Fans of the WNBA are dismayed by the league’s lack of response to Caitlin Clark joining Taylor Swift to watch the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.
Clark, a huge Swift and Chiefs fan, sat alongside the singer as she cheered boyfriend Travis Kelce and his team to an NFL playoff victory over Houston Texans on Saturday.
Clark’s star has risen an astonishing amount in the last 12 months, transforming interest in the WNBA in her fantastic rookie season with Indiana Fever after being picked first in the 2024 Draft.
But her success in the league has come amidst a backdrop of perceived jealousy from other players. Clark was physically targeted by Chennedy Carter of Chicago Sky in one game, for example, while analyst Jemele Hill once said Clark’s race and sexuality was why she was popular.
But on Sunday, WNBA fans were unhappy that the league had done nothing to try and capitalize on Clark’s friendship with Swift and use the viral moment to bring more attention and growth to the league.
A user @DayDreamThis posted: ‘Nobody that works on that WNBA account as an admin is smart enough to think, hey let’s post our top star in sports w/ Taylor Swift, get the casual click in algorithm and have new fans possibly scroll our page to see what league Caitlin plays in, and what other players are in it.’
It sparked several replies in agreement, with one response saying: ‘Nah, they’re too busy with their virtue signaling armchair activism.’
Another said: ‘Great call. They’re an embarrassing org.’
The latest post on the WNBA Instagram account, which was 3.1million followers, was about Kelsey Plum’s Washington Women’s basketball jersey being retired.
‘The entire PR staff in the W is comedy,’ another fan said. ‘1 post with anything Taylor Swift, would easily generate them many more engagements than the 8 jersey retirement stuff they posted for Plum combined.’
Another post said: ‘They have shown from the beginning of this that they have no idea about marketing.’
Clark and the Fever sold out arenas across the United States in her first season, with many Indiana games needing to be moved to NBA venues to meet the huge demand for tickets.
The interest in women’s basketball is a brilliant thing but the WNBA as a league has been badly struggling financially for its entire existence.
In 2024, the league lost a reported $40million and since its foundation in 1996 has never turned a profit.
That can’t go on forever, which is one reason that makes Clark’s emergence and the excitement around her so significant for the women’s game – and why some think the scrutiny of her popularity is so counter-productive.
A New York Times report in April last year, before Clark started playing for the Fever said the WNBA brings in $200m a year.
The NBA owns 60 percent of the league but last October, the New York Post quoted an anonymous NBA GM as saying: ‘The WNBA owes the NBA so much we won’t see any windfall for years.’
