Caitlin Clark has emerged as the central figure in the WNBA’s recent surge in popularity, yet her safety and on-court protection remain a growing concern after her injury-ridden 2025.
Critics argue that the league has not done enough to safeguard the Indiana Fever star, whose presence has driven both viewership and revenue in women’s basketball’s premier class to previously unseen levels.
Statistics support these observations. A June report from the New York Post revealed that the Fever’s nationally televised games are down 53 percent without their star guard on the court.
Games are averaging just 847,000 viewers without the 23-year-old shooting her famous logo threes, a drop of around one million viewers compared to when the 2024 Rookie of the Year is entertaining crowds at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Huge ratings drop
Such a dramatic decrease in viewership represents a significant revenue loss for the league and underscores the importance of keeping Clark healthy on the court and this was particularly evident during the Fever’s Game 1 against the Atlanta Dream, when several sections of the stadium remained empty despite Clark’s participation.
Historically, arenas hosting Clark’s games were frequently sold out, highlighting her role in driving attendance and fan engagement, yet she is consistently targeted by flagrant fouls and aggressive defenses.
This is leading to criticism from the WNBA that they are not clamping down hard enough to make sure she can get through a match safely, with the Fever turning to Sophie Cunningham as an “enforcer” to protect her.
“I don’t think the league has almost done zero,” Kilmeade said to FOX Sports. “They’ve almost said nothing, you don’t even hear any outrage.
“If this was the guys and they were beating up LeBron, Adam Silver would have spoken out already. I don’t know what’s happening. But I’ve never seen such resentment.
“Here’s this woman, who comes into the league as a legitimate rookie. She has upped the viewership to the highest in 20 years. So the ratings are up to their highest (200 percent), and attendance is up 14 percent year to year.”
Why does the WNBA have to do more to protect Caitlin Clark?
Olden Polynice, who appeared on the most recent episode of Byron Scott’s Fast Break, said the WNBA needs to recognize what they have with Clark and protect her better.
“You don’t even take care of your own,” Polynice said. “You had the golden egg, and you still do, but yet you clown. Caitlin Clark is your golden egg.”
WNBA legend Rebecca Lobo emphasized the lack of protection for top players in a social media post by pointing out that in 2024, “Clark had been flagrantly fouled five times (32 games)”.
These figures reveal a troubling pattern of insufficient officiating protection for the league’s premier talent as the urgency to protect Clark extends beyond individual welfare; it impacts the league’s broader stability.
Missing games due to injury not only reduces viewership but risks undermining the progress the WNBA has made in recent years as fans, sponsors, and media attention are all closely tied to her presence.
That makes her protection a top priority for league leadership if they want to continue to enjoy this purple patch explosion of interest in the sport.
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