“The Caitlin Clark Effect” strikes again!
Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark has returned and the WNBA couldn’t be happier about it after dealing with declining television ratings. Because as soon as Clark came back, so did the numbers.
After she missed five contests due to a quad injury, Clark made her return for a power matchup Saturday against the defending champion and undefeated New York Liberty. The WNBA expected a huge viewership, putting the telecast on ABC to bring in the figures, and that’s exactly what happened. (RELATED: WNBA Legend Rebecca Lobo Rains Down Praise On Caitlin Clark For Incredibly Unbelievable Performance)
Clark was incredible in the game, putting up 32 points hitting 11 out of 20 of her shots, while also going 7-for-14 from the three-point line. She also tallied nine assists and eight rebounds on her resume. She was so dominant that the Fever got a flashy 102-88 upset win and gave the Liberty their first defeat of the campaign.
But she didn’t just deliver on the court, but off the court as well. The contest pulled in an average of 2.2 million viewers, making it the second-highest watched game of the 2025 season. Tied in second-place with the prior game between Indiana and New York, the only contest ahead and placed at No. 1 is the season-opening game between the Fever and Angel Reese‘s Chicago Sky.
And yes, you read that correctly, all three games had Caitlin Clark featured in them.
The @IndianaFever‘s victory over the @nyliberty on Saturday delivered the 3rd most-watched WNBA game on ABC EVER 👏
🏀 2.2M avg. viewers (2.8M peak)
🏀 WNBA on ESPN up 14% from last season pic.twitter.com/noWzK8RIFf— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) June 17, 2025
Another great thing about Caitlin Clark returning: I’m going back to winning her overs bets. And you better believe I’m happy about that.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
