional content when he played?
Clark’s Performance Speaks Volumes
After being left out of promotional materials, Clark put on a show with a double-double: 21 points and 10 assists, leading the Fever to an 89-78 victory over Seattle. In comparison, Johnson didn’t score in 17 minutes off the bench.
At just 24, Caitlin Clark is rapidly becoming a major name in American sports, and her popularity seems to be significantly boosting merchandise sales. It’s odd that, despite this, the league continues to treat her as an afterthought.
The WNBA could go ahead and promote replacement stars if they wanted, but perhaps they should reconsider how they’re marketing one of the most exciting players by introducing her more prominently in promotional materials.
