In the rapidly evolving landscape of women’s sports, the rise of standout athletes like Caitlin Clark ignites significant interest among marketers and investors. But does this singular focus risk limiting broader commercial growth for the entire category? With the planted seed in our minds, in our latest ES Think Tank podcast episode, we dig deep into how popular names like Caitlin Clark reshape the business of women’s sports—and how marketers can tap into the sustained prospects in this ever-expanding market.
So, to comprehend all of this, we called in Seth Yassky. Yassky is a prominent figure in the marketing world and does not need an introduction. Proximo Spirits’ Head of Partnership Marketing & Commercialization, Yassky, possesses a unique ability to recognize the requirements of a customer and brand as second to none.
Engaging with our podcast host Trey Holder is the ideal way to extract Yassky’s invaluable insights. “What’s happening in women’s sports and the rise of women’s sports, and how do you view that in general?” inquired Trey. Yassky cited, “I think women’s sports is fantastic.”
The growth of women’s sports is undeniable and seemingly limitless. Yet, Yassky’s frame of reference differs from the rest. As a marketing expert, he scrutinized it through the marketing lens. “The question I always have is, women sports or women athletes, right? And when you look at what we do from commercialization, what does the general fan base gravitate towards, right?” He put across a name, making all the differences in women’s sports to address the question – Caitlin Clark.
“Caitlin Clark phenomenon was amazing and is amazing. But it was Caitlin Clark. It wasn’t so much women’s basketball or women’s sports or WNBA. Even the WNBA is fantastic, but I think Caitlin Clark, as a name, carries more weight than women’s sports.” Yassky hit all the right chords with his reference to Caitlin Clark. Ever since Clark stepped foot in the WNBA for Indiana Fever, the team witnessed an exponential rise in ticket sales of up to 133% from 2023 in Clark’s first season.
The ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ for you.
Iowa women’s basketball’s Caitlin Clark shows off her rings during a second quarter timeout during Iowa football’s game against Northwestern Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.
While Caitlin Clark’s influence undeniably boosted the visibility of women’s sports, Seth Yassky identifies a concerning reliance on individual stardom that could hinder sustained growth. “I’m trying to understand how can women’s sports help us commercialize, from a league and team aspect, more so than an individual player aspect. Yassky senses he failed to recognize “the same aspect from the leagues and or the teams itself.”
A noteworthy example remains the size of arenas utilized in the WNBA. To put things into perspective, the WNBA’s Finals last year saw an attendance record of 18,518 fans per game. The 2024 regular season had a 48% jump from the previous years, boasting 9,807 fans per game. Those astronomical numbers suggest women’s sports could use some high-level investments.
However, the narrative could have had altered significantly if the Aces or the Sun made it all the way because their arenas fit only 9,000 to 12,000 people. It remains a concern from a marketing standpoint. Regardless, on TV, the WNBA continues to thrive without the league’s star player — Caitlin Clark. Remarkably, the league pulled in record viewership without Caitlan’s presence on the court. This poses multiple queries for investors to tackle.
WNBA’s Caitlan Clark’s influence affecting women’s sports investments
For starters, multiple reports emerged last season about how the league’s viewership took a nosedive when Clark’s Fever got eliminated from the WNBA playoffs. Notably, Fever’s last game, where they got knocked out by the Sun, pulled in 2.5M viewers. Yet since then, none of the games even crossed a million viewers. The most-watched game was the WNBA semifinals between the Aces and Liberty, which averaged 929,000 viewers.
Clark’s contribution to the astronomical rise in viewership remains an established fact. As they say, there’s light at the end of the tunnel as the WNBA Finals Game 1 between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx changed the dynamics. Without Clark’s presence on the court, an average of 1.1 million viewers watched the gripping contest. This clearly shows the league can perform on TV without their phenom. But, of course, as women’s sports continue to broaden their horizons, the industry must shift the emphasis from individual phenoms to sustained league-wide engagement strategies.
The Caitlin Clark trend is powerful; nevertheless, as Yassky highlights, the future lies in cultivating audience loyalty across teams and leagues. At EssentiallySports Think Tank, we remain committed to exploring the strategies and leadership insights that will shape this dynamic evolution.
Our Think Tank podcast is a premium initiative of EssentiallySports. Here, we aim to bring together the finest minds who offer a unique perspective regarding strategy, leadership, and opportunities to the constantly evolving world of sports content business. So, stay tuned for more insights from leaders of the world.
The post The Branding Challenge: Breaking the Marketing Barrier Between Women Athletes & Teams appeared first on EssentiallySports.
