Will The Popularity of Women's College Basketball Translate To The WNBA?

This year marks one of the most anticipated drafts in the WNBA’s history. With a number of marketable stars in recent years, women's college basketball has gained significant interest thanks to players such as Caitlin Clark from Iowa, Angel Reese of LSU, and Paige Bueckers from UConn. It's always a big deal when there's a wide range of superstars playing at the same time, and it helps that they play for the league's powerhouse teams. With the WNBA draft on Monday, it will be interesting to see whether athletes like Clark and Reese will make a similar impact on the WNBA as they did in college. 

As it is, the WNBA has also seen a growth of interest this past season. With superstars such as Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and A'ja Wilson leading the way, last regular season saw the most viewership in 21 years, and the highest attendance in 13 years. The WNBA Finals, which featured Wilson's Las Vegas Aces against the New York Liberty with Stewart and Ionescu, saw a 36 percent increase from the previous year. Other types of engagement through social media and online betting also saw a significant jump over the past year. 

A big factor of the WNBA’s increasing popularity can be attributed to its ability to market star athletes. More people are starting to notice the league’s recognizable athletes, and while the viewership numbers still don’t match up with other professional sports, it is certainly progress for the WNBA itself. 

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert reiterated these favorable trends toward the end of the season. 

“This surge in interest not only showcases the immense talent and athleticism on the court but also highlights the compelling narratives that continue to emerge about the players and the league,” Engelbert said.

In the upcoming years, WNBA’s popularity should continue to grow with some of the players entering the league. Clark has become arguably the most recognizable athlete in men’s and women’s college basketball. With her limitless shooting range, Clark became the all-time leader in points for college basketball regardless of gender. During Clark’s tenure at Iowa, she led them to two consecutive championship appearances. Even though they lost both times, Clark will undoubtedly go number one in tonight’s WNBA draft. 

Following their loss last Sunday to the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, head coach Dawn Staley was quick to praise Clark's impact on women's college basketball. 
"I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport," Staley said. "She carried a heavy load for our sport, and it just isn't gonna stop here."

After transferring from Maryland, Angel Reese has spent the last two seasons for LSU anchoring the paint on offense and defense. In Reese’s first season, she led LSU to the national championship while winning the tournament's Most Outstanding Player in the process. This season saw Reese win SEC Player of the Year for the first time. Reese’s playstyle involves a lot of taunting and trash talk, but she has often backed it up the last two years. 
https://x.com/DimeUPROXX/status/1616468655025360900 
Following LSU's loss to Iowa, Reese announced her decision to enter the WNBA draft. 

Bueckers, on the other hand, has already voiced her desire to stay for another season at UConn to an ecstatic fan base. She is the latest phenomenon for a school that has produced plenty of other great women's basketball players such as Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. As a freshman, Bueckers emerged into the spotlight, winning AP Player of the Year on a UConn team that reached the Final Four. Although she then had two injury-riddled seasons, Beuckers reintroduced herself this season by leading UConn back to the Final Four. 
https://x.com/UConnWBB/status/1775001097524085099 
Bueckers might not have the flashy playstyle like Clark, but she can contribute in various ways both offensively and defensively.

In addition to these players who have caught fans' attention, Kamilla Cardoso led South Carolina to their third championship in eight years, and is projected to be a top five pick in the WNBA Draft. Juju Watkins of USC, and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame were also selected to the AP Women's All-America Team as freshmen.  

These players have been a driving force in women's college basketball popularity. Opportunities to profit from name, image, and likeness (NIL) have additionally played a role in their stardom. Bueckers was the first student athlete to ever sign with NIL, with Clark and Reese eventually reaching their own NIL agreements. Their brand endorsements include sponsorships with Gatorade, Bose, Nike, State Farm, and Sports Illustrated among others. 
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On the court, more people have tuned into women's college basketball than ever. Anytime the most recognizable players are playing for the teams with the best chance at winning the championship, people will naturally pay more attention. The women's tournament had more people tuning in compared to the men's tournament, for the first time ever. There was a six-day stretch where the average viewership record was broken three times. In the end, the championship game averaged an astonishing 18.7 million viewers with its peak coming at 24 million viewers.

Despite not even playing a game yet, the upcoming presence of these collegiate athletes have already started to make a positive effect on the WNBA and its popularity. The Indiana Fever, who own the number one pick, have already seen their average ticket prices rise up 133% with the assumption they will select Clark. Given that they're a small market team, it's a pretty incredible feat. While no team is currently guaranteed to select Reese or Cordoso, it’s likely whoever selects them will also receive more media attention. 

This is an ideal situation for the future WNBA athletes and the league itself to leverage the sport’s popularity at the college level. There are still issues regarding the players receiving respectable contracts, but the increasing interest is a huge positive. Assuming people will still follow players like Clark, Reese, and Bueckers, the league will only continue to receive more attention.