The WNBA’s viewership records are being broken by the captivating rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The most-watched WNBA game in 23 years was the most recent contest on Sunday, which featured the Chicago Sky’s close 88-87 victory over the Indiana Fever. The game averaged 2.302 million viewers on ESPN.
When Clark and Reese square off, the record-breaking pattern starts to become routine. A game on June 16 that saw the Fever win 91-83 and Clark provide 23 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds also established a 23-year high in viewership with 2.25 million people on CBS. Richard Deitsch of The Athletic, via Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, reports that the latest Fever-Sky game performed better than the 1.58 million spectators that watched it.
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’s rivalry attracts spectators to the league
The fierce rivalry between Clark and Reese has garnered interest due to the dramatic quality of their games as well as their individual performances. Clark’s long-range shooting in the fourth quarter of their most recent game gave the Fever a sizable lead in the beginning. Early in the quarter, she made her fourth and fifth three-pointers, giving the Fever a 12-point lead. But after that, Clark adopted a more pass-oriented approach, going without a basket or an assist in the last seven minutes, which gave the Sky the opportunity to rally and win.
Although Clark stressed her confidence in her teammates, she conceded that there might have been more shots left in the game.
“There was undoubtedly a chance for me.”
“After that missed free throw, I truly believed that she would take it to the basket or pull up right there when she went out in transition. For our team, that would have been a fantastic shot for her. However, at the conclusion of the third quarter, we had a 15-point lead. We need to improve our ability to complete games, stated Sides.
Over the last three weeks, The Fever and Sky have faced off three times, with each battle going to the wire. On August 30, following the WNBA’s month-long vacation for the Summer Olympics in Paris, they will next meet. ION will broadcast the game at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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