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On with Kara Swisher

On with Kara Swisher

The WNBA Is On a Winning Streak. Is It Sustainable?

Apr 23, 2026 · 46 min · 17 segments

Kara sits down with New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai to talk about betting big on the WNBA and why the momentum for women’s sports isn’t slowing down. Clara explains why she saw the Liberty as a…

Kara sits down with New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai to talk about betting big on the WNBA and why the momentum for women’s sports isn’t slowing down. Clara explains why she saw the Liberty as a distressed asset worth rebuilding and how investments in players, facilities and visibility helped fuel a turnaround. She breaks down what’s driving the WNBA’s growth, from the Caitlin Clark effect to media deals, and why, despite surging popularity, the league is still undervalued. They also get into league expansion, the new collective bargaining agreement and the economics behind it all. Plus: Clara’s Human Performance Alliance and her push to close the data gap in women’s sports science. This episode was taped live at the CAA World Congress of Sports presented by Sports Business Journal. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara sits down with New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai to talk about betting big on the WNBA and why the momentum for women’s sports isn’t slowing down. Clara explains why she saw the Liberty as a…

Speakers: Clara Wu TsaiGuestKara SwisherHost

Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube Amazon Music Website

Top entities: WNBA×34 NBA×27 Clara Wu Tsai×24 New York Liberty×24 Acorns×15

Show signals: SuitabilityLimitedBiasLeans leftPopularityPopulartop 10%Audience≈354k followers

Pre-show banter on trolls and competitiveness0:00 – 0:23

Kara SwisherHost

0:00

You don't like being talked about?

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:01

[laughs] Do you?

Kara SwisherHost

0:03

I don't care.

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:04

[laughs] I care-

Kara SwisherHost

0:05

Yeah, I do

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:05

...

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:05

I care less.

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:06

I care less.

Kara SwisherHost

0:07

Yeah, I do.

Kara SwisherHost

0:07

But I, like, troll them back, and I'm excellent at it.

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:10

Yeah.

Kara SwisherHost

0:10

And they lose every time, so.

Kara SwisherHost

0:12

I'm not a sports person, but I'm very competitive.

A

AdvertiserAd

0:15

It's on.

A

AdvertiserAd

0:15

[upbeat music]

WNBASports OrganizationLeague
99%34 mentions
NBASports OrganizationLeague
98%27 mentions
Clara Wu TsaiPersonBusinesswoman and philanthropist
97%24 mentions
New York LibertySports TeamBasketball team
96%24 mentions
AcornsCompanyCompany
94%15 mentions
Joseph C. TsaiPersonChairperson of Alibaba Group
93%5 mentions
Title IXBook
92%5 mentions
Barclays CenterMusic VenueArena in New York
91%3 mentions
United StatesCountryCountry in North America
89%16 mentions
Jon FinerPersonJournalist and former Director of Policy Planning Staff of the United States
88%4 mentions
Caitlin ClarkPersonIndiana Fever guard
87%11 mentions
James L. DolanPersonAmerican businessman
85%2 mentions
Bill SimmonsPersonAmerican sportswriter and cultural critic
84%5 mentions
Sue BirdPersonAmerican former basketball player
83%5 mentions
John KerryPersonAttorney and former United States Secretary of State
82%4 mentions
VoxWebsiteWebsite
80%4 mentions
IndeedWebsiteWebsite
79%5 mentions
Stephanie WuEntity
78%3 mentions
BrooklynAdministrative AreaCounty in New York State
77%9 mentions
Douglas WilsonPersonTheologian
75%5 mentions
iOSSoftware ApplicationOperating system
74%2 mentions
New YorkAdministrative AreaUS state
73%1 mention
BarclaysCompanyConsumer banking company
72%2 mentions
Generation ZEntity
70%2 mentions
Westchester CountyAdministrative AreaCounty in New York State
69%3 mentions
Brooklyn NetsSports TeamBasketball team
68%6 mentions
Madison Square GardenMusic VenueArena in New York
66%2 mentions
InstagramSoftware ApplicationSocial networking service
65%3 mentions
EuropeContinentContinent
64%4 mentions
TorontoCityCity in Ontario, Canada
63%3 mentions
Donald TrumpPerson45th and 47th U.S. President
61%11 mentions
UnrivaledSports OrganizationLeague
60%1 mention
Vox MediaCompanyCompany
59%6 mentions
New York MagazineEntityMagazine
58%2 mentions
Jake SullivanPersonAttorney and former National Security Advisor of the United States
56%2 mentions
National Collegiate Athletic AssociationSports OrganizationNonprofit organization
55%3 mentions
Alibaba GroupCompanyE-commerce company
54%3 mentions
ThreadsSoftware ApplicationSoftware
52%1 mention
TikTokSoftware ApplicationWebsite
52%1 mention
Donald Trump and religionEntity
50%1 mention
Chicago Transit AuthorityCompanyCompany
49%1 mention
YouTubeWebsiteVideo sharing company
47%3 mentions
Claudia GoldinPersonAmerican historian
46%2 mentions
Astead HerndonPersonAmerican journalist
45%5 mentions
Nishat KurwaPerson
44%2 mentions
Angel ReesePersonAtlanta Dream forward
42%2 mentions
IranCountryCountry in the Middle East
41%2 mentions
Kara SwisherPersonAmerican journalist
40%4 mentions
Pete HegsethPersonUnited States Secretary of War
39%3 mentions
Chris EvertPersonAmerican former tennis player
37%1 mention

