Caitlin Clark Effect lifts WNBA attendance, viewership into Olympic break
The Caitlin Clark Effect isn't letting up.
Last weekend's WNBA All-Star Game, in which a group of WNBA stars defeated the U.S. Olympic team 117-109 on ESPN, drew an event-record 3.4 million viewers, over 300% more than the 2023 game. Viewership peaked at 4.1 million viewers.
Clark, the Indiana Fever rookie, had 4 points and a game-high 10 assists. Dallas' Arike Ogunbowale scored all of her 34 points in the second half to power Team WNBA. The Fever's Kelsey Mitchell scored 13 points and Aliyah Boston added 4.
Clark's presence in the pro game, coming off her record-setting college career, has propelled the WNBA's popularity. The 12 most-viewed games this season have involved the Fever.
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Top 12 WNBA broadcasts in 2024
June 23, Fever at Chicago Sky, 2.3 million viewers on ESPN
June 16, Sky at Fever, 2.25 million, CBS
May 14, Fever at Connecticut Sun, 2.12 million, ESPN2
June 30, Fever at Phoenix Mercury, 1.93 million, ESPN
July 6, New York Liberty at Fever, 1.87 million, CBS
May 18, Fever at Liberty, 1.71 million, ABC
July 17, Fever at Dallas Wings, 1.7 million, ESPN
July 15, Fever at Minnesota Lynx, 1.57 million, ESPN
May 20, Sun at Fever, 1.56 million, ESPN
June 1, Fever at Sky, 1.5 million, ESPN
July 2, Fever at Las Vegas Aces, 1.45 million, ESPN
July 12, Fever at Mercury, 1.34 million, Ion
Last Saturday's 2024 #WNBAAllStar game on ABC was the most-watched EVER
🏀 3rd most-viewed #WNBA event EVER
🏀 Largest WNBA audience EVER on ESPN platforms
🏀 Largest WNBA Countdown EVER
More: https://t.co/aREroeQFKA pic.twitter.com/RSZQmPWTi3— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 23, 2024
WNBA attendance 2024
The Fever lead the league in attendance, which is up sharply. Some Fever road games have been moved to larger arenas to accommodate ticket demand.
In 2023, the Las Vegas Aces led the WNBA in attendance, averaging 9,551 fans per game. The Fever were 11th in the 12-team league at 4,066.
Fever, 16,898 fans per game
New York Liberty, 12,755
Las Vegas Aces, 11,147
Los Angeles Sparks, 10,993
Seattle Storm, 10,675
Phoenix Mercury, 10,449
Minnesota Lynx, 8,951
Chicago Sky, 8,719
Connecticut Sun, 7,649
Washington Mystics, 6,726
Dallas Wings, 6,056
Atlanta Dream, 4,638
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark helps WNBA All-Star Game gain record TV viewership
