The WNBA is feeling the effects of not having their dynamic rookie in any more postseason games after the Indiana Fever was eliminated in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.
Sunday’s Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals between the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and the top-seeded New York Liberty had 929,000 viewers on ABC.
That figure was the League’s most-watched semifinal game in 22 years.
Great news, right? Wrong.
That figure is only half the 1.8 million viewers Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever drew in their playoff opener against the Connecticut Sun.
ESPN has previously announced that the first-round playoff game 2 between the Fever and Connecticut Sun posted a Nielsen number of 2.5 million viewers and peaked at 3.4 million viewers
That number made it the highest-rated WNBA game on cable in the League’s history. It was up 507 percent from last year’s first-round coverage on ESPN.
Wednesday's #WNBAPlayoffs matchup between the @IndianaFever & @ConnecticutSun delivered cable's most-viewed #WNBA game EVER 👏
More: https://t.co/Vzq3oeIVmI pic.twitter.com/KSOM4ekRso
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) September 26, 2024
The WNBA having great ratings with Clark should come as no surprise since her Iowa Hawkeyes set ratings records when she was in college.
The Indiana Fever games during the 2024 season averaged 1.18 million viewers.
With the increase in fans this year, more players are starting to become known, so the ratings should start evening out a bit over the next few years, and the dropoff won’t be as bad as it is right now.
Caitlin Clark Won’t Be Taking Her Fame To Unrivaled 3×3 League
Ever since Angel Reese’s commitment to Stewie-led “Unrivaled,” Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the newest League has been highly anticipated.
Unfortunately for them, the 22-year-old decided against playing in “Unrivaled” or any other off-season basketball league.
ESPN commentator Ryan Ruocco stated last month, “We talked to Caitlin Clark earlier today. She said she almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason. So it is likely we will not see her play again until April.”
Ryan Ruocco saying that Caitlin Clark, “almost definitely will NOT be playing basketball this offseason.” at the end of Wednesday’s #FeverRising game
#WNBA pic.twitter.com/PqYTwD80ZN— Grant Young (@GrvntYoung) September 26, 2024
Not having Caitlin Clark suit up after her rookie season puts a massive hamper on the hype that the brand-new 3×3 League is trying to produce.
