After breaking more off-court records than many could count, Caitlin Clark was ranked the third most marketable player ahead of the 2026 season. The Boardroom released its rankings of the most marketable players putting Paige Bueckers and A’ja Wilson above Clark. As the WNBA fans rage against that ranking, Caitlin Clark’s biographer was straightforward while reasoning why Bueckers is not above Clark yet.
The Paige Bueckers-Caitlin Clark rivalry has been going ever since they came out of highschool. Clark was ranked fourth in the class, while Bueckers was No. 1. They met twice in college basketball, trading wins, with Clark winning the 2024 final matchup. In the WNBA, they have faced each other once in the regular season with Clark taking the win. When it comes to popularity, Christine Brennan had a tough reality check for Paige Bueckers’ faithful when comparing her to Caitlin Clark.
“Paige Bueckers, as popular as she is, cannot sell out a 6,251-seat arena,” Brennan flatly said on USA Today Sports. “That’s where the Dallas Wings play in suburban Arlington, Texas. Of 20 games in Dallas last year, Paige Bueckers’ rookie season when she won Rookie of the Year, Dallas only had a capacity crowd of 6,251 fans seven times.”
The Wings did play two games at the American Airlines Center, which drew 38,266 fans combined. However, they were against Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark. Even in those two games, the impact of Clark can be seen. Clark played at the June 27 game, where the arena was packed with 20,409 fans. When she was absent in the second game in August, 17,857 fans showed up. Clark’s absence seemed to have a noticeable impact on turnout.
One could argue that the College Park Center still reads primarily as a college arena located on the campus of UTA. Yet, the net change when Bueckers and Dallas Wings traveled away is -15%. Which means when Paige Bueckers went on the road, the attendance was on average 15% less than the location’s seasonwide average.
“Compare that with the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark in her rookie year, when they had a higher home attendance average than five NBA teams. They averaged 17,036 fans. That’s quite a difference,” Brennan further said. “It dropped a little in Caitlin’s second year in 2025 due to her prolonged absences, going down to 16,560, which is still huge. That shows the magnitude of the interest in Caitlin Clark and her drawing power.”
Still, it’s not to say that Bueckers did not have any effect on the Dallas Wings. The franchise has agreed to a new sponsorship deal with CVS. The team executives say is the richest annual commercial agreement in team history. Their national TV broadcasts averaged 1.2 million viewers, up 41%. They are reaching the local fanbase as well, with the team’s television reach growing to 6.3 million homes across Texas, surging by 411%.
Now, coach Jose Fernandez accidentally revealed that the Wings will play all their home games in 2027 at the American Airlines Center. However, they later clarified that the league approval remains and the agreement is yet to be finalized. But that will be a real test for Bueckers and her crowd-drawing ability. At the same time, on the court, the situation is drastically different. Caitlin Clark is set to have a chip on her shoulder after preseason predictions put her below Bueckers in many aspects.
Caitlin Clark Outlines Championship Expectations After Falling In Multiple Preseason Rankings
General Managers across the league were asked to choose a player they would want to build a franchise around. Bueckers got around 33% of the votes while Clark trailed at just 20% (down from 50% last season). ESPN ranked her the 10th best player in the league. The Athletic left her out of their preseason All-WNBA first team.
A throwback to last year’s All-Star votes, Clark was voted the 9th best guard in the league by the players. In addition, multiple predictions have the Aces winning it all yet again. And Clark will be eager to prove them all wrong.
“Hopefully a championship,” Clark said regarding the 2026 expectations. “I feel like we have all the pieces put together now. We have had our core together for three years. Last season I didn’t get to play in many games, but what we were able to do was incredible.”
