Aug 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Indiana Fever injured guard Caitlin Clark in attendance against the Phoenix Mercury during an WNBA game at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark Admits 'Responsibility' to Play Amid Sue Bird WNBA Ratings Dip Ask

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 1:37 PM ET

The Indiana Fever faced the Chicago Sky on July 27. Given that Fever superstar Caitlin Clark and Sky forward Angel Reese are arguably the two biggest stars in women's basketball right now, any time the Fever and Sky match up draws a ton of ratings and interest.

This is proven by the fact that their May 17 showdown (which marked the start of the 2025 WNBA regular season for both teams) is still the most-viewed WNBA game in ESPN's history, as it averaged 2.5 million viewers and peaked at 3.1 million viewers.

However, both Clark and Reese were sidelined for the July 27 game, and this prompted a pronounced dip in ratings. While the contest still averaged 1.5 million viewers on ABC, this pales in comparison to that aforementioned May game.

This is just one example of an unavoidable fact this season has presented: Caitlin Clark being sidelined with injuries causes a dip in not only TV ratings but general interest in the league.

Caitlin Clark Speaks About WNBA Ratings Dip Without Her to Sue Bird

Clark spoke with Sue Bird for an August 8 episode of the Bird's Eye View podcast. At one point in their discussion, Bird asked Clark, "Viewership and ticket sales are up across the WNBA. And, also when you don't play, there's a dip. A substantial dip.

"So how does [that ratings dip] impact your patience? Everybody knows that when you play, [the ratings] changes... How are you managing that so it doesn't impact your patience?" Bird continued.

"It has definitely been hard. I'm gonna go to every road game, no matter what. Whether I'm playing or not. And it's hard, because obviously I do feel this responsibility of being out there and playing," Clark responded.

She later added, "You do want to play. You do want to give people something to cheer about, or to scream about. People spend so much time, and money, and resources, to come and watch you play. And it has been cool to see people continuing to show up... and that's why I've been trying to take as much time [for fans] as I can.

"I sign autographs for way longer when I'm hurt than when I'm active," Clark added with a laugh. "That's never something I wish for, but I still want to make as much time as I can for people, and give them something that they can remember."

Props to Clark for making this effort in order to still try and appease her massive fan base.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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