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Caitlin Clark's Absence More Impactful Than Two Legendary Athletes

Originally posted on Men's Journal | By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 8:35 AM ET

WNBA and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is dealing with another injury and it couldn't be worse news for the league.

Clark is considered day-to-day with a left groin injury, and she has already missed one game, which came on Thursday versus the Los Angeles Sparks. Her status remains up in the air as of Friday morning.

As we saw earlier in the season when Clark was out for five games with a quadriceps injury, the WNBA's nationally-televised games take a massive hit in the ratings when she isn't playing.

And that impact in the ratings is actually bigger than a pair of legendary sports figures, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, as respected reporter Christine Brennan said recently.

"The WNBA's viewership dropped more than 50%. Not just the Fever, but the entire league," she said of the impact of Clark's previous absence. "I've covered Tiger Woods the length of his career. As big a deal as Tiger was in men's golf, and when he was gone it affected the ratings, but nothing like that. And Michael Jordan being out, maybe five percentage points or something. Nothing like this."

Tiger Woods victorious after Sunday play at The Masters in 2019.Kohjiro Kinno/Getty Images

Brennan goes on to state her the case that "there is no one single athlete more important to his or her sport or tour or whatever the circuit is that they play on, that Caitlin Clark is to the WNBA."

Hard to argue with Brennan's take here.

According to Nielsen, via USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt, the WNBA saw as much as a 55% drop in ratings of nationally-televised games while the Fever star was out the last time around.

It just goes to show that Clark is bringing in fans the league wouldn't have otherwise. The WNBA needs Clark to get well (and to protect her better when she's healthy), and fast.

This article first appeared on Men's Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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