Caitlin Clark deserves new title after latest numbers reveal

The Indiana Fever became the most popular team in the WNBA this season and have Caitlin Clark to thank. She was one of the best players as a rookie and brought millions of fans to the league. It was an incredible year, and things should only be better in 2025.

Clark and the Fever averaged 1.19 million viewers per game this season. She also brought in 2.15 million in the playoffs, despite Indiana being swept in the first round. Clark is the face of the WNBA, and the league’s most popular player, but it might not stop there.

Awful announcing released the viewership numbers for the NBA games from the opening week that did not take place on the first night. It proved that Clark is not just the best in the WNBA, but an elite draw in the entire sport.

Caitlin Clark is a face of basketball after the latest numbers reveal

The Knicks and Pacers game drew just 830,000 viewers or 360,000 fewer than Clark’s average. ESPN’s opening doubleheader got 1.6 million, which the Fever topped several times this season. Clark is an elite draw capable of competing with the NBA’s biggest stars.

More people tune in to watch Stephen Curry and LeBron James, but neither of their teams were featured in these numbers. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Victor Wembanyama did factor in, and 1.71 million viewers was the most watched. Clark’s debut had over 2 million.

The WNBA did not have a game over 1 million viewers since 2008 before Caitlin Clark arrived. She was a massive star at the University of Iowa, and her popularity continues to climb. She sold out arenas across the country and got more people to watch her than NBA games. Yes, it is early and they are competing against football, but Clark is one of basketball’s biggest draws.

Caitlin Clark is a game-changer. The added fans mean more revenue and improvements to the product. Teams will be upgrading facilities and paying players more as the W grows. There will be a 13th franchise in 2025 with two more coming in 2026. The WNBA is growing rapidly, and Clark was the catalyst of a shift that should have happened years ago.

Expect the Indiana Fever to improve their roster around her this offseason. They want to be in title contention in 2025, but it won’t be easy. Stay tuned to see what Kelly Krauskopf and company can pull off.