Paige Bueckers expected to bring similar economic impact to Dallas as Caitlin Clark did with Indianapolis

The GIST: On Monday, the Dallas Wings drafted UConn star Paige Bueckers first overall, and she’s expected to bring comparable economic impact as fellow W star Caitlin Clark did when she was drafted by the Indiana Fever last year. Let’s review how Clark boosted the local economy and elevated the Fever to one of the league’s most coveted brands. Ready for takeoff.

💰 $36M: The estimated economic impact Clark brought to Indianapolis during her first season with the team. She was also credited with generating 27% of the league’s economic activity last season.

📈 1,193%: The YoY increase in Fever jersey sales at the midway point in Clark’s first season, with the team reporting a 265% YoY boost in home game attendance.

🏟️ 340,715: Total home attendance for the Indiana Fever during the regular season, which blew the previous league record (250,565) out of the water. Interestingly, only 5% of those fans also attended Indiana Pacers games, and a third were from outside Indiana.

🤝 90: The number of active sponsorship deals the Fever had last season, which led the WNBA and marked a 43% YoY jump in partnerships for the team.

📱 415%: The YoY increase in the Fever’s social media followers during the 2024 season. Its YouTube growth was particularly stark: The team went from fewer than 5K subscribers in 2024 to over 100K after drafting Clark, with its channel leading all North American pro sports teams in views and engagements for most of 2024.

Zooming out: Similar to the Fever prior to Clark’s arrival, the Wings are a poor-performing (and therefore less marketable) team that is expected to be transformed by the Bueckers pick. Beyond a clear correlation in rising ticket sales and social media activity, selecting Bueckers should have a ripple effect that will be tough to quantify.

• The Fever are building a $78M practice facility, signing top free agents, and hosting 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend — economic uplift that can all be tangentially attributed to Clark. Similarly, the Wings were one of two WNBA teams to get a sizable investment from financial services brand Albert earlier this year. Coincidence? We think not.