Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese jersey sales skyrocket as WNBA reports 1000% increase in merchandise purchases
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have already helped give the WNBA a huge boost in television ratings and game attendance.
Now the superstars that make up the league are also being praised for the massive 1000% increase in merchandise sales.
Fanatics, the official retailer of the W, saw sales increase 500% in the first half of the season compared to the first half of 2023, a spokesperson told TMZ Sports on Tuesday.
The company also reported a 1,000% increase in sales of player-specific merchandise, with Clark and Reese ranking #1 and #2 respectively.
New York Liberty star and protégé of the late Kobe Bryant Sabrina Ionescu ranked third in jersey sales, while Las Vegas Aces rookie Kate Martin and teammate A’ja Wilson rounded out the top five.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Help the WNBA Achieve 1,000% Increase in Merchandise Sales
The Superstar Rookies are #1 and #2 in the player-specific merchandise sales category
“Sales of fan merchandise in the first half of the season are the highest in league history,” the Fanatics spokesman said, noting that sales at the All-Star Game in Phoenix last weekend also broke the previous record for on-site purchases.
The WNBA’s growing popularity is paying off for the league in more ways than one, as last week signed a new media rights package worth approximately $2.2 billion over 11 years, The Athletic reported.
This generates approximately $200 million annually, about four times the WNBA’s current media contracts with Disney, Ion, CBS and Amazon, which are estimated at $50 million annually.
The new package was negotiated by the NBA during its own mammoth rights negotiations, which saw the league reach an agreement with Disney, NBC and Amazon on an 11-year contract worth approximately $75 billion.
As part of the deal, each network (ESPN, NBC and Amazon) will get its own WNBA package.
This WNBA season alone has broken several records. Last month, the league announced that more than 400,000 fans attended games in May, the highest attendance in 26 years.
Additionally, the competition’s viewership has increased significantly since Clark and Reese arrived.
On ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS, an average of 1.32 million people watch WNBA games, nearly three times as many as last season, when 462,200 people watched.
The WNBA has also signed a new media rights package worth approximately $2.2 billion over 11 years
A superstar rookie class, led by Clark and Reese, has given the sport a boost in 2024