WS Chronicle

Since its inception in 1997, the WNBA has not turned a profit and has not become mainstream in the United States. With revenue growing thanks to players like Caitlin Clark, now is the time for the WNBA to capitalize on their newfound popularity.   

The league has operated at a loss for the entirety of its existence, but now is the time to change that. The league has negotiated a new media rights deal, increased ticket sales, and has established new sponsorship partnerships as well, so there could be a possibility of the league turning a profit sooner than later. 

As a sports fan, I love the game of basketball. The NBA found the right formula in the 1980s to build a league that fans would love and have built upon that for the past 40 years, making them a very profitable league. Unfortunately for the WNBA, they have not experienced the same renaissance as their big brother league. 

The WNBA has superstar players and household names in their league, but the biggest issue I have noticed is that they try too hard to mimic the NBA, which is a huge mistake. They play on the same size court and shoot on a hoop the same height as the men. Even much of their marketing is similar to the NBA – but they aren’t. 

I look at the game of softball and I notice they aren’t trying to be exactly like baseball. The dimensions are different, the ball is different, and the rules are different. The games are similar, but there are enough differences to separate the two sports. 

When I look at the WNBA, I always think to myself, why do they do it that way? because it doesn’t make sense. So, I started thinking to myself, what could the league do to enhance their product to be more attractive to not only the male sports fan, but also the female sports lover. 

First and foremost, I would change the height of the rim. The men play on 10’ goals and it is the perfect height for the men’s game. When it comes to the WNBA, I think they should lower the goals to 8’5” to make the game more exciting. This would allow women to play above the rim. 

I know this suggestion has been floating out there for several years and it has been rejected by nearly every female player that I have seen respond to this proposal, and I honestly don’t understand it. This is not an indictment on the skill level of female basketball players.  This move will make the game more exciting and allow women to showcase their immense talent even more.   

Just think about it for a second. Imagine seeing scores of women in the WNBA dunking the basketball on a nightly basis. I guarantee this will bring more fans to the building and also bring more sponsor dollars to the league. I don’t quite understand the pushback from the players about this. 

I have watched many sports programs about how Magic Johnson and Larry Bird changed the NBA and helped turn it into the global game it is now. The WNBA has a similar opportunity with Clark and Angel Reese. Now I am not saying that Clark and Reese are Magic and Bird, because Reese will not go down as an all-time great player like Clark, but the rivalry was started in college, like Johnson and Bird, and the league could play on that rivalry to bring more eyeballs to the game. 

The treatment Clark is receiving in the league is to be expected. She was touted as the best thing coming into the league since sliced bread – like LeBron James – and they both lived up to the hype. The league has marketed Clark well, but she doesn’t really have a running mate to market along with her and the league needs to figure that out. 

I know there are players in the WNBA who feel as though they should be paid like their male counterparts in the NBA, but they aren’t making enough revenue for that to be a reality. I am not saying the ladies in the WNBA don’t deserve to make more money; the league has to figure out a way to enhance revenue. 

There is a big opportunity at hand for the WNBA, and as a sports lover, I would hate to see the league waste this opportunity to grow. There are several players in college, like JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers, who will come into the WNBA over the next two or three years who will have a similar impact to what Clark did last season.  

The question remains on whether the WNBA will capitalize on this marketing opportunity or will they just rest on their laurels?  My hope is the latter because I truly feel this league could be great if they just find their own identity and stop trying to copy the men’s game.