WNBA viewership has continued to grow despite Caitlin Clark missing the majority of the season, but it’s still clear that she drives the most eyeballs to the sport. Clark admitted to WNBA legend Sue Bird that she feels a level of “responsibility” to play.

Clark spoke to Bird on an episode of The Bird’s Eye View podcast released Friday. Bird asked the Indiana Fever star how she manages her patience, knowing that while viewership and attendance are up across the W, there is a noticeable dip when she is out.

“I think that’s definitely been hard. I’m going to go to every road game no matter what, whether I’m playing or not. It’s hard because obviously I do feel this responsibility of being out there and playing,” Clark said.

Clark has played in just 13 of 32 Fever regular-season games this year and missed the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game and 3-point contest hosted in Indianapolis. 

The 23-year-old acknowledged that the league is not going to disappear even if she’s unable to suit up, but understands that there are fans who spend their “time, money, and resources” to watch her play.

“You do want to play. You want to give people something to cheer about or scream about. … That’s why I’ve been trying to take as much time as I can. I sign autographs for way longer when I’m hurt than when I’m active. That’s never something I wish for, but I still want to make as much time as I can for people,” Clark said.

Front Office Sports reported in late July that viewership across the W is up 21% compared to the full 2024 season. While Fever games continue to be the biggest viewership draw, the growth for their games is 7% vs. 2024 compared to a 37% increase for non-Fever games.

The most-watched WNBA game this season was the opener between the Fever and Chicago Sky on May 17, which drew 2.7 million viewers on ABC. 

The two teams have met three other times since then, and Clark has missed every game. Their June 7 game averaged 1.92 million viewers on CBS, while their June 27 matchup, which was also missing Angel Reese, drew 1.47 million.

Those numbers are still significantly higher than the 2023 WNBA Finals—when both Clark and Reese were still in college—but the viewership dips are clear when the stars are inactive.

Their latest match-up was Saturday on CBS. The viewership numbers have yet to be released, though Clark and Reese were both out with injuries.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Son Heung-min made a surprise debut for LAFC on Saturday, just four days after the club officially announced his transfer.

The former Tottenham Hotspur star—who was eligible to play after reportedly receiving his visa Friday—entered the match between LAFC and the Chicago Fire in the 61st minute. Son did not score, but earned a penalty for the Black and Gold which was scored by Denis Bouanga to tie the score. 

The match ended in a 2–2 draw. 

Before the match, it was unclear whether Son—who is reportedly the most expensive transfer in MLS history at around $26.5 million—was going to see the pitch. 

While the 33-year-old entered the field for warm-ups alongside the rest of his team, an LAFC spokesperson told Front Office Sports that the club was not going to make any pregame announcement on whether their new acquisition would receive any playing time.

Son said he was “disappointed” in the results, but feels he will be more prepared next week as he spends more time with the club. Teammate Ryan Hollingsead was complimentary of Son, saying that unlike many transfers, he was pushing to play as soon as possible.

“He came just a couple days ago and was just watching his phone, counting down to see if he could get his visa in time to come on this trip. … He was just immediately pushing to get here, to get on this trip,” Hollingsead said.

Near-Sellout Outside of Chicago

Despite the uncertainty, droves of fans still made their way to SeatGeek Stadium, with many arriving hours before the game hoping to catch a glimpse of Son. The Fire announced that 19,831 fans attended the game, slightly short of a sellout (21,120). 

The attendees were a mix of Chicago Fire and LAFC supporters, as well as South Korean and Tottenham fans.

It was the first of just three Fire games at SeatGeek Stadium, their primary home from 2006 to 2019. The team plays most of its games at Soldier Field in downtown Chicago, which is occupied by the Bears towards the end of the summer. The stadium can fit more than 60,000 fans, and the Fire average about 25,000 fans per game, according to transfermarkt.us.

The Fire will play a few home games at SeatGeek Stadium every year until 2028, when they are expected to move to their new $650 million stadium in downtown Chicago, a few blocks from Soldier Field

Asked about his first impression of MLS, the 2021 Premier League Golden Boot winner seemed surprised by the cheers he got despite playing on the road.

“I used to play in the Premier League. When I play away grounds, they were always booing me,” Son said at the postgame press conference.

He will have to get used to playing on the road first, as LAFC have two more road games before Son can make his BMO Stadium debut on Aug. 31.

The Bears appear ready to move out of Chicago in favor of Arlington Heights, one of the city’s surrounding suburbs.

Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren told reporters at Halas Hall on Friday that the team is “extremely focused” on building its next stadium in Arlington Heights.

“We strongly believe that is the only location in Cook County that will allow us to build a stadium—the new Chicago Bears stadium—with a fixed roof,” Warren said.

In September 2021, the Bears agreed to purchase a 326-acre Arlington International Racecourse property. However, over the last few years, they have flirted with the idea of building a $4.7 million domed stadium in downtown Chicago adjacent to Soldier Field, their current home.

However, they have not received much support from local legislators, particularly Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Warren said “excellent progress” has been made on the Arlington Heights stadium, adding that the organization has been in weekly meetings with Arlington Heights leaders for several months. 

He said the plan is to proceed this year by beginning to move dirt, then break ground by 2026.

However, one hurdle the Bears are hoping to clear is the passing of a “mega project bill” that would provide tax relief for the organization as it builds the new stadium. Warren argued Wednesday that the bill would cost Illinois “zero.”

“This is not a grant. This is not a gift. This is not any transfer of money from the state of Illinois to the Chicago Bears or other businesses. This just says we’re going to allow you to negotiate the property taxes, which is critically important,” Warren said. He also said that the Bears are “not trying to avoid paying taxes.” 

A vote on the bill is expected in October.