ESPN Runs Promo Calling WNBA 'The Best League In The World,' Downplays Caitlin Clark

It's the marketing department's job at any company to promote its product or products. But they also have to try and be somewhat realistic. ESPN decided to eschew the realism completely in a new promo featuring the upcoming WNBA season.

ESPN is excited about the WNBA. They should be. There's more buzz around the league than at any time in history. That's largely due to former Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark, the number one pick in the WNBA Draft. 

But in this new promo, ESPN proudly declares that the WNBA is "the best league in the world." According to what metrics? 

Notice they didn't qualify this by saying "best women's sports league" or even "best women's basketball league." They simply state that it's the "best league in the world." 

If you take into account all the various professional sports leagues in the world, the WNBA wouldn't crack the Top 25. Heck, it might not even be in the Top 50. 

Now, you could argue that it's implied. Maybe it is. But that's not what they said. I can't remember any other American pro sports league declaring itself the best league in the world. Except, maybe the NFL. However, in the NFL's case, that would be true. 

There's an argument to be made that the WNBA isn't even the best women's basketball league in the world. It depends on the criteria. Many WNBA players play in overseas leagues because the pay and benefits are much better. Those leagues actually make a profit, which the WNBA does not. 

The most-watched WNBA game IN HISTORY failed to draw 900,000 viewers. It's hard to find data on overseas television ratings, but it's certainly possible that a European women's professional basketball game had more viewers. 

The other thing about the promo that struck me was how little they focused