Caitlin Clark's real impact on the sports card market
Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA has been one-of-a-kind, with viewership numbers reaching never before seen numbers, memorabilia selling out in record fast time, and attendance across the league seeing a tidal wave of new goers. The impact of Clark does reach all facets of the game, including WNBA sports cards, which can be truly shown by the 2024 & Whatnot: Live Shopping in Focus report.
Background History of Whatnot:
As the largest live shopping marketplace for sports cards, Whatnot was founded in 2019 by collectors. The platform supports trading cards, comic books, and sports memorabilia, along with other non-sport related items (fashion, beauty, electronics, plants), with its annual gross merchandise value (GMV) for livestream sales already surpassing $2B in 2024 alone.
For sports cards/memorabilia, live streams are happening 24/7, with a card being sold every second. Viewers average over 80 minutes a day watching live streams, as break spots, singles, and memorabilia can all be sold in one livestream.
In Whatnot’s Live Shopping in Focus report, it showcased the rise of collectors wanting to take part in what WNBA cards and collectibles have to offer. Whatnot has found livestream shows featuring the WNBA surging by +1500%. In their platform, searches for WNBA product increased by 870% since last year, and more specifically WNBA autographed cards demand has doubled. This all ties back to Clark as collectibles tied to her, have soared by +2400%.
The 2024 Panini Select Gold Vinyl 1/1 Caitlin Clark Auto that sold for $234,850 via Goldin; a record-high for any Clark card, was originally pulled on Whatnot by Backyard Breaks. The card was then graded a PSA 10, and sold on auction. This sale marked the second highest for any women's sports card ever.
