WNBA’s 23-Year Milestone Continues to Be a ‘Missed Opportunity’ Amid Caitlin Clark’s Season-Ending Injury – Insider

There is a reason why Caitlin Clark is considered the biggest needle-mover in the WNBA. Her arrival in the league coincided with new engagement, viewership, and attendance records. To put this growth in numbers, the 2024 WNBA season saw an increase of 48% in average attendance when compared to the 2023 season. Naturally, in the 2025 WNBA season, this growth was expected to rise even further. And to be fair, it has grown, but not at the lightning pace of last year.

Even though the 2025 WNBA season broke the 23-year-old attendance record, this season’s growth has been at a much slower pace compared to the monumental growth we saw last year. Compared to the 48% growth we saw in the 2024 season, this year, the growth was 12%. Don’t get me wrong, 12% is still a massive growth, but compared to last year, it seems like a missed opportunity of sorts. In the latest edition of the No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show, WNBA insider Sabreena Merchant discussed why, despite the growth, this season feels like a lost opportunity. 

She said, “This is going to be the highest single-year attendance since 2002. An average of about 11,000 per game, which is phenomenal considering a few teams don’t even play in stadiums that can seat 11,000. There have been growth in viewership and just like ticket sales and all sorts of things.

Merchant further elaborated, saying, “But, I just kind of feel like (it’s) a missed opportunity because we have already seen the data of how games change when Caitlin is in them, right? And you think about the WNBA putting all these Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky games on national television, and in one of them, will there be both Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.”

Due to injuries to both Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese at different times of the season, they were only able to have one matchup against each other. After the confirmation of Caitlin Clark’s premature end to the season, her presence this season was limited to just 13 games.

Similarly, Angel Reese also missed seven straight games due to a back injury. But the 2025 season’s injury issues were not just limited to these two star players. Sophie Cunningham, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Kayla Thornton, Courtney Vandersloot, and many more players have either missed the entire season or significant time due to injuries. 

May 17, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) passes around Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 93-58.Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-IndyStar via Imagn Images

Despite these setbacks, the league managed to break the 2002 record of total attendance with almost a month left to go. According to reports, by August 19, the league had surpassed 2.43 million attendees. This broke the 23-year-old record set in the 2002 season. According to the same reports, the current season is expected to end with nearly 3.15 million in attendance by the time the season ends. Even in Caitlin Clark’s absence from action, she was still the driving force in attendance. 

Following the trend of her rookie year, games involving the Indiana Fever kept being shifted to bigger venues despite CC not even playing in the game. Such is her impact that with the Fever ever close to locking up a playoff spot, her presence, even on the sidelines, will continue to drive in more and more fans. 

Indiana Fever sweep Chicago Sky as they take another step closer to the playoffs

After the devastating news of Caitlin Clark and Chloe Bibby’s seasons being over came out, the Indiana Fever had no time to dwell on their losses. They had an important mission on September 5: a matchup against the Chicago Sky. In a game day that could have derailed their playoff chances, the Fever finally had a stroke of good luck. But for that good luck to amount to anything, they first needed to handle their own business. 

Sep 5, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) dribbles the ball past Chicago Sky guard Rachel Banham (24) during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

And handle they did. The Fever handed a blowout loss to an Angel Reese-less (who was missing the game due to accumulation of technical fouls) Chicago Sky. To make things even better, their two main competitors for the playoff spot, the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks, both lost their respective games. Seattle lost a game against the defending champions, New York Liberty (84-76). Meanwhile, the Sparks lost their game against the Atlanta Dream (104-85). 

With two major competitors losing their games, and with their own win, the Indiana Fever are closer than ever to locking in a playoff spot. As things stand, the Fever are in seventh place in the table. They have a .5 game advantage over the Storm and a 2.5 game advantage over the Sparks. With their next game against a supposedly easier opponent, the Washington Mystics, a win would surely send them to the playoffs. 

Whether they end up as the seventh seed or the eighth, that remains to be seen. Regardless of the seedings, most analysts believe that this is a first-round exit team. But for now, the good news is that despite all the struggles this year, it seems like the Indiana Fever are going to make the playoffs after all. 

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