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‘Who’s Paying?’ Fans Question WNBA After Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever Board Their First Charter Flight
WNBA fans react as league shifts away from commercial flights to full-time charters, a $25 million investment benefiting players. Excitement and relief among players and fans.
On the opening night of the WNBA, Caitlin Clark with the whole Indiana Fever team became one of the select few teams flying charter as part of the league's rollout of the charter flight program.
Recently, the Fever’s guard Erica Wheeler shared a glimpse of the luxurious travel of the whole squad through her Instagram story. The short clip also featured the star WNBA Draft Pick Caitlin Clark.
However, the whole basketball community was in awe of the luxurious facility being made available for the top women’s basketball teams including the Fever but the online fans did not seem to be impressed by the facility.
An X/Twitter user went on to criticize the league’s profitability after the league's Commissioner Cathy Engelbert revealed that the league's new infrastructural program will cost around $25 million a year for the coming two years.
He wrote: “The league is not profitable. So who’s paying?”
Although, there has already been so much said on the women’s league gearing up to take the investment strategy to the next level. But the online fans seem to have taken another angel on the discussion.
Also Read: NBA Rumors: Pelicans ‘Aggressively’ Exploring Trade for Brandon Ingram Amid Knee Injury
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert Shared League’s Aggressive Future Estimation
In a significant decision for the WNBA, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced on May 7, the league's transition away from commercial flights, with plans to fund full-time charters for the upcoming season as soon as feasible.
As per the reports, this strategic shift aims to improve travel arrangements and fulfill a longstanding priority to enhance the overall player experience.
Engelbert's estimation of the annual cost, approximately $25 million for the next two years, reflects a substantial financial commitment to realizing this vision, with the league having spent $4 million on charter flights in 2023 under the current rules, which limited charter usage to specific game instances.
Expanding on this, the players’ association's partnership with Priority Pass for airport lounge access as the latest facilitation has more to offer to the women’s basketball regime for the coming years.
Additionally, the major leap also got a great enthusiastic response from players on social media, including retired WNBA legend Sue Bird and current athletes like New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart.
Also Read: Chicago Bulls Eyeing to Re-Sign DeMar DeRozan as He Heads Free Agency This Summer: Report
WNBA Profitability in Question Ever Since Caitlin Clark Stepped Up
The WNBA’s profitability has been brought into the spotlight following the debut of Indiana Fever G Caitlin Clark, whose first-year salary of $76,535 has shed light on a largely unspoken hard truth about the WNBA and women’s sports leagues in general: they are not as profitable as their male counterparts.
The WNBA's annual revenue of about $200M and its reliance on the NBA for funding showcase the financial disparity between the two leagues, with the NBA bringing in approximately $10B.
The WNBA's profitability mostly hinges on media rights, which are vital for generating revenue. The league's $60M annual deal for media rights is set for renewal in 2025, and several trends, including the increasing demand for live sports streaming and the rise in legalized gambling, work in the WNBA’s favor.
While the league saw a significant increase in viewership during the past season, it is essential to invest in finding new viewers to sustain this growth. The infusion of $75M from an investor group in 2022 into marketing, ad campaigns, influencer marketing, and live events reflects the proactive measures taken to enhance the league’s profitability.
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