From breaking the all-time faculty basketball scoring file to drawing the biggest girls’s basketball regular-season tv viewers of the previous 25 years, there isn’t any denying the indelible affect Caitlin Clark had on faculty basketball. Now, after being drafted first total by the Indiana Fever on this yr’s WNBA draft, the Caitlin Clark impact is being felt on the skilled degree.
CBS introduced this week that Sunday’s matchup between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky garnered a mean of two.25 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA recreation throughout any tv community prior to now 23 years. According to Front Office Sports, meaning six networks have now broken their WNBA single-game viewership records this season, and every recreation that did it had one factor in frequent: Clark’s Fever have been enjoying.
Here’s how the numbers stack up (by common variety of viewers).
- Fever v. Sky (CBS) — 2.25 million
- Fever at Sun (ESPN 2) — 2.10 million
- Fever at Liberty (ABC) — 1.70 million
- Fever v. Sun (ESPN) — 1.56 million
- Fever at Mystics (ION) — 1.02 million
- Fever at Liberty (NBA TV) — 430,000
Related Story: WNBA units attendance and viewership records to start 2024 season
But it isn’t simply tv rankings that Clark’s presence is sending by means of the roof. She’s filling arenas, too.
The Indiana Fever drew simply over 81,000 followers to observe them play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in (*6*) over the course of 20 house video games final season, in accordance with information from Across the Timeline. It marked the second-lowest attendance in the whole WNBA and was one of many worst seasons for ticket gross sales in franchise historical past.
This season, nevertheless, Fever house attendance has already surpassed 82,000 — they usually did it in simply 5 video games.
“I’m simply grateful for, you recognize, clearly the help, the joy,” Clark stated of the elevated reputation of the WNBA. “I believe, you recognize, that is what the league and the gamers on this league have deserved for a very very long time.”
She’s a part of a star rookie class that features huge names like Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Cameron Brink — all who share credit score within the unprecedented help for girls’s basketball as an entire.
Related Story: Angel Reese says WNBA reputation is about extra than simply Caitlin Clark: ‘It’s due to me too’
“I do not essentially assume that we’re something particular,” Brink stated earlier this yr. “I believe we’re actually good gamers, and I do assume we’re — if you happen to have a look at different draft lessons, we’re a very robust class — however I believe it is simply been time, and the ladies earlier than us.”
It’s a meteoric rise that WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert stated isn’t just about curiosity, however cash.
“I might’ve stated three years in the past perhaps we weren’t prepared for this second, however that is why we raised that capital,” Engelbert stated in an interview with ESPN. “We got here off the pandemic yr, which was robust for us as a result of that was a fairly existential time for this league to both survive or go away, and we survived and now we’re thriving.”
Related Story: WNBA star Cameron Brink shares emotional message after tearing ACL
Thanks to the elevated consideration and funding, Engelbert introduced in May that the WNBA would commit $50 million to offer full-time constitution flights to all groups over the following two seasons, ending a longstanding frowned-upon custom of gamers flying business. She has additionally stated she hopes to develop the league by 4 extra groups earlier than the 2028 season.
Scripps Sports is — for a second season — broadcasting WNBA video games each Friday evening on ION.
Tune on this Friday, June 21, to observe Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever tackle Rhyne Howard and the Atlanta Dream at 7:30 p.m. ET. Or catch the Connecticut Sun as they face off in opposition to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at 10 p.m. ET.
ION’s 14-week WNBA schedule is obtainable to TV and streaming viewers nationwide and contains 40+ nationwide, regional, or native video games that can be broadcast by means of Sept. 13.
Click right here to view the complete upcoming schedule for WNBA on ION.
ION is a subsidiary of Scripps News’ dad or mum firm, E.W. Scripps.
