Caitlin Clark Context Can't Go Missing in 2025 WNBA Draft Ratings

The 2025 WNBA Draft ratings told a similar story when it comes to the growth of the women's game since Caitlin Clark arrived on the scene.

April 17, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Fever player Caitlin Clark, former Iowa Hawkeye standout and the no. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, speaks Wednesday, April 17, 2024, during an introductory press conference inside the entry pavilion at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Mykal McEldowney-USA TODAY NETWORK | Indianapolis Star-USA TODAY NETW

There is no with and without Caitlin Clark when it comes to the growth of women's basketball. That's because any common sense context makes it fairly clear that the massive momentum around the game is in conjunction with Clark.

This was once again proven by the 2025 WNBA Draft ratings, which followed a very clear recent trend. Viewership was way down from Clark's year, but way up from years prior. However, the flawed takeaway is pitting these two things against one another, or acting as if the Indiana Fever star's rise took place in a vacuum.

The 2025 #WNBADraft on ESPN delivered the second most-viewed WNBA Draft ever, averaging 1.25M viewers👏

🏀 1.46M peak
🏀 Most-viewed program across ALL TV among M18-34, M18-49 & P18-34
🏀 Top cable program among M25-54, P18-49 & P25-54 pic.twitter.com/io5HdjpuSF

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 15, 2025

ESPN released the recent draft numbers in proclaiming it the second-most viewed ever, showing that the 1.25 million who tuned in was up 119% from the same slot in 2023. Of course, Clark supporters quickly pointed out that 2024 was omitted. That's because twice as many people watched Clark get drafted by the Fever a year ago.

But two things can be true at the same time: 1. Clark is a phenomenon unlike any we have seen before. 2. It's still great that the numbers are up from before Clark's explosion in popularity.

The same exact notion rang true with the ratings for UConn's win over South Carolina in the NCAA championship game. That contest saw the audience drop off by 10 million from the year prior with Clark and Iowa involved, but was still up from every non-Clark title game aired on ESPN platforms.

Here’s my thing ultimately. If you’re going to omit 2024 because Caitlin Clark rocketed the numbers in ways that are hard to ever reproduce due to her massive popularity, then don’t also say that last year’s boom in popularity was not just about Caitlin Clark every chance you get https://t.co/NKFq2tOcrd

— Michael (@Ser_Dweeb) April 16, 2025

This trend dates back to the 2024 WNBA Finals as well. The deciding game between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx did not reach the number Clark's final game of the season with the Fever against the Connecticut Sun did, but was still the most watched Finals game this century.

What's confusing is when this data is treated as unrelated. Logic indicates the huge increase in fans following the product in large part due to Clark would have a carryover effect. Thus, naturally leading to viewers gaining interest in other teams and allowing more stars to thrive.

Players like Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins have made a name for themselves on their own, but it certainly helps that the attention around the sport is greater than it was in the past, as up and coming stars have a bigger platform to build on now.

I can help here. So we all know last year was pretty anamolous with CC being who she is. So to track actual growth, since she isn’t gonna ever be drafted again or play in college again we use 2023 metric to track actual growth and progress- 2023 was record setting as well!

— Elle Duncan (@elleduncanESPN) April 15, 2025

What happened with Clark is both an anomaly and a catalyst. But her transcendent popularity and the the overall growth of the game are not competing ideas. And they are both cause for celebration.