For 18-year-old Jessica Bronleben, her passion has always been sports. It was never a question of “if” she would play a sport, but a matter of “which” sport. Bronleben has played a wide variety of sports ranging from ice hockey, to basketball, to soccer and track and field.
“I love sports,” said Bronleben. “It’s given me confidence and it’s made me feel good about myself.”
While she has always loved to play sports, it hasn’t always been easy.
“I used to play hockey on an all-boys team. They weren’t the most welcoming, but I powered through it.”
After finding her place on the team, she discovered a new love and found success on the ice. Bronleben is one of the many young athletes looking to break down barriers in the sports world. The recent rise of WNBA star Caitlin Clark has helped girls draw inspiration and make their mark in sports.
“Caitlin Clark has made people want to watch women’s sports,” said Bronleben. “Entertainment wise it has gone up and it’s not just a joke anymore to people.”
Clark has become a household name among sports fans. She’s not only become one of the best collegiate athletes of all time, but has started a phenomenon called the “Caitlin Clark Effect.” Her talent has not only led to personal fame, but has caused a drastic increase in popularity among women’s college basketball and now the WNBA, according to the NCAA.
“She was the perfect white, midwest woman doing all these girl-next-door (things), and doing all these amazing things on the basketball court,” said Molly Yanity, director of the sports media and communications program at the University of Rhode Island. “We have a huge rise in social media usage. We have the implementation of (Name, Image, Likeness) NIL. You also had this COVID-19 dip. I think it was those three things going on around her that elevated her, but she also accepted the challenge.”
During her collegiate career, Clark broke almost every NCAA basketball record in Division I on both the men’s and women’s sides. She became the first player to top 3,700 points, 1,000 assists and 850 rebounds in Division I history. Clark also had 59 career games with at least 25 points, five assists and five rebounds, setting another NCAA record. She was also named the Big 10 Player of the Year three times during her college career, a two-time AP Player of the Year, two-time Naismith Player of the Year and countless other awards during the time she spent at the NCAA Division I level.
Since joining the WNBA as a member of the Indiana Fever, the accolades for Clark haven’t slowed down. In her first season, she was named AP’s Female Athlete of the Year, TIME’s Athlete of the Year and WNBA Rookie of the Year. Needless to say, Clark has made history, no matter where she has played during her basketball career.
Attendance at these games has shown just how many new fans have been drawn to the sport. During the 2024 season, approximately 400,000 fans attended games in the opening month, the highest in 26 years (WNBA). Over half of the WNBA games were sellouts which is a 156% increase from the previous season (WNBA). The Indiana Fever has already seen an increase in demand for 2025 game tickets, with most games already being sold out.
TV viewership for the WNBA has also averaged 1.32 million viewers across cable networks, tripling last season’s average of 462,000 viewers (WNBA).
“The best way to measure that (growth) is the TV ratings with ESPN and ABC,” said Yanity. “Attendance numbers show it . . . They’re real measurements, but what do I think of it? I think it’s about damn time.”
Clark’s pure athletic ability has not only driven fans to the arena and the broadcasts but has also caused a social media phenomenon. Clark herself has 3.1 million followers on Instagram alone (as of May 2025). Content involving Clark has driven up engagement on the WNBA App and has caused the app to see a 613% increase in monthly active users (WNBA).
“I remember in high school, seeing so many ‘get in the kitchen, make a sandwich,’ jokes on X and it was overflowing my feed,” said Toni Wetmore, sports journalism graduate student at Quinnipiac University. “So to now have that shift be more positive comments about women’s basketball and uplifting women who are playing not only basketball, but just other women’s sports in general… I think it’s great.”
With women’s basketball getting more attention on social media, it has given people an increase in exposure to the sport and to the athletes. The more the fans see the athletes and teams on social media, the more they pay attention to them and feel connected to the sport.
“You start with a player like Caitlin and the way she plays and then you have the media giving her a ton of kudos,” said Hamden High School Girls Basketball Coach Amanda Forcucci. “I think we had that growing up, but there wasn’t social media. I had to wait for Sports Illustrated to come out, or I had to wait for whatever newspaper article and wait till she was playing on TV to see her. But now, you feel connected, because all you have to do is go to her profile.”
Streaming platforms have also allowed fans to watch more sports which cater to what they want. This means that there are more opportunities to watch women’s sports without having to just rely on cable television.
“I can watch women’s sports all day, all the time, and never watch Sports Center,” said Yanity. “Right now I have Peacock on to watch the URI women’s basketball game. I will watch games on the WNBA League Pass, I will watch it on Paramount Plus to watch the NWSL. I can watch all that stuff today without it being mainstream.”
Along with engagement and viewership, over half of the WNBA games last season were sellouts. Merchandise has also seen a 236% increase in sales (WNBA). Clark along with Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese and Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink rank among the top five in jersey sales during the first week of the 2024 season.
