ESPN Shifting Focus to Caitlin Clark & Trinity Rodman’s Sports Praised by Serena Williams’ Husband

Caitlin Clark and her WNBA peers will benefit from increased coverage from the league's new network partners, as well as ESPN.

ESPN Shifting Focus to Caitlin Clark & Trinity Rodman’s Sports Praised by Serena Williams’ Husband

Trinity Rodman, Alex Ohanian and Serena Williams, and Caitlin Clark (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • ESPN is shifting its focus to women's sports, particularly the WNBA and NWSL, by replacing Sunday Night Baseball with Women's Sports Sundays.
  • Caitlin Clark's popularity has significantly boosted viewership and franchise valuations in the WNBA.
  • Clark's first signature Nike shoe is set to debut during the 2026 WNBA season, coinciding with her growing brand presence.

After Caitlin Clark burst onto the scene, sports fans are gravitating towards women’s basketball unlike ever before, with the WNBA raking in millions of viewers over the season.

Such numbers were unheard of before the Iowa superstar set foot in the league. Even when she was in college, the professional league struggled to generate numbers anywhere close to what it does now.

That proved that the superstar point guard was the magnet pulling fans to a sport that had long ignored. The WNBA has reaped the benefits after two years of strong growth, as franchises saw a 10-fold increase in valuations.

If and when the league starts its 2026 campaign, it will have new network partners in NBC and Amazon Prime joining Ion and ESPN. NBC, for instance, has delivered the most popular All-Star weekend for the NBA in more than two decades.

The hope is that the WNBA will also benefit from the high-quality coverage provided by its Paramount+ subsidiary, as well as Amazon Prime Video’s superlative production. ESPN does not want to be left behind and has decided to focus on Caitlin Clark and her peers.

Earlier, a press release appeared where they revealed that the network is going to replace its primetime Sunday Night Baseball with the new Women’s Sports Sundays.

Great move, ESPN!

Alex Ohanian wrote on X

This was Serena Williams‘ husband and Reddit founder Alex Ohanian, praising ESPN for dedicating its prime slots for the WNBA and NWSL, so that Clark and soccer star Trinity Rodman, and his Angels City FC, get the best platform to reach an even larger viewing audience.

Caitlin Clark’s Nike signature shoe is slated for the holidays

ESPN’s move to focus on women is in line with the changing trajectory of sports. Focusing on the NWSL and WNBA, both growing brands poised to make inroads into the global sports market, makes sense for the network.

Caitlin Clark's 1st signature shoe could be a Fever colorway
Caitlin Clark’s 1st signature shoe could be a Fever colorway (Image via Fever Stans/X)

The Worldwide Leader in Sports does not want to play catch-up, even if there is still apprehension on whether the WNBA will be able get its athletes to play this year. It seems sportswear giants are also in the same boat, and are forging ahead with their lineup of custom sneakers. After the Sabrina 3s delivered, A’ja Wilson is up next with her A’Two, slated for launch later.

But the sneaker basketball fans have been eagerly waiting for is that of Caitlin Clark. She has teased that her sneaker will be out soon, and that it will incorporate Nike’s latest technology.

However, with the uncertainty surrounding the WNBA, no dates were confirmed until now. Sole Retriever received information that the two-time All-Star’s sneaker would be available to the public during the Holidays this year.

They also revealed that Caitlin Clark will debut the sneaker during the 2026 WNBA season, whenever it plays out, and will likely sport a team-oriented colorway, much like her first custom PEs, at launch.

Caitlin Clark’s Gatorade specials sell out in hours

Caitlin Clark is currently enjoying her time with a few of her Indiana Fever teammates, while also working out with them. Before that, she was in Indianapolis, where she shot a Gatorade commercial.

The sports drink brand was bringing back Clark’s and the fan favorite Rain Berry. To relaunch the product, they created 2,200 custom bottles featuring their signature athlete‘s picture.

After launching it on February 19th at 10 AM Eastern Time, fans gobbled them up. At around 4 PM Eastern, Gatorade announced that the Caitlin Clark Exclusive was sold out.

They would continue to sell the standard edition Rain Berry Lower Sugar bottles, but Clark’s popularity kept her limited-edition ones from even lasting a full day.

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