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Caitlin Clark is the biggest ratings driver in the WNBA (and perhaps all of sports). That’s been established time and again over the last year. The full picture of the Caitlin Clark Effect not only involves the lift she provides but also the reverse effect on the WNBA and the Indiana Fever when she’s out.
There have been just two instances when Clark has been out since she was drafted with the No. 1 pick last year: the 2024 WNBA playoffs after the Fever were eliminated in the first round and the previous two weeks of the current regular season. The 23-year-old has missed the last five Fever games due to a quad injury, the first time she’s missed regular-season action in college or the pros.
2024 WNBA Playoffs
Game 1 of the Fever vs. Connecticut Sun series last year drew 1.8 million on ABC, though it landed on an NFL Sunday, while Game 2 drew 2.5 million viewers on ESPN. Both drew more than the average of the five-game WNBA Finals (1.54 million) between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx, two of which aired on ABC while three were on ESPN.
The 2024 WNBA Finals, however, still saw a 115% viewership increase over the previous year.
2025 Regular Season
Ratings for four of the five Fever games Clark has missed:
- May 28: 357,000 viewers (at Washington Mystics, NBA TV)
- May 30: 851,000 viewers (vs. Sun, Ion)
- June 3: 330,000 viewers (vs. Mystics, NBA TV)
- June 7: 1.92 million viewers (at Chicago Sky, CBS)
There were some significant wins among those numbers despite Clark’s absence. The May 28 contest cracked the top 10 among most-watched games on NBA TV. The game against the Sun was the most-watched WNBA game of the season on Ion. Saturday’s game against the Sky is the third-most-watched WNBA game of the season—and the third-most-watched game on CBS ever.
No Clark, No Spark?
However, Fever viewership has still clearly dipped in her absence. The two NBA TV games without Clark averaged 343,500 viewers, down about 40% from the Fever vs. Dream game on NBA TV on May 20 (581,000 viewers). Sunday’s game against the Sky was down about 30% from the May 17 game against the Sky on ABC (though that was the season opener).
The other Fever game on CBS this season was against the defending-champion Liberty, and it drew 2.22 million viewers on May 24, the last game Clark played before her injury. It was also the second-most-watched WNBA game since Clark was drafted that didn’t have Indiana against Chicago.
Clark is expected to return to the court soon—perhaps Saturday against New York, a game that will air on ABC. Fever head coach Stephanie White said Monday that Clark’s been “ready to start ramping back up,” though she has yet to be a full participant in practice.
