The GIST: Yesterday, sports data platform Relo Metrics released a report on 2024 sponsorship across six major American sports leagues, including the WNBA. The leagues generated over $11B in sponsor media value (SMV) amid a 15% jump YoY in sports sponsorship, meaning this space is more profitable than ever — especially in rising leagues like the WNBA. And one.

💸 The WNBA’s audience is highly engaged, creating high ROI for brands. Despite its lower follower count, the W boasted the highest engagement rate across all six leagues on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X. Relo credits the W’s embrace of player-focused content for these eye-popping numbers.

📈 Caitlin Clark is a cultural and economic force. The biggest moments in Clark’s 2024 season, such as her All-Star unveiling and first triple-double, accounted for the highest points of social media value for the WNBA. Clark also averaged $17.2K in value per Instagram post for Indiana Fever partners, which is over 10x the value of posts from the team’s own account.

• Clark also drove up value for her team and its key sponsors, like insurance giant Gainbridge. The Indianapolis-based company ranked 37th among financial brands with nearly $7.4M in SMV, with the Fever contributing to 46% of that value. A real team player.

📱 Video content is winning over audiences. The WNBA led all six leagues in branded content value on TikTok, where users have proven to be engaged sports fans. Overall, the W’s branded video content offered 34% more value per post than still images.

• While image-based campaigns work well in big leagues like the NFL, sponsors have a prime opportunity in smaller leagues with highly-engaged social audiences like the WNBA, which boasts a high percentage of Gen Z fans.

📍 The age-old adage still applies: Location, location, location. Branding placement matters for WNBA advertisers looking to maximize reach. For example, a WNBA jersey patch deal earned a SMV of $10.5M, nearly equivalent to an MLB dugout placement ($11.2M) or an NFL press media backdrop placement ($10.1M).

• Plus, ad placements that logged the most screen time tended to perform best. WNBA floor court logos averaged 1:12 minutes of exposure per game and earned a media value percentage (MVP) score of 15%, only 11 seconds fewer than the NBA’s floor court logo exposure that generated a 29% MVP score. Hoop there it is.