Caitlin Clark has always been the crowd-puller in chief. While some were surprised at the “Caitlin Clark Effect” after she came into the WNBA last year, the ones who followed her from her Iowa days expected nothing less. During her four years at Iowa, the average attendance increased from around 5,000 to a whopping 13,877 when she left. And even in the year after, the attendance dropped to 9890, further making the case that it was Clark driving the interest. 

The effect was always going to be greater magnitude in the WNBA as it was an upgrade from college ball to proper professional basketball. But people had no idea just how much it was going to be. Among the 24 WNBA broadcasts that drew at least 1 million viewers during the 2024 season, Clark appeared in 21 of them. Professor Ryan Brewer of Indiana University determined that Clark was responsible for 26.5% of all WNBA economic activity in 2024. 

She is predicted to bring more than a billion dollars this year. Those numbers are mind-boggling, especially considering the context in which she entered the league in 2024. Clark has created a global presence and is one of the only WNBA athletes who can say that. The Caitlin Clark effect is crossing boundaries and inspiring people from the other end of the globe, in Australia. 

The AFLW, the premier league for Australian rules football competition for women in Australia, is taking a page out of the WNBA’s book. Their new general manager, Emma Moore, said the AFL wanted to harness the “Caitlin Clark effect,” referring to an increase in women’s sport viewership and attendance driven by stardom.

“The huge opportunity that we have in AFLW is the vast volume of players that we have to begin with, and the incredible skills, personalities, and champions of themselves and the sport they play, what they bring,” Moore said. 

The league has hit rock bottom. After being founded in 2017, it had a sold-out crowd on its opening day.  The match was a “lockout” with a crowd of 24,568 in attendance, with estimates of a few thousand left outside. The AFL CEO at the time even apologised to ones who missed out. The league has fallen from that ever since, as the average crowds currently look at just 2,660.  The league is also losing US$32.5 million per year as it is struggling with a host of problems. Even with these problems, Moore hopes to form rigid connections between the fans and the players, like Clark in the W. 

Moore further said, “So we really want to unlock that opportunity for them, and so it’s really clear for us that going forward, a key play in growing our fan base is growing that connection between our fans and their players.”

Big names attract fans. That has been the way of sports throughout history. Take any sport, any time, the best players have sold the most tickets and earned the big bucks. The Saudi Pro League in Men’s soccer brought in Cristiano Ronaldo and increased stadium attendance by 20% in his home games, 15% at away games, and even 3% at stadiums where he didn’t play, purely because due to the “superstar effect.”The soccer league in the US has seen a similar rise after Lionel Messi was signed. However, things are not so easy to get this “Caitlin Clark” effect, as the league will face a host of challenges. 

Why Trying To Artificially Induce Caitlin Clark-Effect Can Bring Problems

Caitlin Clark isn’t some lab-grown superstar. She just plays like it. Her meteoric rise is the product of years of grit, determination, and relentless work. Clark embodies the new era of the female athlete, winning games in jaw-dropping, last-second fashion, shattering records that had stood for half a century which many of them held by men, and earning the respect of NBA legends. 

Her decision to stay close to home for college only added to her legend, while her achievements at a relatable six feet tall show the next generation that greatness isn’t about fitting a mold. She has grown through the organic interactions with the fans. Even with her injury this year, she is travelling from stadium to stadium signing 100s of autographs before each game. While the WNBA has leveraged her popularity in various ways ever since her arrival, it has not tried to artificially create her popularity. The AFLW lacks the college structure where players could build a following and a base before going to the pros. 

If they try and create a league standing based on the legs of just popularity makes it look insincere, thus not getting the best results. This kind of attitude can be unsustainable, which could be disrupted just as easily. This kind of attitude brings more surface-level attention rather than an actual connection with the fans that they want. AFLW will need to work on the other aspects, like the on-field product and the scheduling.

Achieving meaningful growth will require investing in proper player and staff salaries, establishing full-time professional roles for coaches and medical teams, and structuring a schedule that safeguards player welfare. Strategic collaboration with the men’s game can drive efficiency and create economies of scale. 

While the league should maximize the visibility of its top talent through marketing, it must recognize that cultivating a transformative superstar, its version of Caitlin Clark, will take time. Sustainable success will rely on patience, long-term development, and realistic expectations rather than expecting immediate breakthroughs.