Team Clark guard Caitlin ClarkTeam Clark guard Caitlin Clark (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)
Caitlin Clark’s latest injury hurt the WNBA in more ways than one.

Clark did not compete in any of the on-court events in Indianapolis due to her latest injury, which she suffered in the waning seconds of the Fever’s July 15 win over Connecticut.

Clark missed Indiana’s final game before the All-Star break with an injured right groin and pulled out of Friday night’s 3-point contest as well as Saturday’s All-Star Game.

The Caitlin Clark effect was certainly real for the WNBA as the ratings came out following the WNBA All-Star Game over the weekend.

Without Clark in action, the game saw a massive dip in viewership as compared to 2024.

According to ESPN PR, Saturday night’s game’s average of 2.2 million viewers was up 158% compared to the 2023 edition. It was the second-most-watched WNBA All-Star Game in history.

 

Numbers are up, but not as good as when Clark is the main attraction.

“Caitlin Clark effect manifests itself in 2 ways: Anything with Clark, then without, drops hard. NCAA title game -54%. Draft -49%. All-Star -36%. Regular-season -50% during her time out (but still up for 2025),” Karp wrote on Twitter/X. “Numbers even without Caitlin are well above years before her arrival.”

Last season, there were 3.44 million viewers for the WNBA All-Star Game. This past weekend, it dipped 36% down to 2.19 million viewers, first reported by Front Office Sports.

When Will Caitlin Clark Get Back On The Court?

Caitlin Clark in uniformCaitlin Clark (David Butler II-Imagn Images)
The WNBA tips off the second half of its season on Tuesday night.

One player who won’t be competing for the immediate future is Caitlin Clark, who is recovering from a right groin injury she suffered last week.

Clark told reporters on Saturday night that she had been getting treatment.

Indiana coach Stephanie White said the Fever intend to be cautious with Clark, who missed 10 games during the first half of the season with three different muscle injuries.

Brittney Griner speaking to reporterBrittney Griner (Photo via Twitter)
WNBA star Brittney Griner was at the center of a new debate over what she allegedly said in a game against basketball phenom Caitlin Clark.

The Atlanta Dream center found herself at the center of social media controversy last month when some fans thought she disparaged Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark upon fouling out.

The game’s broadcast focused on an upset Griner saying something as she returned to the Dream bench after fouling out of the game. While there’s no audio of this moment, some who tried to read Griner’s lips thought she called Clark a “trash f–king white girl.”

However, there’s no proof of Griner saying those actual words since others thought she stated something else.

It took weeks for someone to finally get a quote from her, and she provided much of nothing.

Brittney Griner was asked about this moment before her team’s June 15 game against the Washington Mystics and said, “I remember fouling out, being mad. I remember fouling out on, I believe it was [Natasha] Howard driving to the basket. They said I put my hand in.”

WNBA Chooses Not To Investigate Brittney Griner

Griner Drops F-Bomb, Apologizes Amid Clark Slur RowBrittney Griner (Photo By Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)
Moments before the conclusion of the Indiana Fever’s 81-76 victory over the Dream at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta weeks ago, cameras seemingly caught Atlanta Dream star center Brittney Griner labeling Caitlin Clark “trash” before calling her a “f***ing white girl” in frustration over a foul on Natasha Howard.

The clip of Griner speaking on the bench, lacking context, spread on social media and went viral.

Griner, who won a gold medal for Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024, essentially got away with whatever came out of her mouth because the league basically ignored the controversy.

This incident is not the only time Griner vocalized her frustrations this season. Following another game, she stormed off mid-interview, yelling at the referees to “be f—ing better.