Caitlin Clark-Less All-Star Game Dropping 1.2 Million Viewers has Fans Trolling WNBA: “9th Best Guard in the League”

Caitlin Clark had to miss the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend's events due to the groin injury she sustained in her last game.

Caitlin Clark-Less All-Star Game Dropping 1.2 Million Viewers has Fans Trolling WNBA: “9th Best Guard in the League”

All-Star game drew 33% less viewers without Caitlin Clark (Image via FirstSportz)

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Caitlin Clark was supposed to be the biggest draw at the All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. Becoming captain of her team and taking part in her first-ever 3-point contest was expected to draw millions of viewers.

A late game injury to her groin poured cold water on those hopes. After waiting a day to check on her recovery, the Fever guard officially announced that she would withdraw from both events, as she was not in a position to stress her body.

However, she was courtside when Sabrina Ionescu reclaimed her throne as the 3-point queen. According to ESPN, the competition, along with the skills challenge earlier, drew 1.3 million viewers, double the number they drew in 2024.

Some might jump the gun and say that Ionescu and the other players have proved that they can pull audiences without Caitlin Clark. To counter those claims, ESPN’s All-Star game viewership numbers revealed a different picture.

That game drew an average of 2.2 million viewers. It was the most watched program in that time slot as the Fever guard donned her assistant coach hat and sat on the bench, drawing up plays for her teammates.

As per ESPN, the figures are 158% more than what they garnered in the 2023 edition of the All-Star game. However, this number is still 1.2 million down from last year’s record-breaking rating. In Clark’s debut All-Star game, the network drew 3.4 million viewers.

Fans troll WNBA and other players for losing viewership without Caitlin Clark

To the uninitiated, these numbers might look impressive, which they are. However, fans were quick to point out that the difference between the last two games made it clear that it is Caitlin Clark who moves the needle.

Analyst Skip Bayless had predicted this would happen. Some pointed out that those numbers went up after Sabrina Ionescu’s record-shattering displays from two years ago, along with her duet with Stephen Curry at the NBA All-Star.

Fans trolled at the jealousy from other WNBA players, as well as those fans who have tried long and hard to prove that Clark alone is not responsible for the league drawing millions of viewers. Check out examples of those reactions below:

Basketball fans also pointed out that whenever Caitlin Clark has missed games this season, the viewership ratings across the league have dropped by 50%. The All-Star game ratings dropped by 1/3rd. Amidst the CBA negotiations, fans believe these numbers might not help players demanding more pay.

Caitlin Clark’s return timeline not set

Clark has already missed 11 games this season. The first 5 were due to a quad strain, then the next 5 due to her first groin injury. Now, the Indiana Fever are taking their time on this latest groin injury after her eyes welled up.

Caitlin Clark enjoyed the 2025 All-Star weekend from the bench
Caitlin Clark enjoyed the 2025 All-Star weekend from the bench (Image via WNBA/X)

This time, the Fever have lined up their point guard to visit specialist doctors. As per Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson, the franchise has not set a potential timeline for Clark’s return. They are taking an informed approach rather than just working with what they have.

The Iowa native has been advised by many to take it easy and recover completely before returning to the court. Soft tissue injuries, if not managed well, can potentially hurt the player’s health.

Even going by the standard timeline, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year might not return until the end of this month. The league will not like consistent drops in ratings, but it is better to manage these problems now than to deal with recurring health problems later in her career.

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