Remember When Some People Said The Fever Were Better Without Caitlin Clark?
The Fever’s recent struggles silence critics who once downplayed Clark’s importance.
We are not making this up. There was a time – specifically, when the Indiana Fever won five games in a row from late July until early August – when some people claimed that the team was better with Caitlin Clark sitting out with an injury.
The team ruled out Clark for Tuesday's game against Seattle, marking her 16th consecutive missed contest. She also missed several games earlier in the season and will have played in just 13 of the team's 38 games.
Fever Season Defined by Clark’s Absence
With Clark, the Fever are 8-5. Without her, they are 11-13.
Indiana’s struggles without Caitlin Clark prove her value as the Fever fight for a playoff spot and the WNBA faces potential ratings trouble.
(Jesse Johnson/Imagn Images)
But there was a five-game win streak from July 24 to August 3. Of course, context matters. Two of the wins came against Chicago and Dallas, which are among the worst teams in the WNBA. They also beat Las Vegas, which was a .500 team at the time.
The other two wins came over Seattle and Phoenix. The Mercury are the only one of the five teams that were at least four games over .500 at the time of the victory.
Yet, that didn't stop some people from suggesting that Clark's injury was some sort of blessing in disguise for Indiana.
ESPN's Carolyn Peck, a WNBA "expert," went on the network's biggest program, "SportsCenter" and said that the Fever are "even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn't play."
Former NBA player Jeff Teague echoed that ridiculous sentiment.
These were the most notable examples, but not the only ones. Yes, there are people that feel this way about Clark. We generally refer to those people as "haters."
Indiana Struggles Without Its Star
Well, those people are awfully quiet now. Since that win streak, Indiana is 2-6 in its last eight games. The wins came over Chicago and Connecticut, two teams tied for the worst record in the WNBA; they are both tied with Dallas, who beat Indiana during this stretch.
Not only has this poor stretch highlighted the importance of Caitlin Clark to the Fever, but the team is suddenly in danger of missing the playoffs. If the Fever lose to Seattle on Tuesday and the Sparks beat the Mercury, Indiana would drop outside the postseason picture.
It can't be overstated how disastrous that would be for the WNBA. Yes, ratings are holding steady with Clark on the sideline. But there has been a decline without her, as expected.
If the Fever miss the playoffs, the league is highly unlikely to replicate last year's incredible postseason TV ratings.
Indiana’s slide without Caitlin Clark is more than just a team issue — it’s a league issue. The WNBA’s momentum depends on its brightest star being in the spotlight when it matters most. If the Fever miss the playoffs, the postseason won’t just lose a contender, it will lose the player driving the league’s unprecedented attention.