For most people, the arrival of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to the WNBA, meant that the quality of the sport increased, and they are not wrong, it did. However, The New York Post claimed that the league is about to suffer a $40million loss in this 2024 season.
Irreparable losses
Since this two superstars joined the league, we have seen great results, transformed into sell-out crowds, increased merchandise sales and boosted TV audience numbers. For example, ESPN saw a 170% increase in viewership, and there were over 100 more sold-out games compared to the previous year.
Then, why is the league still facing significant losses? Well, they were expecting losses of $52million at the beginning of the season, but they have been reduced this figures to $40million thanks to the impact of Caitlin and Angel. Despite this, the WNBA is still not generating enough revenue to turn a profit. The league, however, is awaiting a $2.2billion media rights deal to kick in during the 2026 season. Numbers still do not add up.
A league executive told to the New York Post: “WNBA owes the NBA so much we won’t see any windfall for years.”
Now that Indiana Fever, led by Clark, are eliminated from the playoffs and Chicago Sky suffered Angel Reese’s unfortunate injury, the immediate future of the league does not seem promising.
The WNBA is hoping for more players like these two to help the league eventually gain independence from the NBA. It is difficult but not impossible.