Caitlin Clark Reaches Elite Athlete Popularity Tier!
Caitlin Clark is spectacularly popular, this is not up for debate. The WNBA has seen record ratings upon her arrival and arenas continue to sell out when the Indiana Fever come to town, with many opposing teams switching venues to meet demand. That includes the Atlanta Dream who will host the Fever at State Farm Arena in front of 17,000+ fans.
.@AtlantaDream say they will sell out tonight’s game & have opened up standing room only tickets.
— Alison Mastrangelo (@AlisonWSB) June 21, 2024
More than 17,000 fans expected which would be a franchise record.
I also have to say I really like the look of the #AtlantaDream Court in State Farm Arena. pic.twitter.com/m5L2wzStFx
This has been a boon for women's basketball as a whole, with non-Clark games also seeing a rise in viewership and attendance as the Las Vegas Aces recently announcing they have sold out all home games for the season.
But it is clear Clark's individual popularity is in the stratosphere. According to ESPN personalization data there are only a few athletes who can be considered peers and they are all legends. The network reports CC is now the 4th most favorited athlete, putting her in the company of LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Steph Curry.
Based on ESPN personalization data, the WNBA has seen the largest YoY growth (+47%) among sports with 1M+ favorites
— Flora Kelly (@ESPNFlora) June 21, 2024
Caitlin Clark led all players with +373% MoM growth to become the 4th most-favorited active athlete, only behind LeBron James, Tiger Woods and Steph Curry
This is in addition to the WNBA seeing the largest year over year growth of any sport, at least when it comes to this specific analysis.
Clark is in elite company next to the likes of James and Curry who have been the faces of the NBA for a generation, while her impact on the W has some similarities to the explosion golf experienced upon the arrival of Woods. Which is why it is no coincidence she was made Nike's newest signature acquisition the way LeBron and Tiger once were in the past.
ROBIN LUNDBERG
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!