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A lot has changed for the Dallas Wings in the last year or so, as the drafting of superstar Paige Bueckers first overall gave them a glimmer of a bright future. She was spectacular in her first season, winning Rookie of the Year and making All-WNBA Second Team despite the team’s lack of success.
The Wings went just 10-34 in her rookie season, which led to them firing head coach Chris Koclanes after just one year, and they’ve since hired Jose Fernandez to run the team. Despite that lack of success, the Wings have become one of the WNBA’s most valuable franchises because of Paige Bueckers.
STN Digital and Zoomph recently released a survey of the most valuable WNBA teams by social media value, with the Wings having the second most value, with an estimated $8.6 million. They are VERY far behind the Indiana Fever in first place, who have an estimated $55 million, but they have megastar Caitlin Clark, as well as other popular players, such as Sophie Cunningham. The Fever are so far ahead of everyone else, even if you added the other nine teams in the top ten of estimated social media value, they’d still come up a few million short.
However, no franchise saw more growth in media value than the Wings, who jumped up 343% in value from last season, 505% in engagement, and 250% in impressions. Having a superstar like Bueckers will do that to a franchise, which is why it’s important for the Wings to capitalize on this era with Bueckers, surrounding her with as much talent as possible.
READ MORE: How does Wings hiring Jose Fernandez impact upcoming free agency?
At her exit interview, Minnesota Lynx star, and former UConn Husky, Napheesa Collier went scorched earth on the WNBA’s leadership, most notably, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Of the many things Collier claimed the two of them the two discussed, one of them was how the WNBA planned to capitalize on young stars like Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese since they’re bringing so much recognition to the league.
According to Collier, Engelbert’s response was that they should be thankful the WNBA gives them such a great platform to get that recognition, which is just wrong. Clark and Bueckers were massive players in college already capitalizing off of NIL; the WNBA hasn’t done anything to change that. And these kinds of stats are just more proof of that.
The WNBA and Players Association are in the process of hammering out a new CBA, but negotiations do not seem to be going well, partially because of the revenue sharing, so many people are predicting a lockout.
READ MORE: UConn’s Geno Auriemma continues praise of Dallas Wings’ new coaching hire
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