The anticipation surrounding Caitlin Clark's debut in the WNBA has reached a fever pitch, with daily updates and news about the Iowa Hawkeyes superstar flooding the media.
The latest development from that space was the announcement by the WNBA and the Indiana Fever that they will nationally televise 36 of their total 40 games. By comparison, the maximum number of nationally televised games for an NBA team is around 41 out of 82 game seasons.
"The Caitlin Clark effect has now hit the WNBA. It has been announced today that 36 of 40 Indiana Fever games will be nationally broadcast next year. Last year, the Indiana Fever had 1. 1 game nationally televised."
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Upon hearing the news, Indianapolis Colts legend Pat McAfee, deeply connected to the state of Indiana, could not help but express admiration for Clark's impact on women's basketball.
The change in numbers for coverage around one player is startling to McAfee. He tried explaining the WNBA's mentality behind this phenomenon.
"Next year, 36 of 40, let's get her on TV. 'Have you seen the f**king ratings?' is what the WNBA people are saying to the networks that cover the WNBA. ... So now we're living in a world where she's affecting the WNBA, and hasn't even been drafted yet."
The Caitlin Clark effect in college basketball
For the collegiate scene, Caitlin Clark was a true trendsetter. Thanks to her budding rivalries and the record-breaking scoring pace she set during her time in Iowa, Clark became a must-watch television, apparent in the soaring viewer numbers.
The 2022 NCAA Women's March Madness Tournament Finals became the most-watched women's basketball game ever with 9.7 million viewers. This season, a trifecta of Caitlin's games left that number in the dust.
In the Elite Eight rematch between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the LSU Tigers, the game drew 12.3 million viewers. The game against the UConn Huskies, marking their 15th Final Four appearance in 16 seasons, and led by fellow National Player of the Year Finalist Paige Bueckers, saw viewership explode to 14.2 million viewers.
The Finals, however, as McAfee would reveal on his podcast, was the proverbial "cherry on top."
"But we're also looking at is the women out-gained the men when it comes to viewership for the national championship. One tipped off at 9:20, one tipped off at 3 on a Sunday. Nonetheless, must-watch. 18.7 million average for the women, 14.8 million average for the men."
The comparisons extended beyond the raw numbers as well, with the subjective analysis also falling in the women's favor for Pat McAfee.
"Congrats to women's March madness, building and being everything that we thought it would be, and the hype for eternity. That's two, that is two years in a row where the women's March Madness became the story after leaving March Madness. "
"And in the National Championship, you get Dawn Staley and the South Carolina team that's undefeated versus Caitlin Clark in her last rodeo trying to win it. It's like a perfect storyline."
In the last five years, that game drew the largest viewership audience for any basketball game, men or women, collegiate or professional.
The Caitlin Clark effect in the WNBA
The trend surrounding Caitlin Clark is now expanding into the WNBA. When she announced her intentions to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Indiana Fever, holding the number 1 pick, made their intentions of drafting her known.
Reports soon came of the team increasing ticket prices at every level in anticipation of high demand. Their instincts proved correct, as even with the increased prices, tickets were sold out rapidly.
Clark's value to the WNBA extended beyond Indiana, as seen by the response from the Las Vegas Aces. Their game against the Fever was moved to a larger venue, relocating from the Michelob Ultra Arena, which seats 12,000, to the T-Mobile Arena, accommodating an additional 6,000 spectators.
Do you think Caitlin Clark can sustain this momentum and hype? Let us know in the comments below.
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