The Sparks are going all in with a $150 million investment in a new practice facility, which is the largest to date in the history of women’s sports for a single team. However, when you think that just last year, the league lost around $40 million, the move seems like a big gamble. Sparks’ Managing Partner and Governor Eric Holoman, however, justified it, saying, “We’re building a place where Sparks players can be at their best on and off the court…. It reflects our commitment to our team, our fans, and the city of Los Angeles, and sets a new standard for what a professional sports organization can provide for its athletes.” Yes, that’s there, but behind it all, as always, looms the Caitlin Clark effect, making the timing feel just right.

‘No Cap Space WBB’ host Andrew Haubner recently touched base on the Sparks’ new practice facility. According to him, the star power of women’s basketball players has increased to a point that, now, they are “brands unto themselves in ways that I think even NBA and male professional athletes are not.” 

In recent years, WNBA players have become more visible than ever, helping grow the league along the way. Sabrina Ionescu turned heads at Paris Fashion Week in 2024, while Angel Reese made history on Vogue’s Winter 2025 cover and even appeared in a music video with Latto and Cardi B. Moments like these show how the stars are capturing attention beyond the court, and it’s paying off, with the league’s revenue expected to top $1 billion in 2025, up from $710 million last year. With that kind of growth, investing in better facilities and resources for the players just makes sense.

“And if you want to make the argument that you want to make these women into stars, uh, the biggest thing that was stopping them was ‘I don’t want to have to make my year-round facility at El Camino College’. And now, you have a place just off El Segundo Beach that is now a state-of-the-art facility,” said Haubner.

At the heart of all these developments, though, is Clark. Fans came to see her and stayed for others.

As ‘The Athletic’ reporters Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant highlighted, an anonymous industry source once praised Caitlin Clark by saying, “It’s hard to believe she’s not worth close to a billion to the league”. After all, when comparing the change in select league-wide metrics from the 2023 to the 2024 seasons, with the latter being the year Clark started playing in the WNBA, the league saw merchandise sales increase by 601%, social media views by 436.2%, league pass subscriptions by 366%, and overall attendance by 54.1%.

There is no denying the presence of ‘The Caitlin Clark Effect’. Ryan Brewer, a finance professor at Indiana University Columbus, was boldly able to state that Clark’s presence was responsible for more than 25% of the WNBA’s revenue in the 2024 season. In light of this confidence, other teams like the Los Angeles Sparks are willing to increase their investments. However, the Caitlin Clark effect wouldn’t hold that much worth if the Indiana Fever themselves didn’t make good use of it. Fortunately, the franchise’s front office had undertaken steps even before the Sparks.

Caitlin Clark Effect Credited For Fueling Fever’s $78 Million Worth Training Center

While the Los Angeles Sparks might be spending the most on a new training facility, they are not the only team to do so. On the list is the Indiana Fever as well.

Back in January, it was announced that the Fever front office plans to develop a $78 million training center in downtown Indianapolis. The upcoming Indiana Fever Sports Performance Center is set to open before the 2027 WNBA season. It will reportedly feature two full-size courts, strength and conditioning facilities, a range of additional recovery and wellness rooms, some of which will contain infrared light therapy and hydrotherapy pools, etc. If that wasn’t all, the center will also have a podcast and content production studio space.

As ‘Front Office Sports’ reporter Eric Fisher said, “The decision to build the new training complex, of course, is not solely a function of Clark’s arrival last year to the team, but the timing does provide another indicator of how transformative she has been to the Fever—and the league overall—over the past nine months.”

While the WNBA benefitted as a whole, the Fever, on an individual level, saw their attendance number increase by nearly 320% to a league-leading average of more than 17,000 per game. Additionally, the team has transformed with the additions of the past two WNBA Rookies of the Year, Clark (2024) and Aliyah Boston (2023). Even without players like Clark and Sophie Cunningham to lead them, the Fever made it to the semi-finals this year and continues to maintain high viewership and attendance numbers. In light of this, the investment for the three-story, 108,000-square-foot facility seems worthwhile.

Do you agree that the Caitlin Clark effect is leading to the new practice facilities? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.