Twitch is blowing up the WNBA way beyond Caitlin Clark | Polygon

The WNBA’s been having a good year. Ratings are up, more people are attending games than ever before, and merch is flying off the shelves. Expansion is on the horizon with new teams joining the roster, and the league just signed a $2.2 billion media rights deal. Casual onlookers might be tempted to attribute this explosive success to the “Caitlin Clark effect;” the natural outcome of a sport gaining a generational talent. But can the long-term success of a sport franchise really hinge on a single player? After last weekend’s All-Star match and its blow-up on social media, the future of the WNBA has come into focus — and the possibilities span well beyond a three-point maverick. At the center of it all is Twitch. The All-Star game is a yearly event where the best players in the league come together to have some fun. There’s a skills challenge where players show off their dribbling, passing, and shooting skills, alongside a dedicated three-point contest. The main event is a game where two teams duke it out, and the players involved are picked through a combination of fan votes, league decisions, and media suggestions. This year saw two teams compete: one
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