The 30-day sales record for WNBA championship merchandise was set in less than 24 hours after the New York Liberty won the 2024 title Sunday night, according to Fanatics.
The best-selling items included a black Nike locker room T-shirt, white Nike parade T-shirt and a black Playa Society hoodie.
Putting a cap on a record-setting year for the WNBA — in which attendance rose 50 percent on average across the league (according to NPR) and TV ratings on ESPN more than doubled — the record sales numbers come as little surprise to anyone who has paid attention to the league’s consistent record-breaking numbers in 2024.
While much of the attention has been placed on Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever rookie phenom who has set the all-time record for most expensive women’s basketball card ever sold multiple times already this season, it’s clear this is much more than an isolated trend.
Friday night’s Game 4 between the Liberty and Lynn attracted 1.67 million viewers on ESPN, the largest WNBA Finals audience since 2000, according to Sports Media Watch.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.