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The WNBA has Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark to thank for its surge in popularity. On Monday, a report from Morning Consult ranked the league as the fastest-growing brand in the 2024 calendar year among adults.
"The @WNBA is @MorningConsult's Fastest Growing Brand of 2024. In addition to earning the No. 1 spot among all U.S. adults, the league appeared on the top 20 lists for 8 out of 12 key demo groups, including at No. 4 among Men, No. 10 among Boomers & No. 4 among Financial Elites," Ellyn Briggs of the Morning Consult tweeted.
The news caught the attention of fans on social media. Some users credit the report to Clark, who has captivated basketball fans since her Iowa days.
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"Poor Caitlin Clark. After that dismal performance against unranked Tennessee, it looks like she carried that entire Iowa squad for 4 years. Now she's carrying the W on her back. It never ends."
Other fans also felt the same way. This has some truth in it, as Clark was reported to have contributed to a surge in the league's finances.
"The face of the brand," a fan wrote.
"The Caitlin Clark effect," another fan added.
"its actually insane how one person managed to save a entire league in 42 games, my goat really one of one," another fan commented.
"We haven’t seen a needle mover like Clark," a fan wrote
"Thank you Caitlin," a fan added.
Clark has continued to make her impact felt. This will be good news for the league as it hopes to recover after reporting losses at the end of last season.
What next for Clark and the WNBA?
Caitlin Clark came to the WNBA with a lot of fanfare and delivered on that promise with her performance on and off the court. The league is likely to make changes to adapt to the present reality.
One of those changes would have to be the league's CBA. The players' union had opted out of the previous deal immediately after the season had ended and with the WNBA agreeing a new $2.2 billion TV deal with Disney, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal, the players should have the upper hand in the negotiations.
This will mean good news to Clark and her camp as her earnings don't reflect her status in the WNBA.
