The WNBA is facing a serious ratings issue, and the numbers are shocking. Since Caitlin Clark’s injury, national TV viewership has dropped by more than 50 percent. The sudden fall has many experts wondering whether the league can keep growing without its most popular star.
WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita recently weighed in on the issue. She pointed out how much Clark’s absence has affected the league and raised concerns about a deeper problem. Now, every game feels like a test of how strong the WNBA really is without its biggest draw.
Analyst Breaks Down Why WNBA Ratings Dropped Over 50% Without Caitlin Clark
Clark’s injury came after she played 185 straight official games. Because of that, there wasn’t a noticeable drop in ratings last year. With her recent injury and a three-week absence, the full impact is being seen.
Recent reports highlight the concern that comes with Clark’s absence, showing WNBA viewership has dropped significantly since her injury. National TV ratings have fallen by 55 percent, and Indiana Fever games have seen a 53 percent decline.
DeMita discussed the situation, saying, “I hope you guys don’t mind, but the news was just announced that WNBA TV ratings are down more than 50% since Caitlin Clark’s injury, and it was also reported that the Indiana Fever television viewership is also down over 53%.” She said that while a dip was expected, very few thought it would be this drastic.
Clark, who had been averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds, was sidelined with a quad injury on May 24. Since then, the Fever have gone 2-3. They’ve managed to hang in there without her. With a 4-5 record, they’ll take on the unbeaten New York Liberty on June 14.
The bigger issue is the drop in league-wide engagement. Even marquee games like New York vs. Chicago haven’t drawn strong numbers. DeMita suggested that some fans may be boycotting the WNBA due to how the league and media have handled Clark’s rise.
She said, “A lot of people stopped watching because they are boycotting the WNBA. They don’t want to give viewership to any other teams or any other 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.”
With Clark’s return against the undefeated Liberty set to be an exciting matchup between the biggest star in the league and the best team in the league, viewership could see an instant spike.
Viewership is down because the WNBA chooses to show the games on new and expensive premium channels. It is all about greed in the NFL, the WNBA and TV in general. They do not want me to watch I won’t.
” How they’ve treated her fans “? You mean the one’s hurling racial slurs?
The league investigated and found zero evidence of racism. It’s the second time Reese has lied. The racism has been directed at Clark. There’s plenty of evidence of that. Of course when you are a true racist you don’t care about the facts.
No, not those ones. The ones supporting an amazing athlete who was targeted by the league and players because of her skin color.