Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have made a significant impact on the WNBA, but there are concerns that it may not be enough to secure the league’s future.

Both Clark and Reese had standout performances in their debut professional basketball season, with the pair unanimously winning all 67 votes for the Rookie of the Year award.

While Clark was the clear winner of the award, securing 66 out of the 67 votes, Chicago Sky’s Reese has also made her mark and brought considerable attention to the league. Their arrival in the WNBA has resulted in sell-out crowds, increased merchandise sales, and boosted TV audience numbers.

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ESPN, the league’s broadcaster, reportedly saw a 170 percent increase in viewership, and there were over 100 more sold-out games compared to the previous year.

Despite these positive signs, the WNBA is still projected to suffer a $40million loss for its 2024 season, according to the New York Post. The deficit in the league’s end-of-year financial report is concerning, but it’s not as dire as initially expected.

Losses of $52m were anticipated for the 2024 season, but the popularity of Clark, Reese, and the league in general has helped to somewhat mitigate this. There’s still hope, given a massive $2.2billion media rights deal is set to kick in for the 2026 season. However, the harsh reality remains that the WNBA is not turning a profit.

A league executive disclosed to the New York Post: “WNBA owes the NBA so much we won’t see any windfall for years.”

Despite spikes in TV viewership, merchandise sales, and ticket purchases, the WNBA’s financial troubles could magnify if profitability remains elusive over the coming decade. Amidst these challenges, maintaining the league’s appeal without stars like Clark and Reese is crucial.

Notably, Indiana Fever, led by Clark, faced an early playoff exit, and an injury prematurely ended Reese’s season. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith highlighted the viewer impact of their absence on his podcast, noting: “Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever now eliminated.”

He gave specifics about viewership numbers: “Game 1 of the Aces-Liberty matchup on Sunday drew an average of 929,000 viewers. It’s a good number for the WNBA on an NFL Sunday.

“However, that was down nearly 50 percent from last Sunday’s Fever-Sun contest. By the way, not only was viewership down, but attendance was as well. Do you want me to just say I told you so, or are you willing to say Stephen A. you did tell us? Really? Caitlin Clark is the golden goose.”