Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were knocked out of the 2024 WNBA playoffs in a first-round sweep by the Connecticut Sun. Despite standout performances from the star rookie, the Fever couldn’t break through in the series. Indiana fell in Game 1 with a 69-93 defeat and then narrowly lost Game 2 with a final score of 81-87. Clark’s debut in the WNBA was marked by massive excitement, as she regularly shattered TV viewership and attendance records. Game 2 of the Fever’s playoff series averaged 2.54 million TV viewers, a milestone not seen since Indiana’s postseason exit, with no playoff game since reaching 1 million average viewers.
WNBA playoff viewership has seen a massive decrease since Caitlin Clark’s elimination:
Fever’s last game – 2.54M viewers
Most-watched game since – 929,000 viewers pic.twitter.com/Tn6tOiG6jo
— Guru (@DrGuru_) October 1, 2024
Despite these impressive numbers, some still question Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA. In a now-deleted post on X, one user argued that the league doesn’t rely on Clark’s presence, pointing to the other star talent in the WNBA. However, their credibility faltered when they incorrectly named “Brianna Ionescu” as one of the stars. The user claimed, “Caitlin Clark got sent home and viewership hasn’t dropped at all. The WNBA isn’t lacking for stars,” before listing players such as A’ja Wilson, DeWanna Bonner, Breanna Stewart, Kelsi Plum, and others, including the erroneous “Brianna Ionescu.” Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings reacted to the post with laughing emojis and a shrug.
🤣🤷🏽♀️🤣😂 https://t.co/ejNmjE2FBb
— Tamika Catchings (@Catchin24) October 2, 2024
Tamika Catchings showed unwavering support for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever throughout their 2024 WNBA season. Following the team’s playoff elimination last week, the former league MVP sent a heartfelt message to her old team. “Super proud of our @IndianaFever team!!! Fought a lot of battles this year and I guarantee that WE WILL BE BACK!! Love my ladies!!! Now that we know what it feels like, we’ll know what it takes to keep on playing!!! #PlayoffTime #FeverBeliever 4 LIFE!!!” Catchings wrote, expressing her confidence in the team’s future.
Catchings will undoubtedly be rooting for Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever when they take the court again for the 2025 WNBA season.
