Indiana Fever is out of the playoffs, but it will cost more than a championship run. With Caitlin Clark no longer in the game, the league has lost a major source of revenue. Do they have a contingency plan?
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Indiana Fever lost to the Aces 94-83 in Game 3. The Fever last reached the playoffs in 2016 before they returned in 2024, in Clark’s rookie season. But Clark’s impact on the Fever goes beyond what happens on the court.
In 2026, all 44 Fever games were shown nationally across ABC/ESPN, USA, Prime Video, ION, NBC/Peacock, CBS, and NBA TV. Clark was one of the reasons the Fever became such a major attraction for broadcasters and fans.
Her impact can also be seen in the Fever’s business and social media numbers. Fever jersey sales increased 1,193% from 2023, according to the team’s midseason figures. After the Fever drafted Clark, the team’s social-media following grew from around 500,000 to 1.8 million, while its content generated 800 million views from April through July 2024.
So, losing her is a massive blow for the team and the league both.
The timing makes the situation even worse
2026 is the first season of the WNBA’s new media-rights era, with Disney, Amazon, and NBCUniversal distributing more than 125 regular-season and playoff games each year through 2036.
The league also added CBS/Paramount+, ION, and USA Network to its wider national distribution, with 216 regular-season games scheduled across these platforms in 2026.
On top of that, for the playoffs, games are spread across ABC/ESPN, Prime Video, USA Network, NBC, and Peacock, while the Finals are on NBC, USA Network, and Peacock.
That makes Clark’s absence an interesting test. Some playoff windows may lose part of the attention they could have received with Indiana and Clark involved.
On top of it, Indiana’s elimination means the WNBA loses more than just one team from the playoffs. It also loses Fever playoff games, Caitlin Clark-led promotion, Indiana ticket sales, postseason merchandise, local sponsorship exposure, and one of the league’s biggest storylines.
One of her major controversies was with Chennedy Carter, which started during a game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky on June 1, 2024. Carter hit Clark from behind while the ball was not in play, knocking her down. The officials first called it a common away-from-the-ball foul, but the play quickly went viral and sparked a lot of debate. After reviewing it, the WNBA upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 1.
The incident attracted massive media attention to the league. That helped the team and the league generate massive revenue.
The Ticketing Impact Is More Complicated
Caitlin Clark’s absence could affect ticket sales, but we cannot assume that every playoff game will see lower demand.
But matching her effect can be tough. In 2024, Fever ticket sales jumped 264.6% from the previous year, with 186,000 fans attending Indiana’s home games by midseason.
Her appeal also extended beyond Indiana, as she played in 32 of the 37 WNBA games that attracted more than 16,000 fans that season.
But there are teams other than the Indiana Fever that are also catching fans’ eyes.
The Golden State Valkyries are a good example of how a team can build strong demand beyond one superstar. In their first season in 2025, they sold out all 21 home games and averaged 18,064 fans, while their merchandise reached fans in all 50 states and more than 70 countries.
The momentum continued in 2026, when they sold out all 22 home games again, welcomed 397,408 fans, and had more than 12,000 season-ticket holders, up from 10,000 before the 2025 season.
This shows that the WNBA’s commercial appeal is not built around Caitlin Clark alone. There are other stars like A’ja Wilson with the Aces, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu with the Liberty, Angel Reese with Atlanta, and Paige Bueckers with Dallas.
But the question remains the same: will they be able to draw the same crowd in the postseason too?
Merchandise: The Most Immediate Commercial Test
As per Sports Business Journal, Caitlin Clark was the No. 1-selling WNBA player on Fanatics during the first half of 2024. Sales of player merchandise, such as jerseys and T-shirts, jumped 1,000% from the previous year.
Before the playoffs, Fever jersey sales alone were up 1,193%, and four home games had already broken the team’s single-game merchandise sales record.
But that doesn’t suppress the fact that other players are also drawing major attention.
Sabrina Ionescu was the No. 1-selling WNBA jersey in 2021, while her Nike Sabrina 1 became the most successful signature launch by a women’s basketball player in sports in 2023 in North America and China.
But the bigger question is whether Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and others can collectively match the level of merchandise demand Clark created in 2024.
The WNBA may not need one player to replace Clark, but building on all of them can bring them major success.
The New CBA Changes the Stakes for Players Too
As per the WNBA, its players’ union has agreed on a new seven-year deal covering 2026 to 2032. The WNBA expects the deal to bring more than $1 billion in salaries and benefits to players over those seven years.
The salary cap is also jumping from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million in 2026.
The new CBA also gives a boost to players’ salaries. In 2026, minimum salaries will range from $270,000 to $300,000, depending on experience, and they could rise to $340,000 to $380,000 by 2032.
The No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft is also projected to make $500,000, while existing rookie deals will get a raise too.
The CBS bonus is raised like:
- 2026 championship bonus: $60,000 per player.
- 2025 championship bonus: $22,908.
- 2026 runner-up bonus: $20,000.
- 2025 runner-up bonus: $8,521.
- 2026 Finals MVP: $30,000.
- 2025 Finals MVP: $5,000.
But ultimately, it all depends on how the postseason goes. If the league generates a good amount, the players will get better shares.
Then comes the biggest test: the Finals success. If the numbers in the Finals are not promising, it will be a big bust for the business without Caitlin Clark.
Clark’s presence has already drawn solid numbers
In 2024, the second playoff game between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun drew 2.54 million viewers on ESPN, with the audience reaching 3.4 million at its peak.
The 2.54 million viewers were also the biggest WNBA playoff audience since 1999, when a game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Houston Comets attracted 2.62 million viewers.
Now, what will the league do without her is something to look out for!!