The Indiana Fever rookie ignited a revolution in women’s sports this year, leading to a groundbreaking $2 billion media rights deal for the WNBA, gender equality in the Olympics, and record-breaking viewership for professional women’s soccer.
By Maggie McGrath, Forbes Staff
Caitlin Clark’s rise to fame was marked by her nonchalant reaction to becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in March. “Pretty cool,” she casually remarked to Fox’s Allison Williams before diving into a detailed analysis of her team’s first half performance.
However, “pretty cool” doesn’t quite capture the remarkable year that Clark has had. From leading Iowa to the NCAA women’s finals, which attracted a record 18.7 million viewers, to being drafted as the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark has shattered barriers and set new records.
In her debut WNBA season, she continued to make history by setting rookie records for points and assists, earning the title of Rookie of the Year. Clark, along with fellow draft class members Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, and Kamilla Cardoso, drew a record-breaking 54 million viewers to regular season WNBA games aired on major networks like ABC, NBC, and ESPN.
All this attention has translated into a lucrative media rights deal for the WNBA, securing a massive 11-year, $2.2 billion partnership with Disney, Amazon Prime, and NBC.
Never before has a basketball player made it to Forbes’ list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, but the 22-year-old Clark has been a driving force in a pivotal year for women’s sports. The growth and achievements in women’s sports in 2024 have been unprecedented, with milestones like gender parity in the Olympics, record-breaking viewership for U.S. women’s soccer, and the acquisition of Angel City FC at $250 million.
“Caitlin Clark has become the face of this transformative moment,” says Thayer Lavielle, the executive director of Wasserman’s sports division, The Collective. Lavielle predicts a $1.6 billion increase in value for professional women’s basketball and soccer over the next three years, driven by soaring attendance and viewership.
This growth in women’s sports has been a long time coming. Dawn Staley, coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks with three NCAA women’s titles, notes that the momentum in women’s sports has reached an “uncontrollable” level, thanks to figures like Caitlin Clark who have captured the public’s interest.
While the progress in women’s sports is undeniable, there is still a long road to achieving equity. The discrepancy in media coverage and sponsorship dollars between men’s and women’s sports is stark, resulting in significantly lower salaries for female athletes like Clark compared to their male counterparts.
Pete Giorgio of Deloitte projects that 2024 will be the year global revenue from women’s sports surpasses $1 billion, signaling a positive trend in the industry’s growth. Investment from team owners, Olympic stars, and influential coaches is also driving consumer interest and fostering a new era of women’s sports.
“Caitlin Clark’s impact goes beyond basketball and sets the stage for a new era in women’s sports,” says Giorgio. “We are witnessing the beginning of a transformative shift towards gender equality and recognition in sports.”
