Now it's Caitlin Clark mania. If Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes defeat the LSU Tigers in a rematch of last season's Finals, ESPN will have record ratings for the semifinals, and if Clark plays in the NCAA Finals, those ratings will break records. It will be established and it will be a sight to behold. But the question is whether this ratings benefit surrounding Clark's college career can be sustained when he enters the WNBA next year.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has done a great job of building value for the WNBA. Her revenue increased significantly, more brands signed her partners, and the value of her WNBA franchise skyrocketed. Some wonder why professional basketball has perhaps the highest gender pay gap of all professions. The average annual salary in the WNBA is about $150,000 per season, while the average annual salary in the NBA is about $10 million. The reason is simple. The WNBA's television ratings have not reached mass audiences, even though television ratings have increased over the past few seasons under the expert leadership of Cathy Engelbert.
The WNBA wants to change all that, spearheaded by the hype surrounding Caitlin Clark and, to a lesser extent, LSU's Angel Reese, UW's Paige Bakkers and Stanford's Cameron Brink. ing. Last season, Clark drew a whopping 10 million viewers when her team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, made it to the NCAA finals against Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers. Women's college basketball is front and center in the national consciousness, and if Clark makes it to the finals again, ratings will likely surpass last year's record-breaking viewership numbers.
These athletes will be joining the WNBA next year, and the league is counting on their interest in playing sticks. In an effort to ride this wave, the WNBA launched a campaign aimed at shifting viewers away from women's college basketball to the WNBA.
Historically, this rollover has failed to meet ratings expectations and is likely to do little to narrow the gender pay gap. Yes, attendance will increase in Indiana, where Caitlin Clark plays. But what the WNBA really needs is a larger audience to make a measurable difference in overall player compensation.
A case in point is Sabrina Ionescu, who recently garnered national attention for her incredible skills during the NBA All-Star Weekend 3-point shooting contest against Stephen Curry. Ionescu was a standout player at the University of Oregon, where she was coached by Kobe Bryant, and caused immense excitement and anticipation when she entered the WNBA. Her debut attracted a lot of attention and temporarily increased television ratings. However, while her Ionescu appearances increased her interest and generated media buzz, her impact on maintaining long-term viewership growth proved to be limited.
Additionally, the WNBA has struggled to attract large television viewers compared to other professional sports leagues, despite recent impressive viewership growth. Despite all the hype about rising viewership, the total audience for the WNBA Finals was less than her 750,000. Compare that to last year's NCAA Finals, where 10 million people watched the battle between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Caitlin Clark's tremendous impact on television ratings has definitely been felt in the realm of women's college basketball, so the hope is that she will be the savior. Her remarkable performance on the collegiate stage not only captivated audiences, but also propelled the sport into the mainstream spotlight, garnering significant media exposure and sparking widespread interest. But questions remain. Will her expected entry into the WNBA have a similar impact on TV ratings, or will former college stars like Sabrina Ionescu, whose transition to a pro league had minimal long-term impact on TV ratings? Will they follow the same trends as the players? What is the overall rating?
For those hoping Clark's WNBA debut will have a big impact on the gender pay gap that exists between the WNBA and NBA, don't hold your breath. Clark will certainly see a rise in WNBA popularity, but ultimately, similar to Ionescu, initial interest could rise significantly and eventually plateau. There's no doubt that Clark will continue to get great marketing deals, but league-wide viewership is unlikely to skyrocket proportionately to the masses, and her entry into the WNBA will likely result in a significant increase in the number of WNBA players and girlfriends. It's also unlikely that the huge pay disparity among NBA players will narrow.
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