Fever-Sky Still Draws Strong Ratings Interest Without Caitlin Clark

The June 7 game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky drew a lot of interest, despite Caitlin Clark not playing.

Jun 7, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) drives to the basket against Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard (6) during the first half of a WNBA game at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

While any game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky in 2025 is going to generate a ton of attention within the women's basketball community, their June 7 showdown lost a considerable amount of hype because superstar guard Caitlin Clark was sidelined with a left quad strain.

If Clark had been playing in the game, the United Center (the Chicago Bulls' home arena that fits over 20,000 people and where the game was moved earlier this season) likely would have held the largest audience in WNBA history, not to mention that millions of people would have tuned in to watch the game on TV.

While the United Center didn't set any attendance records, the game still drew a lot of eyeballs despite Clark being sidelined, which was conveyed in a June 10 X post from Colin Salao of Front Office Sports that read, "1.92 million viewers for the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game Saturday on CBS, a game Caitlin Clark missed due to injury.

"It's the third most-watched WNBA game of 2025, behind the Fever vs. Sky opener (2.7M, ABC) and Fever vs. Liberty (2.2M, CBS)."

1.92 million viewers for the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game Saturday on CBS, a game Caitlin Clark missed due to injury.

It's the third most-watched WNBA game of 2025, behind the Fever vs. Sky opener (2.7M, ABC) and Fever vs. Liberty (2.2M, CBS). pic.twitter.com/PMI0HHoB91

— Colin Salao (@colincsalao) June 10, 2025

This impressive metric serves as proof that even without Clark, both the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese are still able to attract a considerable audience, thus solidifying the fact that this rivalry is alive and well.

The Sky and Fever don't face each other again until July 27, in a game that Caitlin Clark is hopefully back healthy and playing in. Depending on how both teams perform from now until then, that game has a chance to draw another impressive TV audience.