In the past few months, more people have expressed interest in the WNBA, a league commonly ridiculed as a formality. People have also insulted the WNBA. Not long ago, one retired NBA player even called the league a “charity for lesbians.”
While it may be true that the WNBA is not as big as the NBA, times are changing, and more people have been paying attention to the league’s activities. Naturally, this prompts the question. Who or what is responsible for this increase in popularity? Two women come to kind: Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
Online, Reese and Clark have debated who is fueling the league’s massive growth. Reese believes that no single person is leading the increase in popularity. She has said that the players, including herself and Clark, are to thank.
However, after looking at the numbers, the NBA icon Magic Johnson has a different opinion. Johnson recently spoke with the Associated Press in an interview, during which he praised the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky rookies for their roles in increasing the popularity of the WNBA.
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He also shared his thoughts on the Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark popularity contest. According to him, Reese has played a part in drawing attention to the league, but Clark’s impact is unquestionable.
Johnson said the two women are directly involved with the league’s massive growth. He admitted they’ve “changed college basketball,” and the ratings are proof. The former NBA player believes Caitlin currently has more impact because of her ability to sell out arenas.
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While Angel also pulls crowds, Johnson says she “isn’t there yet.” However, he expressed faith in her abilities, saying she would get there too. Johnson has a good point, and many people agree with him. Clark’s effect has resonated with The Fever and everyone else in the WNBA.
As a result, the league has earned increased attention across all teams, but Indiana has been its biggest draw. The Indiana Fever team leads the league in road game attendance with an average of 15,000 fans.
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The team’s most recent away game against the Phoenix Mercury attracted a sellout crowd of 17,071. This was a historical achievement, the home team’s best regular season attendance since 1997. Angel Reese and the other WNBA stars have undoubtedly helped uplift the league. However, Magic Johnson and many others can’t ignore the numbers.
Those numbers say Caitlin Clark is the best thing to happen to the WNBA, which is why it is now attracting record numbers. If this keeps up, more like Clark will appear, and soon, the WNBA might be as big a deal as the NBA.
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