On April 14, 2025, Paige Bueckers committed as the #1 overall draft pick to the Dallas Wings at the WNBA draft. After a long journey complete with injuries, comebacks, and record-breaking performances, Bueckers finally u the professional stage she was aiming for. However, her impact stretched far beyond her skill on the court. With her draft gaining much media coverage– garnering 1.25 million views– and attention due to her well-established media presence and fanpage, Paige Bueckers impact on women’s sports has been undeniable.
Historically, women’s sports are exponentially less popular than men’s. According to PlayToday, 66% of American sports fans watch more men’s sports, whereas only around 3% prefer watching women’s sports.
This discrepancy in viewership also directly correlates to the gender payment gap in sports. Women make much less profit than their male athlete counterparts. This is especially prominent in women’s basketball; according to Adelphi University in New York, “…the highest-paid women’s basketball player has earned less than the lowest-paid National Basketball Association player” each year since the start of the Women’s National Basketball Association in 1997. Additionally, while NBA players have a salary cap of $123,655,000, the maximum salary a WNBA player can earn is $215,000.
Past precedence emphasizes a trend where women’s sports aren’t particularly attention-grabbing in the general media until a specific breakout star is able to blow it up. This has been exemplified in countless occasions, like in tennis where Serena Williams became a headliner, and in gymnastics when Simone Biles and Suni Lee caused a rise in media attention; for women’s basketball, it was Caitlin Clark and now Paige Bueckers is following in similar footsteps.
Paige Bueckers journey to the top has been anything but ordinary. From the moment she first went viral as a high school phenom in Minnesota, it was clear that she had something special, which her time as a point guard on the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team solidified.
Bueckers’s freshmen year as a UCONN Husky was definitely one to remember: National Player of the Year, countless performances, and a level of court vision that had everyone paying attention. Unfortunately, throughout her time at UCONN Bueckers sustained 2 [adjective] injuries. On December 5, 2021, during a game against Notre Dame, she suffered a tibial plateau fracture and a lateral meniscus tear. Once recovering from the injury and returning to the court on February 26, 2022, Bueckers ended up suffering an ACL tear on August 1, 2022, sidelining her for the entirety of the 2022-23 season.
Despite suffering such injuries that many thought would be fatal to her career, Bueckers returned stronger every time, reminding everyone why she was the face of college basketball.
On April 6, 2025, UCONN won the NCAA National Championship defeating South Carolina with a score of 82-59 in the final. During this game, Paige demonstrated phenomenal talent and skill, by scoring 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks a steal.
Yet, beyond her talent, Bueckers is specifically recognizable in the general media because of the brand she built that few others could match. She became a pioneer in NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deals, gracing commercials, magazine covers and social media feeds, partnered with well-known brands like Nike and Cash App (who she partnered with to create the Paige Bueckers Foundation). Bueckers is relatable enough to connect with everyday fans, polished enough for major brands, and competitive enough to earn the respect of serious sports audiences, giving her the rare ability to bridge both mainstream popularity and hardcore basketball. This makes her incredibly appealing as a means for marketing to brands, the league, and even the places she goes– like her hometown, Hopkins, Minnesota, temporarily renamed as Paige Bueckers, Minnesota, to honor her resilient WNBA debut on May 16.
Bueckers’s presence on and off the court is undeniable, and her arrival in the WNBA couldn’t come at a better time. Her impact on the court is expected to be immediate as her star power has the ability to break the league into the mainstream, something she has already helped do in the college realm. During the 2023-24 season, UConn’s women’s basketball team achieved a historic high $3.35 million in ticket sales, revenue that exceeded over 75 public men’s basketball programs. Similar to Caitlin Clark (the 2024 No. 1 WNBA draft pick), who’s games boosted viewership to over 1.1 million–nearly tripling the league average– Bueckers, with the attention around her basketball career, has the loyal audience and media appeal to change viewership in the WNBA for the better. Already, her arrival in Dallas has driven up ticket demand and is projected to push her jersey sales to be among the league’s highest.
While media coverage of women’s sports is growing, it is still yet to match the hype of their counterpart males’ leagues. Bueckers is one of many female sports icons helping serve as a bridge to reduce the disparity between these leagues. Her presence in the media which garners more viewership leads to more profit for the WNBA, a step that is necessary to bridge the gender gap in sports. Bueckers serves as an inspiration for female athletes all over the world, becoming the breakout star that women’s sports has been waiting for, not only changing the game, but helping to define it’s future.
