Perhaps if she were on the roster, Team USA would have been able to draw more fans to their games. Caitlin Clark’s return to action after the Olympic break provided big numbers in the ratings department for the WNBA.
Clark took the floor on Friday following the lengthy time off and she and the Indiana Fever promptly dumped gold medalist Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury, 98-89.
The Mercury had taunted Clark before the game so she lit them up for 29 points and 10 assists. And fans tuned into ION Television to watch the mauling.
Let me repeat that. ION Television.
The contest averaged 1.22 million viewers — the network’s second-largest WNBA audience since it began carrying games a year ago, according to Sports Media Watch.
Number one on that list? Another game featuring the same two teams.
RELATED: How to Watch the WNBA
Caitlin Clark, Ratings Juggernaut
Caitlin Clark followed up that performance by dropping 23 points and 9 assists against the Seattle Storm in a 92-75 win on Sunday.
In the process, she broke the WNBA rookie assist record. She did this in a prime slot, 3:30 PM on ABC. And people were glued to their televisions. The game averaged 2.23 million viewers, making it the fourth highest-rated WNBA game in the past 23 years.
Once again, the only games topping it involved Caitlin Clark in some capacity – the WNBA All-Star Game (3.44 million) and two meetings between the Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky (2.30 and 2.25 million).
The WNBA draft (2.45 million) also saw a higher viewership but that also involved a little Caitlin fever.
RELATED: Robert Griffin III To Caitlin Clark Haters: If You Don’t Like Her Getting All The Shine, Stop Her
Olympics Could Have Used Her
While more viewers watched the Olympic women’s basketball gold medal game, their ratings were relatively low, nearly matching the same number as the equivalent game in Tokyo when a pandemic crushed interest in the games.
It was technically the lowest viewership for the gold medal game since 2008 in Beijing. That marks a 12-year (three consecutive Olympic) decline.
🚨🚨 USA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VIEWERSHIP 🚨🚨
— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@VanshayM) August 13, 2024
Last FIVE gold medal game:
🏀 2024 (Paris): 7.8 million viewers (10.9 million peak)
🏀 2021 (Tokyo): 7.9 million viewers
🏀 2016 (Rio): 8.1 million viewers
🏀 2012 (London): 10.2 million viewers
🏀 2008 (Beijing): 5.9 million viewers…
If Caitlin Clark is participating in that game and earning her first-ever gold medal, instead of Taurasi getting her 6th gold medal while sitting on the bench, there’s little doubt those numbers are much, much higher.
Meanwhile, jealous WNBA players are out on the court continually trying to drag Clark down with their petty antics.
The league might want to let players know that going after their cash cow isn’t the best decision for them financially.
ALSO READ: How to Watch the Indiana Fever (and Caitlin Clark)
More about:WNBA
Read This Next
