"Soon NFL & Superbowl going to be in the mud": Caitlin Clark leaves fans in awe with 1.8M viewers in playoff debut

On Sunday, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever competed in their first 2024 WNBA Playoff game against the Connecticut Sun. Given the star power of Clark and the fact that the Indiana Fever hadn't made an appearance in the WNBA Playoffs since 2016, fans were sure to tune in to Sunday's playoff opener despite conflicting broadcasting schedules with the NFL.

While Sunday has been called the NFL's day in America given the league's popularity, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Sunday's game between the Fever and the Sun drew in an average of 1.8 million viewers.

While the NFL, for reference, routinely draws in upwards of 15 million viewers on Fox and CBS, the 1.8 million viewers who tuned in to Clark and the Fever's playoff opener rivaled some of the biggest WNBA Finals in history.

Only Game 1 of the 1997 WNBA Finals and Game 3 of the 1999 WNBA Finals have drawn in more than the 1.8 million average viewers who tuned in to Sunday's Fever-Sun game.

Immediately, the NBA and WNBA communities were quick to react to the situation.

"Soon NFL and Superbowl going to be in the mud," one fan said.

"And these were finals? This was first round on a football Sunday afternoon," another fan said.

"Were those last matches on during peak NFL Sunday?" one fan asked.

Others praised Caitlin Clark for her impact:

"Caitlin Clark is a ratings phenomenon! She's bringing in huge numbers for the WNBA. Let's go, Fever! Break some viewership records!" one fan said.

"Caitlin Clark earns $76,535. If the WNBA gave her $30 million off the top of all revenues, she would still be underpaid," another fan said.

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"We just played a crappy game," - Caitlin Clark reflects on Indiana Fever's postseason debut following Sunday's loss to Connecticut Sun

After finishing the regular season with a 20-20 record that saw the team end the year in sixth place in the WNBA, and third place in the East, the Fever entered into the 2024 WNBA Playoffs as heavy betting underdogs.

In their opening game against the Sun, Caitlin Clark and the Fever came out hot. However, it wasn't enough to keep up with the Sun, who outscored the visitors 23-20 in the first. In the second, the Sun built on their lead, outscoring Clark and the Fever 23-18 to secure an eight-point lead at the half.

In the second half, the Sun were able to keep the momentum going, outscoring the Fever 22-19 in the third, and 25-12 in the fourth en route to a 93-69 win. After the loss, which saw Caitlin Clark go just 4-17 from the floor, and 2-13 from beyond the arc, the rookie sensation spoke with media members to reflect on the game.

While many fans were upset with the way the game was officiated, Clark chalked the loss up to poor play:

"I felt like we just played a crappy game. Like the flow of the game was really bad."

"My shot felt like it was right there It’s so frustrating as a shooter when it won’t go down for you. That’s what [stinks] about it. … We were right there, I think we cut it to eight but then they came back down and hit a three on us.”

With the Fever now looking to stave off elimination in the first-round best-of-three series, the stakes will be at an all-time high on Wednesday when the two teams collide in game two of the WNBA Playoffs.