Sports BroadcastingMedia
Sports ManagementBusiness
Viewership TrendsMedia > Sports Broadcasting > Women's Sports Coverage
Injury PreventionHealth > Athlete Performance
Community EngagementCulture
Team ManagementSports > Basketball > WNBA
Investment StrategiesSports > Basketball > WNBA > Team Management
Media RightsBusiness > Sports Management > Women's Sports
Revenue GrowthBusiness > Sports Management > Women's Sports > Media Rights
Media DealsMedia > Sports Broadcasting > Women's Sports Coverage > Viewership Trends
Research InitiativesHealth > Athlete Performance > Injury Prevention
Women's Health in SportsHealth > Athlete Performance > Injury Prevention > Research Initiatives
Diversity in SportsCulture > Community Engagement
Fan ExperienceCulture > Community Engagement > Diversity in Sports
Cultural SensitivityCulture > Community Engagement > Diversity in Sports > Fan Experience
Women's Sports CoverageMedia > Sports Broadcasting
Sports
BasketballSports
WNBASports > Basketball
Health
Athlete PerformanceHealth
Women's SportsBusiness > Sports Management
Business
Culture
Media

Pre-show banter on trolls and competitiveness0:00 – 0:23

Kara SwisherHost

0:00

You don't like being talked about?

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:01

[laughs] Do you?

Kara SwisherHost

0:03

I don't care.

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:04

[laughs] I care-

Kara SwisherHost

0:05

Yeah, I do

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:05

...

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:05

I care less.

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:06

I care less.

Kara SwisherHost

0:07

Yeah, I do.

Kara SwisherHost

0:07

But I, like, troll them back, and I'm excellent at it.

Clara Wu TsaiGuest

0:10

Yeah.

Kara SwisherHost

0:10

And they lose every time, so.

Kara SwisherHost

0:12

I'm not a sports person, but I'm very competitive.

A

AdvertiserAd

0:15

It's on.

A

AdvertiserAd

0:15

[upbeat music]

What Radar found in this episode

Every episode on Radar is fully transcribed, speaker-labeled, and rich with metadata. Here is a taste of this one. Try Radar for free to see the rest.

Clips

3 of 10

INFORMATIVE0:34
Massive WNBA Pay Bump
Let’s break down the new pay structure.
INSIGHTFUL0:15
Players Get Revenue Share
Here’s why incentives just changed.
DEBATE DISAGREEMENT0:25
Why Expansion Strengthens League
Addressing loud criticism of expansion.

+7 more clips · 4 min 48 sec of audio in all

Topics

7 of 25

Sports Broadcasting
Sports Management
Viewership Trends
Injury Prevention
Community Engagement
Team Management
Investment Strategies
+18 more

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