Image Credit - Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

WNBA Viewership Plummets Over 50% Without Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Hype Falls Flat as Popularity Fades

WNBA’s obsession with denying Caitlin Clark’s impact might just have hit a wall, and Angel Reese isn’t enough to fix it

Image Credit - Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest things to happen for the WNBA in recent times. The WNBA, once financially unstable and reliant on outside help, is finally beginning to regain its footing. Clark’s emergence has aided the league in terms of finances as well as viewership.

Some continue to deny the Caitlin Clark effect both within the league and outside, despite hard evidence. The latest data has something else to say. The Indiana Fever guard is currently out with a quad injury that she suffered on Memorial Day.

She has missed five games already, and it’s not just the Indiana Fever feeling the impact of her absence. While she’s been sidelined, WNBA ratings have dropped by over 50%, and Fever games saw a 53% plunge too.

Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham & Lexie Hull supporting the Pacers 🙌 pic.twitter.com/1VuKvtUed9
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 12, 2025

It looks like more than the Indiana Fever, the WNBA as a whole is desperate for Caitlin Clark to come back. The 23-year-old is almost on her way back after resuming training this week. She might be in contention to start the WNBA game against the New York Liberty on Saturday.

Angel Reese Faces Backlash After Reduced Viewership

Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese was quick to downplay Clark’s influence, claiming she wasn’t the only one driving WNBA viewership. Reese in a press conference last year suggested that she was also responsible for the rocketing WNBA viewership.

The 23-year-old said to the press that she was the reason why people came to watch the games. However, when Chicago Sky faced the Fever, ticket prices dropped as low as $3 on multiple third-party sites. This was a direct result of Caitlin Clark’s absence.

"The reason why we're watching women's basketball is not just because of 1 person. It's because of me, too. I want y'all to realize that"

Angel Reese speaks: pic.twitter.com/DnEWECm3Y0
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) March 10, 2025

Despite her self-proclaimed popularity, Angel Reese failed to pull a crowd in a headline matchup at home. If anything, the Sky vs. Fever clash just proved once and for all how real the Caitlin Clark effect is. The Fever guard is clearly the biggest reason behind the WNBA’s rising popularity, both in the U.S. and globally.