Television ratings for this season’s WNBA playoffs have plummeted in the wake of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever’s elimination last week.
Clark’s rookie season came to an end when the Fever suffered a second straight defeat at the Connecticut Sun last Wednesday, a result which dumped them out of the playoffs in the very first round.
A record WNBA audience of 2.54 million tuned in to watch the 22-year-old’s season draw to a close in Connecticut, while a previous record of 1.84 million watched the first game of the series on September 22.
Yet with Indiana no longer in the competition, the first weekend of WNBA playoff games without Clark failed to drum up the same interest.
The first semifinal showdown between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces – two of the league’s most popular and successful teams – drew an audience of just 929,000, according to ESPN (via Fox News).
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever’s playoff exit has caused WNBA ratings to plummet
That figure is 50 per cent down on the Fever’s Game 1 against the Sun, which also had an NFL Sunday to compete with.
Nevertheless, while it is no match for the numbers generated by Clark, the Liberty and the Aces’ opening semifinal battle actually brought in more viewers than any of last season’s finals games between the two teams.
Meanwhile, Game 1 of the Minnesota Lynx and the Connecticut Sun’s semifinal had an audience of roughly 650,000.
Both of the semifinal games also fell significantly below a number of Clark’s regular season games in terms of viewership; with the Fever’s clash against the Lynx raking in 1.26 million viewers last month.
That game was also played on the same night and at the same time as a Week 1 NFL showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers.
Clark, one of the most successful college athletes of all time, has brought unprecedented levels of attention to women’s basketball since moving up to the WNBA this year.
A record WNBA audience of 2.54 million tuned in for Clark and the Fever’s loss to the Sun
The first semifinal showdown between the Liberty and the Aces was watched by just 929,000
She has made the Fever the most-watched WNBA team by a long distance, with the 14 largest TV audiences of the season all involving Indiana.
The former Iowa sensation was recently crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year following an incredible debut season in the big leagues.
She averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and led the league in assists with 8.4 per game. Clark also led the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016.
In the season-ending loss to the Sun, the Fever superstar scored 25 points, adding nine assists and six rebounds. She also departed with another record after becoming the first rookie ever to have pulled off a 25-5-5 game in the postseason.
