The players are already there. (The WNBA) to make sure that the games are accessible and the stories are accessible.’
The most anticipated WNBA season in decades is underway. Much of that excitement is due to an influx of new stars, including Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink, and Angel Reese. To better understand the league and its growth, we recently caught up with veteran sports journalist Jane McManus.
McManus spent almost a decade at ESPN, appearing on many platforms, including for ESPNW. She also is a former WNBA reporter. More recently, McManus is the editor of The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2024. The book will be released in October and is available for pre-order here.
Jane McManus: “Caitlin Clark had an incredible college career, but that doesn’t mean she’s at the level of your average WNBA player yet. There’s a lot of growth for her. I think she can be a generational player. She’s going to figure it out. She’s going to get better, and it’s going to be fun to watch. It’s a small league. There are 144 players. They are the best of the best. A lot of them have been playing for years and playing two seasons each year, both here and abroad. There are a lot of excellent players in the WNBA.”
“Everybody needs more investment. They did a $75 million capital raise a couple of years ago. They had one person working on marketing up until last year. Now they have 25. They need that kind of level of growth. It’s still a front office nested within the NBA front office. They don’t have their own infrastructure as a league, and that’ll come, I think, with success. They have a broadcast deal coming up. It’s coupled with the NBA. So, how much the WNBA can do to maximize it on its own is a question mark. But they need a real influx of cash from the broadcast deal to keep these charter flights going and so they can do other things to take that league to the next level. The players are already there. They need to make sure that the games are accessible and the stories are accessible.”
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