WNBA Ratings Without Caitlin Clark Show Her Power and the League’s Growth

The WNBA has grown into one of the most-watched women’s sports leagues in the world. Crowds are bigger, games get national TV slots, and social media buzzes with highlights. The league’s visibility has reached levels that once seemed out of reach, and much of that surge has been tied to Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever guard whose star power continues to shape the conversation.

But Caitlin’s 2025 season has been defined by injuries. After rarely missing a game in college or her rookie year, she was sidelined with multiple setbacks, leaving fans and networks to wonder how do the WNBA ratings look without Caitlin?

When Caitlin is on the court, WNBA ratings soar. USA Today reported that national TV broadcasts of her Indiana Fever games averaged more than 1.8 million viewers before her quad and groin injuries forced her to sit out. Once she was sidelined due to injuries, that average fell to 847,000, a drop of 53 percent. Across the league, ratings were down 55 percent without her.

Those numbers highlight her unique draw. Caitlin’s ability to command audiences rivals the biggest names in sports, and her absence has been felt not only by the Fever but also by national partners who count on her to boost primetime broadcasts.

Caitlin’s injuries forced her to miss important games like the Commissioner’s Cup final, the All-Star Game in her home arena, and the Fever’s final push for the playoffs.

For a player who had never missed a game before, the sight of her on the sidelines was a shock. Her absence also changed the Fever’s trajectory. Indiana entered the postseason picture as the eighth seed, but fans were left wondering how far they could have gone with Caitlin leading the way. It was a frustrating chapter for a team that had become must-see TV.

According to ESPN, the Indiana Fever announced in September 2025 that Caitlin would be out for the rest of the 2025 season, making July 15, when she was injured, the last game she played of the season.

The dip in ratings proves Caitlin’s power, but it also raises a bigger question: how sustainable is growth if so much rides on one player? The encouraging sign is that even without her, WNBA broadcasts still pulled in higher averages than in many seasons before she entered the league.

That balance matters. Caitlin is a once-in-a-generation draw who brings in casual fans by the millions. Yet the WNBA is showing that the floor is rising, with stronger ratings across other teams and stars. Instead of a one-player league, it is becoming a deeper, broader product.

The WNBA ratings without Caitlin Clark make one thing clear: she moves the needle in a way few athletes can, but the league has momentum that goes beyond her. Her return to full health will be headline news, but the bigger story is how women’s basketball has built a foundation that holds even when its brightest star is sidelined.