“It’s nice to kind of walk around and see little boys and girls wearing a Caitlin Clark jersey and seeing frat guys sporting a Caitlin Clark jersey,” said Wetmore. “That just goes to show the impact . . . To have men and women, and young boys and girls wearing Caitlin Clark’s jersey, I think that speaks volumes to who she was on the court, and who she is off of it as well.”
According to the NCAA and WNBA, it has become clear that Clark is transforming women’s basketball. It has become a must-see event for many fans, signifying a permanent change in the sports landscape.
“Now it’s multiple players doing amazing things and there’s more of us,” said Forcucci. “You can’t ignore us now.”
While the impact is clear on the national stage, what has it meant for the growth of youth sports?
“I’ve watched my girl friends become more confident and happier when they’re playing,” Ryan Shaw said.
Shaw is a 15-year-old high school sophomore from Sayreville, New Jersey and he surrounds himself in sports. Shaw plays basketball, football and baseball which makes him a passionate athlete on the court, as well as a general sports fan.
“I’ve loved playing sports my whole life,” said Shaw. “Sports are fun and it’s how you make some of your best friends in life. It teaches you to work hard and to be dedicated to what you like to do.”
As a volunteer coach for the Challenger Program, a special needs athletics program, Shaw draws inspiration from Clark to help motivate his athletes.
“She shows athletes that they should believe in themselves and inspires others to be the best they can be,” Shaw said.
Over the last year, Shaw has enjoyed watching Clark play and seeing her skills out on the court.
“She’s the best female shooter in the world,” said Shaw. “She’s good at basketball and good for women’s basketball.”
Clark has also allowed young girls to have a role model that represents them. While in the past, there have been other WNBA stars, there hasn’t been anyone as big as Clark. Young athletes are now able to model their own game after Clark and use her for inspiration.
“I think it’s super important to have a figure like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, Paige Bueckers (former University of Connecticut point guard, currently drafted to the Dallas Wings), the list goes on and on, for young girls to look up to and say, ‘oh, someone’s doing it, I can do it too,’” said Wetmore. “Especially with Caitlin Clark, last year, I know there were just so many young girls in the crowds of those games with her jersey on, wearing the same ponytail, headband combination that she does. It’s so much easier to do something when you can see someone doing it as well.”
While more girls have become interested in sports, there has also been a downside of it on social media. Many young athletes feel an increased pressure to be great at a sport or feel that it’s not even worth playing. This also results in athletes sticking to one sport, rather than playing multiple.
“I’ve seen kids specialize more and I think there’s value in playing multiple sports,” said Forcucci. “You get different teachings, different learnings, you’re using different secondary muscles and primary muscles when you’re doing different things, whether you’re on turf versus a court. You’re exposed to different coaching styles and I think that helps you when you’re growing.”
Young athletes, especially young female athletes, criticize themselves more and more on how they look because of social media. They feel more pressure to look and play well, rather than just having fun according to Forcucci.
“How do you fight with what society says that you should look like or be like,” said Forcucci. “All I can do is try to make as many relationships as possible.”
While social media is critical in the growth of women’s sports, it is also important that athletes and coaches balance how much they use it. There has to be a healthy relationship in order to maintain a healthy player atmosphere. Forcucci emphasizes how important it is to encourage young athletes to try out for multiple sports and not be afraid to fail. Without it, youth sports will start to suffer.
“There’s also the issue that we see is that there’s not as many girls coming out for things,” said Forcucci. “So there’s the ‘If I’m not good, then I’m not going to play,’ and there’s this lack of confidence and a lack of, ‘hey, I’m just going to play because it’s fun, and I know I can give to a team. I may not be Caitlin Clark, I might not be good, but I see the value of being a role player.’”
The issue has now become, how will women’s basketball continue to grow? Star athletes like Clark and Bueckers continue to raise the bar and bring more attention than ever to the sport.
“I think there’s a real opportunity for women to do it a little bit better than men’s pros,” Yanity said.
It is up to leagues like the NBA and NCAA to continue to support women’s sports to maintain growth. As women’s sports are hitting their peak, this is the time for athletes and teams to invest in each other and themselves according to Yanity. The fans have shown they want it and now is the time to give it to them.
“It’s all about the support from fans and people need to continue to buy into women’s basketball,” said Wetmore. “It’s just a matter of having those resources to keep women’s basketball in the media, on TV. Keep your eyes on it.”
The fight still isn’t over for women and youth sports. While much progress has been made, there is still a lot to go. Even though the big moments matter, it all comes down to the day-to-day wins that are happening on the local stage.
For Yanity, it was when her niece played in a volleyball tournament in Washington, D.C. earlier this year. The tournament consisted of over 250 volleyball courts going from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
“Seeing that many girls playing at a high level, I got a little teary-eyed just thinking this is what it’s supposed to look like, this is what it’s supposed to be,” Yanity said.