Fever-Sky Game Drew Huge Audience For WNBA Even Without Caitlin Clark On The Court

For those who thought WNBA television ratings would plummet without Caitlin Clark (myself included), some evidence emerged that it might not be the case. As Clark continued to sit out due to a leg injury, her Indiana Fever defeated Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Saturday night. The game, broadcast on CBS, was put in a primetime spotlight on a major network, because fans can't get enough of Clark vs. Reese on the court. 

But Clark not being able to play put a damper on the main storyline. Ticket prices nosedived for a game that was moved from the Sky's usual home arena – Wintrust Arena (capacity around 10,000 seats) – to the United Center (23,500 seats) to accommodate ticket demand for games involving Clark. 

However, while Clark's presence on the floor had many fewer fans clamoring to see the game in-person, the WNBA reported that over two million people tuned into the game on TV. 

Now, that number was still down from the season-opening matchup between the two teams, a game in which Clark participated. That contest, which aired on ABC, averaged 2.7 million viewers and peaked at 3.1 million viewers – one million more than the Clark-less game on Saturday. 

In addition, in the game before Clark's injury, an average of 2.2 million people tuned in to watch the Fever fall in heartbreaking fashion to the defending champion New York Liberty. Obviously, Clark continues to be the ratings-driver in the WNBA, but it's a good sign for the league that people tuned in even with her on the bench. 

Caitlin Clark (injury) sat out the Indiana Fever win over Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Saturday, but the game still drew 2 million television viewers for CBS.

(Imagn Images & Getty Images)

That being said, it's probably bad news for Angel Reese that so many people watched the Fever trounce the Sky on Saturday. Reese played one of the worst games of her WNBA career, committing nearly as many turnovers (3) as points scored (4). 

She shot just 2-7 from the field but did have 12 rebounds. According to the ESPN game log, four of Reese's seven missed shots were layups with two of them being blocked by Fever defenders. The good news is that only one of her 12 rebounds was a "mebound," which is the hilarious stat that social media invented for when Reese misses a layup and then gets her own rebound.  

Overall, though, this is a major win for the WNBA. Clearly, the "Caitlin Clark Effect" still applies, even when she's sitting on the bench.