Caitlin Clark declines WNBA 3-Point Contest invitation, dealing major blow to All-Star Weekend and ESPN - Fox News
WNBA star Caitlin Clark has declined an invitation to participate in the league's 3-Point Contest during All-Star Weekend. The decision is viewed as a significant setback for the WNBA and its broadcast partner, ESPN, which had heavily marketed the event around her participation.
Why it matters
Clark's massive influence on viewership and marketing makes her absence a notable financial and promotional challenge for the league's growth strategy.
The WNBA announced its 3-Point Contest field Tuesday, and it didn’t take long to notice a glaring omission. Caitlin Clark isn't in it. According to ESPN, the league invited Clark to its shooting contest, but she declined. Sabrina Ionescu and Kayla McBride also declined invitations to participate. It's impossible to overstate how big of a blow this deals to the WNBA and its broadcast partner, ESPN. CAITLIN CLARK KEEPS DELIVERING RECORD WNBA VIEWERSHIP AS FEVER TOP 1 MILLION VIEWERS YET AGAIN The league built its All-Star Weekend shooting event around Clark by adding "From the Logo" shots to the contest. Not only is Clark the most notable WNBA player (really the only notable player) to shoot logo threes, but State Farm built an entire marketing campaign around her long-distance triples.
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