WNBA commish embracing wave of popularity with rise of Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark’s emergence in the WNBA has sparked a ratings increase and a general increase in popularity in the women’s game.

Even with the conversation around whether Clark is getting a real "welcome to the league" moment from her colleagues, the WNBA does not appear to be shying away from any of the chatter.

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"Look, apathy is the death of a brand," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told USA Today in a recent interview. "Nobody’s apathetic about the WNBA because we’ve brought in so many new fans into what we call the fan funnel this year. 

"And yeah, some are frustrated for sure. I get a lot of emails that I’ve never got in four years, but that’s because people care."

A lot of the conversation since the beginning of June stemmed from Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Clark’s hip-check of Clark. 

The Indiana Fever rookie was also on the receiving end of a hard screen from the New York Liberty last month.

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However, Engelbert does not believe Clark is purposely being targeted, especially when she has scored 30 points in two separate games.

"Did anyone say she was targeted in that game? No, because everyone’s just looking for the outcome that they want. But it’s great fandom. It’s great discussion, and I think obviously we continue to look at or review games after the fact," she added.

Clark and the Fever are back on the floor on Thursday night with a rematch against the Sky looming on Sunday.

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