The WNBA had the perfect opportunity to market a marquee matchup around two of its biggest stars. Instead, Caitlin Clark was left off the promotional poster once again. The Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever locked horns for the first time since the season opener. So with college rivals Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark leading the two teams, the WNBA had the perfect opportunity to market the game around them. Instead, Clark’s absence on the promotional poster has drawn backlash from prominent media members.
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ION, the league’s TV partner, broadcast the Fever-Wings matchup on August 14, but before the game tipped off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the network published a promotional graphic featuring Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, Lexie Hull and Raven Johnson. One of the league’s biggest stars and a major driver of its viewership, however, was nowhere to be found. And that omission has once again placed the spotlight on how CC is treated in W, as Fox News reporter Jon Root wrote on X.
“This is pure clickbait… Promoting the Fever vs Wings with Lexie Hull & Raven Johnson, instead of Caitlin Clark & Kelsey Mitchell, is purely for engagement.”
With Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers on the Wings and Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston on the Fever, the league had the chance to promote the game as a battle between four No. 1 overall picks. But it chose to highlight reserve forward Lexie Hull and rookie guard Raven Johnson, who has not started a single game this season. So Indiana Fever beat reporter Scott Agness couldn’t help but point out the blunder in his own X post.
“To promote a telecast with the last four No. 1 overall picks, this tweet highlights one of four. The Fever have three All-Stars, two named to the World Cup team, two of the top three scorers, and the face of the league. None showcased.”
There has been plenty of speculation that ION designed the graphic specifically to spark conversations like these and generate engagement. However, unless the network confirms what its intention was, there is no way of knowing whether the snub was deliberate or not.
Still, it is worth noting that this is the second time Caitlin Clark has been left off a major promotional poster.
In June, the WNBA released its 30th anniversary poster, featuring several stars from the past and present, including A’ja Wilson, Lisa Leslie, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Becky Hammon and Breanna Stewart. Clark, however, was nowhere to be found.
So when the Fever star was seemingly overlooked again, Robin Lundberg, author of Caitlin Clark: From the Logo, couldn’t help but find the latest promotional decision amusing, per his post on X.
“Like I don’t care, and I’m not mad. But no one can say this isn’t hilarious.”
Since Clark entered the league, there has been a constant narrative that the WNBA is against her, and moments like this only continue to fuel it. Whether intentional or not, another promotional snub has once again shifted the conversation away from a marquee game and toward the ongoing discourse surrounding the 24-year-old.