Christine Brennan discusses how Caitlin Clark has transformed WNBA viewership by attracting diverse fans, boosting attendance, and reshaping sports engagement.

The 2024 exhibition contest between the WNBA All-Stars and the U.S. Olympic Team had an average audience of 3.44 million viewers - a 305% growth year-over-year - becoming the third-most watched WNBA event and most since the league's first two nationally televised games in 1997.

The WNBA's opening weekend game with the four most recent No. 1 overall picks fell just short of the bar set last year.

For the past few weeks, Caitlin Clark has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. She was ruled out against the Portland Fire less than two hours before tipoff with back stiffness and soreness and even found herself at the center of heated exchanges.

The first real sign that the WNBA might be headed for another ratings explosion in 2026 came during a quiet preseason game in Brooklyn, New York. On Saturday, April 25, the Indiana Fever handled the New York Liberty 109–91 in a preseason opener loaded with star power.