Television ratings for this season’s WNBA playoffs have plummeted following the elimination of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever last week.
Clark’s rookie season came to an end when the Fever suffered a second straight loss at the Connecticut Sun last Wednesday, a result that knocked them out of the playoffs in the first round.
A WNBA record audience of 2.54 million tuned in to watch the 22-year-old’s season end in Connecticut, while a previous record 1.84 million watched the series opener on Sept. 22.
However, with Indiana no longer in the competition, the first weekend of WNBA playoff games without Clark failed to generate the same interest.
The first semifinal matchup between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces, two of the league’s most popular and successful teams, drew an audience of just 929,000, according to ESPN (via fox news).
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever’s exit from the playoffs have caused WNBA ratings to plummet
That number is 50 percent lower than the Fever’s Game 1 against the Sun, which also had an NFL Sunday to compete with.
However, while no match for the numbers generated by Clark, the Liberty and Aces’ first semifinal battle actually drew more viewers than any of last season’s final games between the two teams.
Meanwhile, Game 1 of the Minnesota Lynx and the Connecticut Sun semifinal had an audience of approximately 650,000 people.
Both semifinal games also fell significantly below several of Clark’s regular season games in terms of viewership; and the Fever’s clash against the Lynx attracted 1.26 million viewers last month.
That game was also played on the same night and at the same time as the NFL’s Week 1 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers.
One of the most successful college athletes of all time, Clark has brought unprecedented levels of attention to women’s basketball since moving up to the WNBA this year.
A WNBA record audience of 2.54 million tuned in to Clark and the Fever’s loss to the Sun.
The first semifinal matchup between Liberty and Aces was watched by only 929,000 people.
It has made the Fever the most-watched WNBA team by far, with the 14 biggest television audiences of the season, all of them Indiana-related.
The former Iowa sensation was recently crowned WNBA Rookie of the Year after an incredible debut season in the big leagues.
He averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and led the league in assists with 8.4 per game. Clark also led the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016.
In the season-ending loss to the Sun, the Fever superstar scored 25 points, adding nine assists and six rebounds. She also departed with another record after becoming the first rookie to go 25-5-5 in the postseason.