Caitlin Clark Feels ‘Responsibility’ to Play With Ratings, Tickets in Mind

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.