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ESPN Facing Major Backlash Over Caitlin Clark Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mathey Gibson | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 1:51 PM ET

The 2025 WNBA Draft was a win for ESPN by nearly every metric.

Averaging 1.25 million viewers and peaking at 1.46 million, it became the second most-watched WNBA Draft of all time.

It was the most-viewed program across all TV among M18-34, M18-49, and P18-34, and the top cable program among M25-54, P18-49, and P25-54. The numbers were up 119% from 2023.

But while celebrating the surge in viewership, ESPN notably skipped over the 2024 WNBA Draft—the most-watched in history, driven by Caitlin Clark’s No. 1 overall selection by the Indiana Fever.

The omission didn’t go unnoticed.

ESPN’s Elle Duncan attempted to clarify the network’s reasoning on X.

“I can help here. So we all know last year was pretty anamolous with CC being who she is. So to track actual growth, since she isn’t gonna ever be drafted again or play in college again we use 2023 metric to track actual growth and progress- 2023 was record setting as well!”

I can help here. So we all know last year was pretty anamolous with CC being who she is. So to track actual growth, since she isn’t gonna ever be drafted again or play in college again we use 2023 metric to track actual growth and progress- 2023 was record setting as well!
— Elle Duncan (@elleduncanESPN) April 15, 2025

Still, fans were quick to criticize the move, flooding social media with sharp reactions.

“So it's down from last year.. Skipping your best year and comparing it to the year before the GOAT graced the @WNBA is diabolical. Could have just said 'less people cared than last year..," one fan said.

“Yall really pretending 2024 doesn’t exist. Caitlin Clark has become Voldemort. Clowns," one fan commented.

“Why skip 2024? Does 2024 exist or not? Hmmm," another simply said.

“Guess 2024 never happened lol," one person added.

“Cool but 2024 shattered all ratings with cc being the #1 draft," another fan said.

“They literally are trying to erase Caitlin Clark out of the history book," one person said brutally.

Despite the backlash, ESPN’s long-term coverage of Clark and her growing WNBA impact is only just beginning. But fans clearly want transparency—especially when it comes to the history she’s already making.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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