Derek Ellerman
Former Iowa Hawkeyes star turned Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is that girl.
Which is to say, it looks like the WNBA may have a bonafide crossover star on their hands.
On Tuesday night, Clark drove WNBA TV viewership numbers higher than any seen in the last 23 years.
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Rising Caitlin Clark Lifts All Boats
There are many theories flying around about Clark and why she’s so popular. The fact of the matter is, for our purposes, it doesn’t matter.
She is popular, and there’s no denying it. There’s also no denying that she’s bringing in way more eyeballs than the WNBA is used to seeing.
Matter of fact, Clark brought so many eyeballs to Tuesday night’s game that it beat out the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Yeah, really. (OK, that might not be the greatest comparison in America, but it’s still dang impressive.)
Fox reports an average of 2.1 million viewers, and a peak of 2.3 million viewers for the Fever’s tilt against the Connecticut Sun. Further, “It was the most-watched WNBA game since 2001, and it had the most views ever for a game broadcast on ESPN platforms.”
Caitlin has this world by the horns, even if her Fever lost to the Sun 92-71.
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The Numbers In Perspective
Put it this way: Not even Kelsey Plum’s outfit could draw more eyeballs than Clark.
Plum’s Las Vegas Aces played the Phoenix Mercury, and only managed to draw 460,000 viewers. The aforementioned NHL Playoffs game between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers drew 1.99 million visitors.
According to Sports Media Watch, the WNBA hasn’t clocked a million viewers since 2008.
Caitlin Clark’s Stats
As for Caitlin Clark herself, she had what can best be described as an OK game. She didn’t flop and she didn’t clear the decks like Supergirl, either.
All in, she accounted for 3 assists, 2 steals, and 20 total points, including going 5-15 shooting (4-11 from the 3s) and made all six of her free throws.
Clark and the Fever face the New York Liberty next, on Saturday at Noon. It will be interesting to see what kind of numbers Clark can draw with that hard-luck gametime.