It works in European soccer, so why not?
It’s quite clear that the WNBA is going all out in their attempt to make Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark the face of their brand, trying to rake in as much cash as possible to take 100% advantage of the situation.
The WNBA‘s mission really ratcheted up with the fake news regarding the so-called “wage gap” being spewed, and the league is also being knocked for the low revenue that they bring in due to their low popularity.
While Clark is settling into the league, the WNBA is looking for different ways to build their fanbase, and with the situation and Caitlin Clark being … well … Caitlin Clark, it has triggered several basketball pundits to come up with their own ideas to make the league pop. (RELATED: ‘I Think They Said F**k You’: Josh Hart Officially Deserves Superstar Status After Hilarious Reggie Miller Antic)
Bill Simmons, a legendary basketball commentator, had House of Strauss’ Ethan Strauss on his podcast. While talking, they touched on the WNBA and its growth potential, and Strauss came up with a genius idea to make the league more appealing.
Strauss wants the WNBA to name their franchises after NBA teams that are in the same city, similar to what they do in college, and like I mentioned earlier, European soccer. The connection to NBA franchises alone would trigger a ratings increase, bringing in a good portion of every fanbase. You know there’s fans out there who want to root on the “brand” no matter what.
“The one thing they should’ve done — and maybe there’s still time to do it — that they didn’t do from the outset is just use the same team names,” said Strauss on a recent “Bill Simmons Podcast” episode. “Like, why force people to learn about the Fever? Why not just have the ‘W Pacers’? I think that makes it so much easier to just resonate and cut across.”
Ethan Strauss thinks WNBA teams should be called like the “W Pacers” bc it’s too hard to learn the name Fever and Bill agrees pic.twitter.com/gIg8OdI6MO
— Paternity Riley (@lesterfreamon) May 8, 2024
Great idea … now we need to figure out how to get a “Miami W Heat” for my own personal fandom and also try to get Caitlin Clark on the team in the process. Do it, WNBA! Pull the trigger!