Despite Miami having lost its WNBA team more than two decades ago when the Miami Sol franchise folded in 2002, the appeal of women’s pro basketball in South Florida is arguably stronger than ever.
The Unrivaled 3-on-3 women’s league that set up shop in Medley last winter was a hit, as fans turned out to see WNBA stars in person. There is talk Miami could even be in the running for a new WNBA team as the league eyes expansion.
If that happens, South Florida would then get a chance to see, up close and personal, the “Caitlin Clark Effect.” That is the term coined to describe the current Indiana Fever superstar’s startling impact on the popularity of women’s pro hoops.
The “Caitlan Clark Effect”
At last Sunday’s game in Las Vegas between the host Las Vegas Aces and the Indiana Fever, numerous fans flew in from across the country, including this writer from Miami, specifically for the chance to see Clark face off against reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.
The game was moved from the Aces’ usual home turf of the Michelob Ultra Arena down Las Vegas Boulevard to the T-Mobile Arena to accommodate thousands of extra fans who were coming to see Clark, the Fever’s top star, in person. Those in attendance included many fans visiting from Mexico and as far away as Hawaii, wearing t-shirts and Fever jerseys with Clark’s #22.
“I’m a big fan. I flew from Hawaii just to see Caitlin Clark,” Jillian, who didn’t want her last name revealed, said.
She credits Clark with sparking her interest in women’s basketball.
“I started out with Caitlin, but I think she definitely drew more attention to other players, so I do keep up with other players now, but mainly the Fever because of [Clark],” she said.
A fan named Arturo flew in from Mexico City to Vegas for the game.
“I’ve been watching Caitlin since she was in college. Now it’s a different level in the WNBA,” he said.
Arturo credits Clark with sparking his interest in basketball.
“It’s interesting, I didn’t know anything about basketball or WNBA but there are so many good players, like Caitlin Clark, Aja Wilson, I think it’s great,” he said.
Chris Morgan and his wife made the trip from Las Lunas, New Mexico specifically to get a chance to see Clark, in her second year in the WNBA, in person.
“She got me drawn in to watching women’s basketball,” he said. “I planned our trip to Vegas around the game.”
WNBA and star players draw the fans
Planning vacations around a mid-season WNBA game between the Aces (5-7) and the Fever (6-6) may sound unusual, but it speaks to the level of interest Clark has generated for women’s basketball. The Aces are one of the league’s top teams in a city with no shortage of visitors looking for entertainment, yet the team felt the need to move to a bigger arena to meet ticket demand.
It was a smart move, as Sunday’s game against the Fever, which the Aces won 89-81, was a sellout with an announced crowd of 18,547 (the team’s usual arena has a 12,000-seat capacity). Wilson led the way with 24 points, while Clark scored 19 but missed 9-of-10 shots from three-point range.
The WNBA has been a key part of Las Vegas’ embrace of sports tourism.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the number of visitors to Vegas who come to attend a sporting event has tripled from 2% to 6% of all visitors since 2018. That figure represents more than 2 million people.
The Aces, who won consecutive WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023, are becoming an increasingly important attraction as women’s sports continue to increase in popularity.
“The Aces were the first pro sports champions in the history of [Las Vegas],” Steve Hill, president and CEO of the LVCVA, said. “They are a major part of why Las Vegas has become the sports and entertainment capital.”
The LVCVA even struck sponsorship deals with each player on the Aces’ active roster. The first-of-its-kind agreement pays each player $100,000 per season to represent Vegas on and off the court.
Clark’s popularity pays off for Indianapolis
There’s an argument to be made that Clark and the attention she has brought to women’s basketball is partly responsible for such deals. She’s been raising the profile of women’s hoops ever since her record-breaking college career at Iowa. After being drafted by the Fever in 2024, her popularity has only continued to grow. She’s been directly credited with driving up attendance and viewership for the WNBA, and some say she’s helping to boost the league’s financial bottom line, to the tune of nearly a billion dollars.
In Indianapolis, Clark’s arrival has paid immediate dividends for the Fever and for the city of Indianapolis, as out-of-town fans plan trips around team home games. The team was even honored last year as a tourism MVP by Visit Indy, the city’s official visitors site.
“With Fever home games largely aligning with summer travel, we’ve seen a spike in hotel and shared rental stays in-and-around these dates,” Chris Gahl, executive vice president at Visit Indy, said.
“Quantifying the international media buzz, results from our paid media campaign in Iowa featuring the Fever, and website analytics clicking into Fever-related content, we know there’s a stronger interest in our city as a place to visit,” he said.
Back in Vegas, even some loyal Aces fans admitted they attended Sunday’s game to get a glimpse of the league’s most visible star.
“We appreciate the women’s game more than we ever have, and we’re getting to be fans of the other [players] too, but had it not been for Caitlin Clark, we wouldn’t have been here today,” Dan, who brought his granddaughter Jaden to the game, said.
“I’m not very familiar with the WNBA, but Caitlin Clark is literally one of the only players I know of,” Jaden said. “I was interested, so that’s why I’m here.”
Beyond the financial impact, Clark is seen as helping to grow the game, much like Tiger Woods did for the game of golf when he went pro in the mid-1990s. And for some, like Jill Parker, she’s an inspiration to a generation of young girls.
“We came to see Caitlin Clark. I’m a big Caitlin Clark fan,” Parker said.”I just think she’s amazing. I think the influence she has on not only women, but especially young women in sports, is just great.”
Michael Avila is a sports writer and producer at CBS Miami.
