Basketball fans keep turning on their TVs to see Caitlin Clark. After shattering records throughout her college career at Iowa, the No. 1 draft pick drew 2.1 million viewers in her WNBA debut Tuesday.
The game, which featured Clark’s visiting Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun, was the most-watched WNBA game since 2001. The matchup, a 92-71 win for the Sun despite Clark’s 20 points, drew its record audience despite airing on ESPN2 and ESPN+ instead of the company’s main channel.
“Don’t think anyone is surprised by this. the Caitlin Clark Effect is real,” Lyndsey D’Arcangelo, a self-described women’s sports advocate, wrote on X. “Just hope it carries throughout the season as new fans become more than just Clark fans, but WNBA fans overall.”
The Fever’s new phenom is no stranger to setting high-water marks for viewership.
Her final college game, with her Hawkeyes losing to South Carolina for the NCAA title, was the most-watched women’s basketball game ever. The April 7 game attracted 18.7 million viewers, surpassing previous records set by Clark’s team in the Final Four and Elite Eight.
Soaring interest in the WNBA, powered by young stars like Clark, is felt throughout the league. In D.C., Tuesday’s Washington Mystics’ season opener, in which they beat the New York Liberty, was the most-watched WNBA game since 2021 for Monumental Sports Network.
“We’re seeing record interest in our product and know that our fans will continue to engage with the phenomenal Mystics coverage on Monumental Sports Network all season long,” Alycen McAuley, the Mystics’ chief business officer, said Thursday.
— This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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