NBA announcer Mike Breen believes that Caitlin Clark has impacted WNBA ratings to the same degree that Michael Jordan and LeBron James have boosted the NBA throughout history
The growth that the WNBA has seen since Caitlin Clark joined the league has been likened to the impact that Michael Jordan and LeBron James had on the NBA.
Clark, 22, has already become the face of the WNBA after shining a new light on women’s college basketball during her time with Iowa. The WNBA has also seen a major boost in attendance figures, TV ratings, and revenue since Clark was selected by the Fever.
The WNBA Rookie of the Year was in attendance to watch the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks on Sunday, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse where the Fever also plays its home games. With Clark in the building, legendary NBA announcer Mike Breen couldn’t help but celebrate her success both individually and for the WNBA.
“During the summer when the Indiana Fever played here with Caitlin Clark, the building was packed every game,” Breen said. The TV ratings of the Fever this Summer for the local telecast were higher than a lot of the Pacers game because of Caitlin Clark.”
“She’s doing rating wise for the WNBA what Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Steph Curry have been doing for the NBA.”
Fittingly, Clark was rewarded with an endorsement deal that only Jordan had received before her after agreeing to partner with Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
The company is the official basketball supplier for both the WNBA and the NBA and as part of the agreement, Clark will test products while also releasing her own line. It’s a similar deal to the one that Jordan signed in the 1980s, and Clark also signed a $28 million deal with Nike back in April.
“Wilson has been with me across some of the most pivotal moments in my career so far, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue driving basketball forward alongside them,” Clark said. “It feels surreal to have my own basketball collection, and to affect what that means for future generations of athletes.”
Clark is certainly impacting future athletes, as after the WNBA regular season ended, viewership statistics were released and it was clear to see how much pulling power Clark has. According to FOX, 1.178 million people tuned in to watch Clark throughout the regular season. This was a 199 percent increase on all other WNBA games, which averaged 394,000.
Attendance figures were later released, with the Fever averaging 16,084 fans at each game last season while non-Fever games averaged 8,552. This was an increase of 88 percent, but that doesn’t mean that the increased spotlight on Clark hasn’t come without criticism.
Due to being No. 1, Clark faced scrutiny throughout her rookie season and fellow WNBA players spoke out about receiving online from her biggest fans. However, she was then defended by James who has been a massive supporter of hers since becoming a star in college.
LeBron James has been a big supporter of Caitlin Clark since she broke through. ( Image: Getty Images)
“Don’t get it twisted, don’t get it f—– up. Caitlin Clark is the reason why a lot of great things are gonna happen for the WNBA,” James said. “But for her individually, I don’t think she should get involved on [anything] that’s being said, just go have fun, enjoy.
“I’m rooting for Caitlin because I’ve been in that seat before, I’ve walked that road before. I hope she 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s, I hope [Fever teammate] Aliyah Boston does amazing. I hope they do great.”
