The WNBA has gone from toeing the line of irrelevance to becoming a centerpiece in mainstream sports culture. And at the heart of this transformation is Caitlin Clark. Since her arrival, the league’s visibility has gone up a couple of notches. Fans are more engaged, sponsors are pouring in, and revenue is growing at a record pace. Clark alone is projected to bring in a staggering $1 billion this year. She is the proof that one generational talent can be a seismic change.

As the league’s cultural footprint expands, cross-industry collaborations have become part of the new WNBA playbook. From music to fashion, stars outside of basketball are now moving toward the game. Last year, Bon Iver’s groundbreaking partnership with the Minnesota Lynx broke new ground. Now, another Grammy-winning artist has entered the scene, country music icon Wynonna Judd.

Judd recently joined forces with the Indiana Fever, creating a headline moment that combined sport, music, and pure fan magic. After the team’s shootaround, players Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham shared an emotional meet-up with Judd. Cunningham couldn’t hold back her excitement, exclaiming, “You are awesome!” as she welcomed the country legend.

For Clark, a known country music lover, getting the chance to connect with Judd must have felt like a dream come true. Her rising stardom is now blending with the very culture she grew up loving. In a single moment, the Fever’s growing popularity, CC’s undeniable effect, and the WNBA’s crossover appeal all came into focus. What started as a basketball game turned into a backstage pass to the worlds of music and sport. It is all about how far the league has come and just how far it can still go.

It is not the first time Clark has collaborated with country musicians, as last year she joined country artist Jordan Davis on stage with Lexie Hull during his performance at the Everwise Amphitheater. They performed Davis’ rendition of his hit song “Buy Dirt,” as Clark sang along with the artist. She had even gotten a congratulatory message from her favourite artist, Luke Combs, after being drafted in 2024. So the connection between Clark and country music stretches way back. By judging the reaction from Cunningham, she also seems a long-time country music and Judd fan.

This collaboration with Judd further underscores how the WNBA is moving to bring in new audiences from different fields. Indiana and country music share a storied connection that stretches back years, and Judd recently had a concert in the city as a part of the Greatest Hits Tour. The Indiana Fever, along with other teams, is capitalising on such moments to gain even more eyeballs on them.

Caitlin Clark Breaks the Same Record for a Second Straight Year

There is a lot of conversation around why Clark is paid peanuts when she is worth millions to the league. Her salary of roughly $80,000 is less than 1% of her total earnings, which included multiple endorsements and a lucrative deal with Nike. You have people tuning in to the WNBA just to watch her play. Keep in mind, these people have never watched a minute of WNBA before; that’s the kind of impact she is having. This kind of stardom has never been seen before. Another one of her off-court records has further brought to light her low salary.

A 2024 WNBA rookie card of Clark, signed by the point guard herself, has been sold for a whopping $660,000, which is more than double the previous women’s record. Who held the previous record? Clark herself, as one of her cards, was sold for $366,000 in March. It was a 2024 Panini Prizm WNBA Signatures Gold Vinyl 1/1 PSA 10 card, which was also a one-of-one, autographed, and received perfect grading.

This time, the card reached legendary status: the one-of-one Rookie Royalty WNBA Flawless Platinum Logowoman card boasted Clark’s bold blue signature, a gritty action shot with her shin bloodied, and her own handwritten “769 pts and counting”, a direct nod to the historic rookie scoring record she shattered just last year. After this sale, at least 10 Caitlin Clark cards have sold for over $100,000 each, and 14 different cards have exceeded her WNBA annual salary at auction.

That just puts things into perspective as to how her popularity weighs in on her salary. Fans are willing to spend more than what she receives in a season on a card signed by her. This is certainly an absurd scenario. And the league must act quickly, as the CBA negotiations have fallen flat in the last few weeks. There is not much time left, as the current contract is only valid till October. You can’t get away with undervaluing players for long. Even with her millions in endorsements, if Clark is not given what she deserves by the league, she might feel disrespected as time goes on. So, even with the growing relevance and the cross-industry collaborations, there are a lot of hoops the league has to jump through before becoming a true force.