• Loading stock data...
Monday, October 27, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

Upstart Leagues Are Looking for Their Caitlin Clark

PWHL and other upstart leagues are gunning for mindshare with American audiences. What they need is a household name.

PWHL
Imagn Images

In its sophomore season, fan enthusiasm for the Professional Women’s Hockey League hit new heights. In February, the league set an attendance record for a professional women’s hockey game in the U.S.—then broke it two months later. And its nine-city takeover tour averaged more than 13,000 attendees and helped it pick its first two expansion teams.

But despite its success in attracting new fans to women’s hockey, the PWHL hasn’t reached mainstream status. For that, it may just need a generational star.

“I’d love to get to the point where our players have crossed over culturally, similar to the Caitlin Clarks, the Angel Reeses, the Alex Morgans, all these great players—that our players have now entered the conversation outside of sports and are part of everyday culture and conversation,” PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer said at the Front Office Sports Future of Sports: Leagues of Their Own event.

To get stars that cross over into mainstream culture, you need talent, of course, but you also need lightning in a bottle. David Beckham wasn’t the world’s top player when he moved to MLS in 2007, but his celebrity—burnished by a Spice Girl spouse, underwear modeling ads, and the film “Bend It Like Beckham”—accompanied him to the States, making the fledgling league a destination for European-born stars.

Clark wasn’t married to a pop star or getting namechecked in films, but she entered the mainstream at a time when women’s hoops needed a shot in the arm. With Clark on point, Iowa’s 2024 championship game against South Carolina drew 18.9 million TV viewers, almost doubling the previous viewership record for a women’s championship while eclipsing the men’s viewership for the first time ever. Fans followed Clark to the WNBA, where attendance shot up 48% from the previous season.

Even if the popularity of women’s basketball had plateaued before Clark’s arrival, it was at least a known quantity. Some leagues aren’t yet at a point where talent or celebrity will move the needle. “I think we’re at a point in our country with our sport that we’re educating the fan on what the game is,” said Major League Rugby chief revenue officer Lucas Reid. Getting internationally recognized players into the league, which is set to start its eighth season, would be a nice thing to have, but it isn’t a focus, given that American fans are still navigating the rules.

Grand Slam Track, which is in its debut season, is in an altogether different position. While track is a globally watched sport that has produced household names like Usain Bolt and FloJo, it nonetheless lacks a recognizable platform for athletes outside the Summer Olympics. President and COO Steve Gera plans to give it to them, starting with four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and three-time gold medalist Gabby Thomas. Grand Slam Track’s strategy of “stakes, stories, stars” is designed to grow the athletes’ profiles and the league’s at the same time. 

“That flywheel of an athlete actually being able to build themselves up only helps us grow,” said Gera, “because it actually extends the amount of storytelling that we can do about our athletes on an annual basis.”

So far, upstart leagues like the PWHL have been doing a lot of the storytelling themselves. Soon, they hope to have stars writing storylines that the whole country follows.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Patty Goodman straightens a display of Hoka shoes Friday, Aug. 30, 2024 at Goodman’s Shoes.

Has Hoka Peaked? Some Analysts Think So 

Hoka is on the decline, while On has more share to take.
May 20, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers and LA Sparks co-owner Todd Boehly watches during game three of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena.
exclusive

Mark Walter’s Lakers Buy Includes Dodgers Co-Owner Todd Boehly

Jeanie Buss will retain a roughly 15% stake and remain team governor.
Capitals

Capitals Fire Assistant Coach After Domestic Abuse Investigation

Assault and abuse cases are defining the start of the NHL season.

Sports Equinox 2025 Shows How Fragmented Sports TV Has Become

Multiple streaming services are needed to watch Monday’s games.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.

Lamar Jackson’s Practice Status Flip Sparks NFL Investigation

Baltimore could be disciplined for not properly disclosing Lamar Jackson’s status.
October 24, 2025

MLB Union Chief on Alert As NBA Gambling Scandal Unfolds

The union leader addresses labor and gambling-related concerns.
Rob Manfred
October 25, 2025

Canada Could Get MLB Expansion Team, Manfred Says

The league has noted fast-rising fan interest north of the border. 
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

Fans can now follow their favorite golfers and experience every marquee moment at the Ryder Cup — thanks to innovation from T-Mobile.
October 23, 2025

Underdog Blue Jays vs. Dodgers’ Mega-Payroll on MLB’s Global Stage

The high-profile matchup caps what has been a breakthrough season for the league.
Jun 18, 2022; Washington, DC, USA; Grammy award-winning artist Pharrell Williams performs at the Sun Stage during the Something in the Water festival on Saturday, June 18, 2022 in Washington, DC.
October 23, 2025

MLB Will Try to Turn the World Series Into More Than Just..

The league has planned a series of showcase music performances in Toronto.
October 23, 2025

Gambling Issues Dogged Adam Silver’s NBA Before Latest Scandal

Silver vocally backed legalized sports betting in 2014.
October 23, 2025

Raptors, Leafs Shift Games to Make Way for Blue Jays’ World Series..

The Maple Leafs and Raptors adjust game times during the World Series.