But the numbers keep saying otherwise.The latest example came last week, when Clark and the Indiana Fever defeated the Toronto Tempo 113-91 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 16.Clark recorded a double-double with 21 points and 14 assists, but perhaps more importantly, helped deliver a massive audience for USA Network.Caitlin Clark helped draw a massive number for the Indiana Fever's June 16 win over the Toronto Tempo.
(Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire)The game averaged 1 million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch, making it the largest audience for a WNBA game on cable or streaming this season.CAITLIN CLARK TORCHES OFFICIALS AFTER FEVER STAR RECEIVES TECHNICAL FOUL FOR 'CLAPPING': 'JUST RIDICULOUS'That's a big number for the WNBA, especially considering the network on which it came.This wasn't ABC.It wasn't CBS.
It wasn't a national broadcast network with massive reach.It was USA Network, a cable channel, in the middle of June, on a Tuesday night.Before Clark arrived, that kind of number was almost impossible for the WNBA to hit.In fact, prior to Clark's rookie season, Sports Media Watch noted that the league had gone nearly 16 years without a seven-figure television audience.
The last one came in 2008, when Candace Parker's first professional game drew 1.07 million viewers on ABC.That was the old bar: seven figures on ABC.Now, when Clark is involved, 1 million viewers on cable is in play.Caitlin Clark is clearly the most popular player in the WNBA.(Pepper Robinson/NBAE)And this isn't some one-off, either.
Clark and the Fever have been doing this all season.Indiana's opening-weekend game against the Dallas Wings averaged 2.49 million viewers on ABC.That was the fourth-largest WNBA audience, including playoffs and All-Star Games, since 2000.Then Clark and the Fever faced the New York Liberty on CBS earlier this month and averaged 2.56 million viewers.
That game peaked at 3.02 million and became the third-largest WNBA audience of any kind since 2000.There is o...