Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese impact worrying as WNBA's huge financial losses revealed

and Angel Reese's impact on the WNBA has been seismic, but it's feared it might not be big enough to save the league in the long run.

Both Clark and Reese shone during their first-ever season in professional basketball, with the duo sharing all 67 votes for the Rookie of the Year award.

Admittedly, Clark dominated that particular award, taking 66 of the 67 votes, but Chicago Sky's Reese has impressed and brought plenty of attention to the league.

Sell-out crowds, merchandise sale hikes and bumper TV audience numbers are just some of the results of Clark and Reese's arrival in the WNBA.

It's suggested ESPN - the league's broadcaster - enjoyed a 170 per cent increase in viewership, while there were more than 100 more sell-out fixtures compared the the previous year.

However, the WNBA is still reported to be on course for a £30million ($40million) loss for its 2024 campaign.

That's according to the New York Post, who state the £30m blackhole in the league's end-of-year financial report makes for grim reading, but it isn't as bad as first thought.

It's claimed losses of £40m were expected for the 2024 season, with Clark, Reese and a general uptick in the league's popularity helping boost the coffers somewhat.

There is reason for optimism still, given a whopping £1.6billion ($2.2billion) media rights deal is set to come into play for the 2026 season.

But the reality is, the WNBA simply isn't making any money.

The league is in part owned by the NBA, with a league executive telling the New York Post: "WNBA owes the NBA so much we won't see any windfall for years."

Despite the increases in TV audiences, merchandise and ticket sales, if the league continues to be unprofitable over the next 10 years, the threat of going under is likely to increase exponentially.

One of the biggest issues facing the WNBA is ensuring the league remains attractive even when Clark and Reese aren't on the court.

Clark's Indiana Fever bombed out of the playoffs in the early rounds, while Reese's debut season was cut short early because of a wrist injury.

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith recently pointed out the drop-off in viewers when one of the two 'golden geese' aren't on the court.

Speaking on his self-titled podcast, Smith said: "Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever now eliminated.

"Game 1 of the Aces-Liberty matchup on Sunday drew an average of 929,000 viewers. It's a good number for the WNBA on an NFL Sunday.

"However, that was down nearly 50% from last Sunday's Fever-Sun contest. By the way, not only was viewership down, but attendance was as well."

He concluded: "Do you want me to just say I told you so, or are you willing to say Stephen A. you did tell us? Really? Caitlin Clark is the golden goose."