The Infrastructural Caitlin Clark Effect
By the Numbers
$1,200 – The price of a Panini WNBA Prizm hobby box, surpassing many NBA equivalents
$78,000,000 – The cost of the Indiana Fever’s new state-of-the-art training facility
1st – The NWSL's groundbreaking partnership with Overtime Sports, marking the league’s first digital-first content deal aimed at Gen Z audiences
Women’s Sports: A Rapidly Appreciating Asset
For years, women’s sports have been growing steadily, but recent surges in viewership across the NWSL, WNBA, NCAA, and PWHL have forced brands and investors to recognize their undeniable value. This is no longer about hypothetical growth—it’s happening now. Women’s sports are evolving into a lucrative asset class and Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise serves as the ultimate proof of concept.
Women’s sports have always deserved investment—the result of Title IX and decades of elite talent proved that. But Clark’s jaw-dropping 2023 and 2024 Final Four performances forced sports fans, media networks and advertisers to rethink how they allocate coverage and capital. The barriers to entry are rising quickly, and those who hesitate will pay a premium to enter later.
Trading at a Premium
This week, The Athletic reported that WNBA trading cards are outpacing their NBA counterparts in value. The 2024 WNBA Prizm hobby boxes are selling for $1,200—50 percent more than the presale price of NBA Prizm hobby boxes. And when you look at the fact Clark’s past card sales have shattered records, including a one-of-a-kind card that sold for $234,850, you’ll begin to see why the newfound interest is there.
Meanwhile, the NBA’s current rookie class among others have struggled to generate the same level of market enthusiasm. This divergence signals a significant shift and statement that the WNBA’s star power and commercial appeal are growing. This challenges traditional assumptions about which league carries the most upside.
The Infrastructure Boom
The rapid appreciation in women’s sports is also evident in the size of their new investments. In January 2025, the Indiana Fever announced plans for a $78 million practice facility. And This trend extends beyond basketball. Brett McCormick of Sports Business Journal reported that more than eight dedicated training facilities for women’s professional teams have been opened or announced in the past year.
These investments are no longer just symbolic—they are strategic moves to capture the increasing commercial potential of women’s sports and these decisions underscore the commitment and prioritization that’s happening across women’s professional sports.
And there’s more money to come. For the Fever, their facility has yet to secure naming rights, but Clark’s presence alone suggests a lucrative deal is inevitable. As Monarch Collective’s Kara Nortman notes, “It comes down to the proximity of the real estate and the quality of the team that’s selling it. The market’s there. It’s definitely an early but real market.”
The Evolution of Sports Media
Foundational investment in women’s sports isn’t just happening on the court—it’s transforming content distribution, too.
On the NWSL side, the professional soccer league recently announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Overtime Sports, a digital platform built to engage Gen Z audiences. Overtime’s deep connection to young fans, combined with the rise of stars like the Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith of the Portland Thorns, Angel City FC sisters Gisele and Alyssa Thompson, and 20-year-old league veteran Jaydyn Shaw of the North Carolina Courage, provides the NWSL with an obvious strategic channel to expand its audience.
With rapidly increasing viewership and digital engagement, leagues like the NWSL are no longer just keeping up—they are both leading and shaping the future of sports consumption in the United States.
The Future: Higher Buy-Ins, Higher Returns
The window for early investment in women’s sports is closing. Expansion fees alone illustrate this shift: the WNBA’s newest team, the Cleveland Rockers, is expected to pay a $250 million expansion fee to join as the league’s 16th team.
These valuations, once unimaginable, are now the reality. Whether through trading cards, facilities, media rights, or sponsorships, the trend is clear—the cost of entry will only increase as the market recognizes what women’s sports have always been: a premier investment opportunity. The time to buy in is now.
