Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are the biggest rivals in the WNBA whether they want to admit it or not. However, the former is far more important than the latter when it comes to viewership.
Her return from injury on Saturday proved, once again, that she is the most valuable player in league history.
Reese went on an unprompted rant about the increased popularity of the WNBA during the second month of her rookie season with the Chicago Sky in 2024. The No. 7 overall pick boldly claimed more people are watching women’s basketball just as much because of her as Clark.
That is entirely untrue by the numbers.
Caitlin Clark was ruled out for at least two weeks at the end of May with a quad injury. Ticket prices for Fever games immediately started to plummet as soon as the news was announced. The get-in price for last season’s games between Indiana and Chicago hovered around $120. The get-in price for the rivalry game against the Sky without Clark hovered around $18 earlier this month.
If Angel Reese is just as big of a draw, those tickets would’ve stayed closer to $100. They didn’t.
Let’s also look at the T.V. numbers. Ratings across the entire WNBA — the entire league — dropped by more than 50% while Clark sat out with injury. People are not as interested in watching professional women’s basketball during the regular season if the reigning Rookie of the Year is not on the floor. Period.
If Angel Reese is just as big of a draw, ratings would drop by no more than 10%. They didn’t.
To go even one step further, Clark made her return to the court on Saturday against the New York Liberty. It was the third-most watched WNBA game on ABC ever. The broadcast averaged 2.2 million viewers and peaked at 2.8 million.
The @IndianaFever's victory over the @nyliberty on Saturday delivered the 3rd most-watched WNBA game on ABC EVER
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) June 17, 2025
2.2M avg. viewers (2.8M peak)
Needless to say, Caitlin Clark is the biggest draw in league history. Angel Reese can try all she wants to put herself on the same level but the numbers say otherwise. She is not the same.
The post Massive Television Viewership For Caitlin Clark’s Return From Injury Proves Angel Reese Wrong, Again appeared first on BroBible.
Massive Television Viewership For Caitlin Clark’s Return From Injury Proves Angel Reese Wrong, Again
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