Caitlin Clark blows away Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as WNBA popularity soars
Caitlin Clark has enjoyed a remarkable year on the court and her stock is continuing to rise, having been regarded as more marketable than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
WNBA star Caitlin Clark has overtaken a host of huge sports stars in the rankings of the world’s most marketable athletes.
Clark was crowned Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.2 points and leading the league with 8.4 assists per game. Her skills have been attracting viewers to the sport, earning her comparisons to NBA legend Steph Curry earlier this month.
Her success means she is now ranked fourth on Sports Pro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes list, which assesses brand strength, total addressable market, and economics to score athletes out of 100. Clark has shot up into the top five after an impressive performance for Indiana Fever in the WNBA.
Olympic gymnast Simone Biles leads the pack with a score of 96.16, followed by Real Madrid soccer star Vinicius Jr, basketball icon LeBron James, and Clark. Lionel Messi is ranked fifth, while Cristiano Ronaldo is ninth.
Former U.S. Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu now ranks No.131, marking a drop of 110 places from her position last year
Raducanu’s marketability score this year is 23.13, marking a drop of 110 places from her position as the 21st most marketable athlete last year. Despite her meteoric rise to fame after winning the 2021 U.S. Open at just 18, Raducanu has faced a challenging time on the court due to a series of injuries.
Emma Raducanu has struggled to shine on the tennis court in recent years (
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(Image: GETTY))
After undergoing surgeries on an ankle and both wrists, she missed most of the 2023 season. Her performance this year included reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon but an early exit from the U.S. Open.
A forced retirement during her quarter-final match with Daria Kasatkina at the Korea Open last month has kept her off the court since. Despite signing several lucrative sponsorship deals post her Flushing Meadows victory, her marketability seems to be on the decline.
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