There’s no doubting Caitlin Clark’s lasting influence on college basketball, as seen by her breaking the all-time scoring record for women’s basketball and bringing the biggest audience for the sport’s regular season on television in the previous 25 years. Now that the Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark first overall in the WNBA draft this year, her impact is being seen on the professional scene.
This week, CBS revealed that the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game on Sunday attracted an average of 2.25 million people, making it the most viewed WNBA game on any network in the previous 23 years. Six networks have now shattered their WNBA single-game viewership records this season, according to Front Office Sports, and all of those games had one thing in common: Clark’s Fever was on.
According to the average number of watchers, these are the figures stack up.
Sky (CBS) v. Fever — 2.25 million
Sun (ESPN 2) fever: 2.10 million
Liberty (ABC) fever: 1.70 million
Sun (ESPN) vs. Fever: 1.56 million
At Mystics (ION), the fever was 1.02 million.
At Liberty (NBA TV): Fever — 430,000
But Clark’s presence is driving up ratings for more than just television. She’s packing arenas as well.
Over the course of 20 home games last season, the Indiana Fever drew slightly over 81,000 spectators to see them play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, according to data from Across the Timeline. It was one of the poorest seasons for ticket sales in franchise history and the second-lowest attendance in the entire WNBA.
But in just five games this season, the Fever had already exceeded 82,000 fans in attendance at home.
“I’m just thankful for the excitement and the support, obviously,” Clark remarked in reference to the WNBA’s growing popularity. “I think, you know, this is what the league and the players in this league have deserved for a really long time.”
She is a member of a stellar rookie class that also includes notable players like Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, and Angel Reese. These players are all responsible for the extraordinary level of support that women’s basketball has received.
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