The “you can’t see me” gesture and pointing at the ring finger, that’s all Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark followers need to understand the context– their rivalry. Since the 2023 NCAA Championship game, the two players rewrote college basketball, from sales to fandom. Nothing changed as they stepped into the WNBA either. If anything, the comparisons turned stronger. Everyone compared the two, for lack of a better parallelism in the league, with the NBA’s Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

When asked, the LSU alum was quick to shut it down. And the Des Moines native pointedly blamed the media for creating the rivalry narrative that boded well for their sales. The Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever being in the same conference, and last season’s flagrant foul drama, where the Sky had 80% flagrant fouls on Clark, however, grew the enmity. Interestingly, while you see young girls waiting for the two stars’ autographs in the line, the fandom has stretched much farther.

According to Statista, WNBA fandom in 2022 was female-dominated. Only 6% formed avid male fans. By 2024, the year when Clark and Reese entered the league, the landscape had already balanced with only 44% female fans. On the internet, people from every age group and gender debated between the two athletes. In fact, many young boys repped Clark’s jersey as their Halloween avatar last year. While the narrative gave rise to some unwelcome conversations, it affected how the sporting world consumed the country’s fastest-growing brand. And nothing has stayed away from Caitlin Clark’s enforcer, Sophie Cunningham, as she shares her views.

Cunningham’s podcast partner, West Wilson, started on ‘Show Me Something,’ “I was looking at the comments and a zillion dudes are arguing about if Caitlin Clark’s the face of the league… It felt refreshing. I was curious if that type of… and I don’t even think it’s toxic, because to me, when it’s sports, it’s good. Like it’s good for the sport. People arguing ‘Who’s the best?’ And, listen, it’ll never end. But like seeing so many, like obviously, I know that everyone’s cared about the WNBA for a long time. But seeing like that, just that toxic, like it’s like toxic dudes on Twitter being like it’s Caitlin, it’s Angel. That, it’s got to be good, you know.”

Cunningham agreed, “But that’s what I love so much about it, though, is like, it’s not just women going at it. It’s like, you have guys, you have elementary boys, you have high schoolers, college, pros, people who are in their 80s, like all ages of men and women caring about it. And I think that is so much fun. Like, it’s sports. That’s why everyone loves it.”

The increasing interest and arguments bring in a spike in social media buzz, leading to more fans being curious. The numbers back this up. The WNBA has been crushing it online, with nearly 2 billion video views on social platforms in 2024. Caitlin Clark’s logo shots, Angel Reese’s fiery boards, and entertaining off-court moments are going viral, reaching vast audiences. 

It’s no longer just for the females or the older population or just the kids that have dominated the WNBA’s fanbase for years; it’s for everyone. It is that long-time Steph Curry fan admiring Caitlin Clark’s logo threes while the star himself gives her the due respect because she’s not like her, she’s her own player. NBA fans and even “basketball purists” are drawn to the intense rivalry between Reese and Clark.

It’s Stephen A. Smith being a New York fan but giving flowers to Clark for her game while also respecting how Reese made her name. It’s stars like Draymond Green, legends like Gilbert Arenas, and entities from other sports like Pat McAfee making debates around them their podcasts’ central piece.

It has forced the youngsters to hop onto the WNBA train. WNBA fans are a young crowd on the whole, even more so than the NBA, which already has one of the largest proportions of young fans in the country. Those aged 18-34 make up 47% of WNBA fans and 42% of NBA fans. For context, this group makes up only 30% of the overall adult US population. And it is the youngsters who always drive the trends. The fact that the youth is going crazy about it is the real crux of the growth. And the league is taking advantage of it. 

With player rivalries thriving, the WNBA triggers inter-team rivalries

The WNBA has never truly had rivalries like the NBA or other major leagues have had. While player rivalries, like Clark vs Reese, are all good to drive interest, there is a concern that it might be short-lived and temporary. The hate between them might fizzle out in the next couple of years. Considering they play different positions, a court rivalry has little to expand on. There could be a lack of narratives to interest fans and bring in further growth. On the other hand, team rivalries have much deeper contexts and bigger narratives that stretch for years.

Already, we have seen the Minnesota Lynx create their own story in the league. The Commissioner’s Cup clash last season, where the Lynx swept the title from the New York Liberty, only for the latter to win the World title months later, has them on each other’s throats. The narrative has continued this season with the two teams in tough competition for the first spot and heavy contenders for the title. Then there’s the slowly-dying rivalry between the Las Vegas Aces and the Liberty as the latter broke the Aces’ three-peat dreams last season.

Then there are former players being traded without wanting a new beginning. And of course, there’s the tough competition between Clark and her on-court nemesis, in Reese’s Sky, Paige Bueckers’ Dallas Wings, and Jacy Sheldon’s Connecticut Sun. And the league knows that.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the inaugural rivals week, which will start with the Clark vs Reese on August 8. Other games will include two between New York and Minnesota in a 2024 WNBA Finals rematch. Then one starring Bueckers’ Dallas against Clark’s Fever. Atlanta’s Brittney Griner will be facing her old Phoenix Mercury squad, whom she dominated the last time they faced. 

“The timing of that week is critical, because in August you start to really make that playoff push,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said back when the Rivals Week was announced. “So it would be great to have those matchups during that period to drive that playoff push into September and crown a champion in October.”

However, the team rivalries will be tested instead. Caitlin Clark is out with a groin injury, with no timetable for return. Angel Reese is missing due to her back injury. Napheesa Collier sustained a right ankle injury and is out for at least two weeks. While the individuals are missing, the fans are still pumped to support their teams against the arch rivals. Like Engelbert said, all the teams are in a crucial stage right now, and a win against their biggest rivals will do their morale good.