Bloomberg News’ Megan Greenwell said the WNBA is facing an “interesting challenge” that is common for businesses where it is aiming to prevent itself from “alienating those folks who were with you from the very beginning while still bringing in massive new audiences.” Greenwell, appearing on Bloomberg News’ “Everybody’s Business,” said as the league increases in popularity, ticket prices “have to rise.” She noted friends that have become “frustrated” as season ticket holders who have seen the price increase “dramatically in just a couple of years” because of the increasing demand. Greenwell also noted the league’s growth is “starting to get serious,” adding players won in CBA negotiations because there was “just no denying that it is a dramatically bigger business than the last time the contract was struck.” Greenwell, noting salary caps are up from $1.5M to $7M, said that teams can “do a lot more in terms of how you build out your roster.” Greenwell: “It’s a really big deal and a huge leap forward. The other thing I’ll mention is even aside from the salaries, for the first time WNBA players get a revenue share and that was the thing that they were really, really pushing for was to say, ‘Okay, look, when the revenue grows, it grows because of us and we want a portion of that.’” Greenwell said the popularity in the league “has really just skyrocketed and a lot of the conventional wisdom attributes that to [Fever G] Caitlin Clark.” Greenwell: “I pushed back against that conventional wisdom a little bit because the growth did start before that. … You saw Liberty games really start to take off a year before Caitlin Clark entered the league” (“Everybody’s Business,” Bloomberg News, 5/22).

NEW VENTURE: DEADLINE’s Justin Kroll noted on the heels of launching their dedicated women’s sports vertical “Reign,” creator-led company Run-A-Muck is expanding its women sports division with the development of the movie “Courtside,” a “modern sports romantic comedy set in the world of professional women’s basketball.” The film is being developed “with deep ties to the world it portrays,” with Valkyries F Gabby Williams, former WNBAer Theresa Plaisance and Fever G Syd Colson all set to appear. Colson will “also executive produce,” alongside an appearance from Run-A-Muck co-founder Jennifer Beals (DEADLINE, 5/21).

REALITY CHECK: THE RINGER’s Seerat Sohi wrote Clark before Friday’s game against the Valkyries “delivered the most blunt, transparent, and frustrated press conference of her career.” As she recounted her day, Clark asked the assembled reporters whether they would “like to know what she had for breakfast before giving them a somewhat heated timeline.” She said that she had “made the final call” to sit out of Wednesday’s 90-73 victory over Portland, “dispelling rumors that she was being held out or punished.” Sohi: “Dare I say that the Caitlin Clark effect is making it hard for Caitlin Clark to operate?” The WNBA is not “Caitlin or nothing anymore.” While she “remains the biggest television draw by a good measure,” TV ratings “have grown exponentially across the league” (THE RINGER, 5/25).