Another day, another ratings bonanza for the Indiana Fever and their two most popular players, Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham.
The Fever took down the Chicago Sky this past Saturday in a game that was highly contentious and filled with controversies on and off the court. But while there was a lot of discussion after the game, the numbers show that plenty were locked in during the game.
ESPN announced that Saturday's game on ABC enjoyed 2.6 million average viewers with a peak of 3.1 million. The network proudly announced that it was their second-most watched WNBA game, a mark it reached for the second week in a row to boot.
"ESPN delivered its second most-watched WNBA game ever for the second consecutive week as the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky matchup averaged 2.6 million viewers on ABC on Saturday, August 8," the network announced.
"The matchup ranks as ESPN networks’ second most-viewed WNBA game on record, including both regular-season and playoff games. The audience was up 79 percent compared to last year’s ABC regular season average."
The Caitlin Clark Effect (and Sophie)
Clark is by far the most popular player in the WNBA and the ratings have followed her just about everywhere she's gone dating all the way back to her college years.
One could argue that some of Clark's popularity has waned due to her refusal to take firm stances on certain political issues. But it either hasn't been enough to mitigate the ratings, or it's being filled by someone else.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Cunningham has become popular in her own way for her public opposition to transgender athletes in women's sports. Her words and demeanor have inspired a different swath of fans to flock to her side, and she's quickly risen in popularity despite being a bench player.
As far as the basketball results go, the team is having one of its best seasons ever. They're just a few wins away from achieving a franchise record for single-season wins and will rank among the top teams in the playoffs if they keep up their winning ways.
And if the Fever make it on a deep run in the WNBA playoffs, things could get really big for the league.
