Caitlin Clark Drew 2 Billion Social Media Views in Rookie Season, Study Reveals

Caitlin Clark features in most of the highest viewed WNBA games since she came into the league.

Caitlin Clark Drew 2 Billion Social Media Views in Rookie Season, Study Reveals

Caitlin Clark commands fan attention (Image via WNBA/X)

Just as a legion of fans defend the impact Caitlin Clark has brought to the WNBA and women’s sports as a whole, there is another faction who point out that she alone was not the reason the sport enjoyed its growth.

Their argument points to the continuous evolution of the WNBA, with A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces becoming fan favorites before anyone talked about the Iowa native.

Then some believe that Clark would not get the popularity boost she enjoys had it not been for Paige Bueckers‘ injuries and Angel Reese taunting her in the 2023 NCAA Championship game.

Even the likes of First Take’s former host, Molly Qerim, claimed that Bueckers’ injuries stopped her from being the best player in college, and that allowed Clark to get the recognition.

The problem those defending the Iowa native’s impact face is that even though millions watched the 2024 NCAA Final Four, there is no clear indication that she was pulling those numbers on her own. That is because both Bueckers and Reese, along with South Carolina, were in the midst.

The league’s official social media views across all platforms jumped from 373 million in late 2023 to nearly 2 billion at the conclusion of Clark and Reese’s rookie season in 2024.

USA Today quoted Dr. Ryan Brewer

This excerpt was from the associate professor of finance at Indiana University Columbus’ study, The Structural Transformation of WNBA Media & Consumer Economics in the pre- and post-Caitlin Clark Era. His deep dive into the numbers indicated that the superstar accounted for a 436% surge in views, which he described as a ‘quantum leap.’

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Dr. Ryan Brewer dissects how Caitlin Clark’s Taylor Swift effect stands out in WNBA

While many would still point to viewership numbers and the exponentially fast growth the WNBA enjoyed in the first year Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese played, Dr. Ryan Brewer dug deep to figure out whether there was a difference.

Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark
Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark (Image via Hoops Source/X)

According to Brewer’s research, highlights featuring Clark drew between 20 million to 45 million viral views across TikTok, X and Instagram, much higher than the average of three million to five million views for a WNBA game without Clark.

USA Today remarked

This is why he told USA Today’s subsidiary, IndyStar, that this was akin to how Taylor Swift impacted music lovers and young fans across the globe. Brewer pointed out that even though basketball is a team sport, Clark’s plays were the most viral clips or pictures on social media.

The city of Indianapolis revealed back in 2024 that it experienced a major surge in revenue since the Hawkeye alum arrived. Now, with these numbers confirming that Caitlin Clark’s impact was the primary reason for the WNBA’s surge in interest, all the other arguments could rest.

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Man builds 22 custom boxes for Caitlin Clark’s signature shoes

Even if there was any sliver of doubt as to how popular Caitlin Clark is, her first signature shoe sales will give the right picture. So far, the fans on the other side have been claiming that not only are her shoes not as fast-moving as they were claimed, but A’ja Wilson’s two signature shoes outsell them.

Maybe when the sales numbers come in, it will be a clear indication as to which of those assumptions are true. For now, the Indiana Fever point guard is pedal to the metal when it comes to marketing her shoe.

With a new colorway launching every other day, fans are finding out that they can have several options compared to the original blue, which was not well received.

It seems Clark’s shoes are popular enough that a middle-aged man decided to help with special deliveries. He created 22 custom boxes that some lucky fans can get their hands on as part of the 24-year-old’s custom autographed set. Neither A’ja Wilson nor Sabrina Ionescu had such advantages.

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