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When Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark were spotted together at a Kansas City Chiefs game this past Sunday, it wasn’t just a fun celebrity sighting–it was an iconic moment in pop culture, featuring one of the best athletes and artists in the world–both women. It was also a golden marketing opportunity for the WNBA, a chance to elevate the profile of their biggest superstar by aligning her with one of the most influential figures in pop culture.
But if you’re like most fans, you probably didn’t hear much about it, at least not from the W.
And that’s a problem for the league especially because they had the perfect marketing model to capitalize on the moment. If anyone knows how to seize an opportunity to grow their bottom line on the coattails of Swiftie stardom, it’s the NFL.
Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark taking in the Chiefs game together 🤝#HOUvsKC | ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/U5EQAwg3WV
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 18, 2025
Starting last season, the NFL turned Taylor Swift’s attendance at Chiefs games into a full-on marketing campaign since Swift and KC tight end, Travis Kelce, initially showed interest in each other when Kelce attended a leg of the Eras Tour. Later on, when Swift first showed up to one of Kelce’s games, the NFL pounced: at every opportunity, the league made sure fans knew about Swift’s attendance, often airing footage of Swift cheering on Kelce and promoting it across social media.
It angered some of the NFL’s most prominent market (older, non-Swiftie men), but enlivened others. The first NFL game Swift attended last fall was the most-viewed that weekend, particularly thanks to the female 12-17 group which saw a viewership surge of 8.1% through the afternoon. Data from Roku indicated that the game also saw a 63% increase in female viewers aged 18-47, and Swifties catapulted Kelce to a top-5 seller in NFL jersey sales shortly after, increasing his sales by an astounding 400%.
Taylor Swift in the house for TNF 🙌 #DENvsKC pic.twitter.com/Swf7x9SuGf
— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2023
The NFL took a calculated approach to Swift’s stardom, knowing that pairing an international pop sensation with one of the league’s most likable players could generate significant media attention. The marketing was creative, natural, and seamless, and it showed the power of a well-timed crossover–something the WNBA of all sports leagues should be familiar with.
So…what’s with the WNBA’s silence?
Despite the success Swift brought to the NFL, the WNBA has mostly ignored the fact that Caitlin Clark, a key figure in the league’s future, was casually hanging out with Swift last weekend.
Swift and Clark aren’t just America’s sweethearts–they’re global celebrities. This missed chance exemplifies a broader issue the WNBA faces: a failure to maximize its most marketable assets.
In this case, the lack of coverage surrounding Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark—two women at the top of their fields—signals a missed opportunity that could have put the league in a much stronger cultural conversation after several seasons of historic growth and league expansion (which started well before Clark was a part of the league).
One explanation: Swift and Clark are both somewhat polarizing figures, especially for a league like the WNBA, which markets itself on its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity just as much as its product of some of the highest-quality basketball in the world.
There’s no question that the WNBA is a highly political league after all, the W engaged in anthem protests well before Colin Kaepernick did (which notably started with Clark’s team, the Indiana Fever), protested police brutality in 2020 before the NBA (after teams and players were fined for protesting gun violence in 2016), and even played a key role in flipping the United States Senate in the 2020 election.
Yes, Swift publicly identifies as liberal and even endorsed Kamala Harris before the 2024 election (and Clark liked Swift’s endorsement post on social media), but their brand of (white) feminism clashes with the deeper, more intersectional activism the WNBA is known for.
Both Swift and Clark have been called out in the past for their failure to denounce racism–whether it was Swift’s involvement with Matty Healy, who has a history of racist remarks and is known to enjoy pornography that involves the degradation and harm of Black women, or Clark’s refusal to call out racism that was spread throughout her fandom in her name (before her Time interview), the pair have a somewhat lukewarm history of political activism that pales in comparison to the WNBA’s full-court press on critical cultural issues.
Not to mention, that, if and when the WNBA’s numbers experience a “Swift effect” spike, social media will be insufferable about Swift “saving” the league. That’s a headache for diehard fans, athletes, and women’s sports media alike.
If this context is what’s causing the league’s hesitation, it’s understandable. The WNBA went through a lot of growing pains and adding more potential controversy to the fire in the offseason is probably the last thing they want.
But when Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark were seen together at the Chiefs game, it was a moment that could have been leveraged in much the same way the NFL used it. It’s hard to argue with the kind of numbers Clark and Swift put up in their respective fields.
Leaning in
Clark, along with other key WNBA players, is a key part of a new era of women’s basketball, one that is growing in visibility and demand. Just like the NFL embraced Swift to get more eyes on the game, the WNBA should take advantage of moments like Clark’s appearance with Swift.
Instead of letting them pass by without fanfare, the WNBA should be leaning into those interactions, pushing them into the public’s consciousness as an essential part of the league’s appeal.
It’s not just about marketing a player–it’s about marketing the entire ecosystem of women’s sports. A rising tide raises all boats, and the WNBA is still decades away from reaping the benefits of increased visibility from this past season alone. Why not build on that capital now so there’s even more to look forward to later?
In 2025, it’s clear: Women’s sports need to be marketed as the dynamic, entertaining, and culturally relevant events that they are. The WNBA’s biggest stars, including, but not limited to Clark, deserve to be front and center, and that means they need to be strategically paired with the cultural icons who can help elevate the game. Swift already accomplished that in the NFL, and there’s talk about Caitlin Clark inviting both Swift and Kelce to watch a Fever game next season.
If the WNBA doesn’t act strategically then, they might miss out on the momentum they need to take things to the next level.
