The WNBA and several of its teams and broadcast partners are about to feel the impact of Caitlin Clark not being on the floor.
Clark is expected to miss at least four games with a left quadriceps strain. The news comes on the heels of 2.22 million viewers tuning in to see Clark’s Indiana Fever take on the defending champion New York Liberty on Saturday — the second-highest ratings in history for a WNBA game on CBS. The game peaked at 3.24 million viewers.
No. 1 on the list? The Fever’s win over the Chicago Sky and Clark rival Angel Reese last June that drew 2.25 million viewers. The top two WNBA game ratings of all time on any network have also involved Clark — 2.7 million on ABC for the Fever’s home game against the Sky on May 17 and 2.3 million for the Fever at Sky on June 23, 2024.
The league’s broadcast partners will no doubt feel a hit without Clark. Over the next four games, Indiana will be featured twice on NBA TV, once on CBS and once on Ion.
The massive impact at the gate is already being felt.
Tickets for the Fever’s game against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday were down 47 percent since the announcement of Clark’s injury, according to TickPick as reported by Front Office Sports. That contest was moved from the Mystics’ usual home venue, 4,200-seat CareFirst Arena in Washington, to 11,614-seat CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore to accommodate the interest in an expected visit by Clark.
The get-in price for Indiana’s trip to the Sky on June 7 fell 71 percent. That game was moved from 10,387-seat Wintrust Arena to 20,917-seat United Center in anticipation of Clark’s participation.
The Fever are more concerned about Clark’s long-term health than they are about television ratings and road attendance.
“For me, it’s maintaining perspective,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said. “It’s making sure that we address this in a way that doesn’t affect long-term. That we take care of it, don’t over-push, don’t over-exert. Making sure that we take the long-game approach to this so that we’re not having lingering issues throughout the course of the season.”
Clark is averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists and six rebounds per game across four outings this season. The injury occurred sometime during the 90-88 home loss to the Liberty and will lead to the first non-exhibition games Clark has ever missed in the WNBA or in college.
The initial timeframe for Clark’s injury could see her return in time for Indiana’s game at Atlanta on June 10 or against New York on June 14, which is slated to be televised on ABC. The Fever’s game against Las Vegas on June 22 will be on ESPN.
–Field Level Media
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