Without a doubt, the 2025 WNBA season will be remembered for an unexpected blow: the injury that took Caitlin Clark out of action, the Indiana Fever star and the league’s main media driver.
What seemed to be a year of consolidation for the star ended in frustration, and with it, an inevitable debate was sparked: how dependent is the WNBA on its most influential player?
Caitlin Clark, a season marked by injuries
Clark began the year with a quadriceps injury, and although she attempted a comeback, new discomforts followed. Two groin tears further complicated her path, with the second – in mid-June, just before the All-Star Game in Indiana – ultimately ending her season.
Despite hopes for a playoff return, Clark herself announced last week that she would close out the season. The news not only hit the Indiana Fever, who had already secured a postseason spot, but also impacted the league’s overall spectacle.
The impact on the WNBA: ticket prices drop
Clark’s magnitude was evident in a revealing statistic. According to TickPick, the average ticket price for a WNBA game before her injury hovered around $89. After it was confirmed she wouldn’t return in 2025, the figure plummeted by 30%, settling at $62 per ticket.
Fans quickly reacted on social media:
“You can’t watch her play, so it’s not the same,” one commented.
“Does this show it’s just Clark, or that the whole league depends on her?” another questioned.
“Honestly, I thought the drop would be 50%. Like it or not, she fills the stadiums,” wrote a fan.
From Iowa to the WNBA: the Clark phenomenon
Clark’s magnetism is no coincidence. With Iowa, she played in two national finals and became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history. That trajectory catapulted her to the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, and since her arrival, the WNBA has experienced a boom in viewership and arena attendance.
While ticket prices have dropped without her on the court, they’re still much higher than just three or four years ago. The fever for women’s basketball continues to rise, and much of that growth has a name: Caitlin Clark.
The Indiana Fever star’s injury makes it clear that the WNBA has gained popularity, but it also exposes an urgent challenge: diversifying its appeal and building more stars to sustain public interest. Because if 2025 proved anything, it’s that Caitlin Clark doesn’t just play… she drives the entire league.
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