The transcendent Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has proven to be the biggest marketing tool that the Indiana Fever, or the WNBA, has ever had. There has always been envy and controversy from around the league, but one thing is clear: people are interested in watching Clark play.
Sadly for fans of the sport, an announcement on Thursday, Sept. 4 means we won’t see Clark set foot on the court again this year.
How Caitlin Clark’s Injury Impacts the Fever
According to StatMuse, the Fever have an 8-5 record in the 13 games Clark has played in, suitable for a .615 win percentage. Since she has been out with an injury, the Fever have a 13-14 record, which is just a .481 win percentage. That difference is substantial for a team that aspires to compete for a WNBA championship this season.
The Indiana Fever are 11-13 without Caitlin Clark.
In 8 seasons, Kelsey Mitchell has never had a winning record in games without Clark.
From 2018-2023, Mitchell was 49-144.
In 2024, with Clark the record was 20-20.
In 2025, with Clark the record is 8-5, without 11-13.
— Sam Brandon (@SamBran51277861) August 25, 2025
Of course, when a team loses its star player and key facilitator, it has an extreme impact on the team, but how much worse have the Fever played since Clark’s injury? Let’s dive into the numbers.
In the 13 games Clark played, the Fever averaged 87.8 points per game, 37 rebounds per game, and 21.3 assists per game. Since the injury, the Fever have played 27 games and have averaged 83.7 points per game, 36.5 rebounds per game, and 17.9 assists per game.
The significant drop in scoring and rebounding clearly indicates why they have had less success this time.
One thing that stood out to me is that while people know Caitlin Clark for her scoring and passing, she is one of the best rebounding guards in the league. The Fever haven’t been able to find those rebounds that she would use her instincts to get, even as a six-foot guard.
How Caitlin Clark’s Injury Impacts the WNBA
While the Fever have played middling basketball since Clark got injured, it would be a strong argument to say that the league is hurting even more than the Fever from her extended absence. People comparing her to Michael Jordan in terms of impact on the league were given flak and disregarded in the past, but looking at the numbers now, it is not far-fetched.
The Jordan Effect vs The #ClarkEffect thru their first 40 games. (The previous WNBA team attendance record avg was 12,752) #FeverRising #Clarkenomics pic.twitter.com/fBh9W5suRJ
— Heavens! (@HeavensFX) September 20, 2024
As the WNBA has grown, Caitlin Clark has been an imperative piece of the puzzle for them. It is clear that her presence is more important than ever and that the league needs to nurture that. Nike clearly sees the vision, as during this time, they made sure to get Clark’s signature shoe brand off the ground, knowing that when she returns, the viewership will spike again.
Caitlin Clark’s official logo is here 🔥
Clark’s full signature apparel collection drops October 1, with her first signature shoe arriving in 2026.
All part of the historic 8-year, $28 million endorsement deal she signed with Nike in April 2024.
That’s the most lucrative shoe… pic.twitter.com/P3vhNNpI30
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 26, 2025
The league is struggling to attract viewers to the game with Clark on the sidelines. This has resulted in an astonishing 50% drop in viewership league-wide, and Fever-specific viewing is down 53%.
WNBA Analyst Rachel DeMita has an interesting take on why viewership is down so dramatically since the injury: “A lot of people stopped watching because they are boycotting the WNBA. They don’t want to give viewership to any other teams or players, whether they like other players on the team or not, because of how the media and the league itself have handled Caitlin Clark and how they have treated her fans.”
We know that the Fever had to move to a bigger stadium to accommodate the interest that Clark brought. She seems to have a really loyal fanbase, so it seems like the WNBA needs to do right by her this offseason and try to build that sort of loyalty with its own fans.
