Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s husband, Alex Bazzell, highlighted Caitlin Clark’s part in the meteoric rise in WNBA viewership while noting another point of view regarding it. In a post on X, Bazzell pointed out that the WNBA viewership is now on par with many major men’s sports, while Clark’s games even outperformed some prime-time NBA matchups.

“Ratings are GREAT! Ratings are obviously better when CC plays. Two things can be true at the same time. The true convo is how CC games are outperforming some primetime NBA games & other wnba games are outperforming many major men U.S. sports viewership,” Bazzell tweeted.

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This comes after the WNBA playoff viewership rose tremendously compared to previous years, despite Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever being eliminated in the first round. While Clark’s game viewership was much higher, the semifinal games and the ongoing WNBA Finals have continued to garner a significant increase in viewership.

The first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs averaged 1.1 million viewers, a 191% increase compared to last year. The Fever’s Game 1 against the Connecticut Sun garnered 1.84 million viewers, followed by a record-high 2.54 million for their second clash.

While the viewership dropped to an average of 850,000 for the semifinals, it still acquired a 99% increase compared to 427,000 viewers last year.

Sue Bird discusses Caitlin Clark and WNBA viewership drop
Featuring on Wednesday’s episode of “A Touch More” podcast, WNBA legend Sue Bird discussed the league’s viewership following Caitlin Clark’s elimination in the first-round playoff series. Bird spoke on the decrease in viewership since Clark’s elimination being attached to a negative notion despite an overall increase in WNBA viewership.

“Viewership numbers with Caitlin Clark are astronomical,” Bird said. “But the WNBA playoff semi-final games are still breaking records from previous WNBA years, are still cracking a million viewers.
“These [WNBA viewership] numbers are still really high, and they still show and tell a story of the viewership that is being gained in the WNBA.”
Bird also expressed frustration over the alleged scrutiny of women’s sports by drawing a comparison to the NBA.

“The reason why it really gets my blood boiling?” Bird said. “This last year, the Celtics and the Mavs were in the Finals. That viewership was amazing. Lower than the previous years, lower than when LeBron’s in it, lower than when Steph Curry’s in it, and yet, we don’t hear anyone speaking on the Celtics and the Mavs.”

Caitlin Clark has had a significant role in the rising popularity of the WNBA. While a lot more people seemingly tune in to watch Clark specifically, the overall interest in the whole league has evidently seen a significant boom.