Caitlin Clark's Fashion Gets Internet's Attention While Being With Serena Williams 2 Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) points to a teammate while checking into the game during a NCAA Big Ten Conference women’s basketball game against Rutgers, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

'Social Media Returned To It’s Nasty Form': Caitlin Clark Critic Responds To Fans & Defending Her ESPN Ratings Take

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Dan Agulto | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 11:16 AM ET

The Caitlin Clark effect is not something that the sports industry has never seen before, and thus would have a lasting impact on the ratings of basketball broadcasting. At least, this has been the justification given by a sports analyst in the criticism fans are throwing, particularly with the current ratings of the WNBA draft.

In an interview, ESPN analyst Elle Duncan addressed Caitlin Clark fans who accuse the news outlet of dismissing Clark’s achievements and impact on college basketball all the way to the WNBA.

“Getting a lot of, like, because social media has returned to its nasty form,” Duncan said. “Whenever ESPN PR is talking about this year’s ratings and they keep comparing it to 2023.”

“There is a nice faction of social media that’s, like, we’re ignoring last year, we’re ignoring Caitlin Clark,” Duncan said. “We knew last year was anomalus. 19 million for the national championship was bananas. … we had a feeling that it would probably not carry over to the next year.”

Caitlin Clark’s presence in college basketball has led to a remarkable surge in ratings and viewership. During her senior season, the NCAA women’s basketball championship game drew 18.9 million viewers, surpassing the men’s title game by over four million viewers.

Her games consistently broke records, including Iowa’s matchups against Maryland and Ohio State, which attracted 1.93 million viewers and peaked at 3.9 million during overtime. The “Clark Effect” also boosted attendance, with Iowa’s games setting records at venues across the country.

Caitlin Clark Fan Claps Back at Analyst

In light of the comments made by Elle Duncan and her take on Caitlin Clark, one fan called out the ESPN analyst on her comments about the issue of Clark’s achievements getting downplayed by the media outlet.

“Hey Elle Duncan,” the fan wrote on their post. “Maybe it’s condescending soapbox rants like this about the fans who actually did stick around, is why millions of them didn’t… we got these all last year from you as well.”

“A major part of the reason the numbers are what they are this year, is because of the Clark fans who watched last year, and stayed around. Eliminating those numbers gives zero context that she was the catalyst to the growth,” the fan added.

Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA led to a historic boost in ratings and viewership, with her games averaging over 1.2 million viewers and driving a 300% increase in TV ratings. Her presence also contributed to record-breaking attendance and merchandise sales.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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