The WNBA playoff TV ratings are not looking good. Without the superstar Caitlin Clark on the court, the ratings have taken a major hit. It’s a real bummer, considering how exciting and talented these women are, but it seems like the casual fans just aren’t tuning in without their favorite rising star.
Now, before we start pointing fingers and playing the blame game, let’s remember that these ratings don’t define the incredible athleticism and dedication of these players. They are some of the best in the world, and they deserve our support, regardless of what the ratings say.
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But hey, maybe this is just a wake-up call for all the basketball fans out there. The WNBA is where it’s at, people! These athletes are making history and breaking records left and right. We should be cheering them on and filling those seats, whether we have our favorite player on the court or not.
The WNBA is feeling the effects of not having their dynamic rookie in any more postseason games after the Indiana Fever was eliminated in the first round by the Connecticut Sun.
Sunday’s Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals between the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and the top-seeded New York Liberty had 929,000 viewers on ABC.
That figure was the League’s most-watched semifinal game in 22 years.
Great news, right? Wrong.
That figure is only half the 1.8 million viewers Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever drew in their playoff opener against the Connecticut Sun.
ESPN has previously announced that the first-round playoff game 2 between the Fever and Connecticut Sun posted a Nielsen number of 2.5 million viewers and peaked at 3.4 million viewers.
That number made it the highest-rated WNBA game on cable in the League’s history. It was up 507 percent from last year’s first-round coverage on ESPN.
The WNBA having great ratings with Clark should come as no surprise since her Iowa Hawkeyes set ratings records when she was in college.
The Indiana Fever games during the 2024 season averaged 1.18 million viewers.
So let’s rally together, folks. Let’s show the world that we’re here to support women’s sports, no matter what. Grab your popcorn, invite your friends over, and tune in to the next WNBA playoff game. Let’s make those ratings shoot through the roof and give these incredible women the recognition they deserve.
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