WNBA Legend Sue Bird Doesn't Hold Back Her Opinion of Caitlin Clark

WNBA legend Sue Bird recently dropped her "A Touch More" podcast alongside her co-host Megan Rapinoe, Bird's life partner and U.S. women's soccer legend.

During the show, Bird spoke about the recent news in the WNBA community involving playoff viewership.

Game 1 of the semifinals between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces drew a staggering 994k viewers, marking the most-watched WNBA semifinal game in 22 years.

While it's a great feat for the WNBA and both teams represented, fans have been downplaying the number of views the semifinal game produced.

Many fans have explained that the WNBA has taken a hit regarding viewership since generational rookie Caitlin Clark and her Fever squad were eliminated in the first round.

During Indiana's Game 2 loss to the Connecticut Sun, the Fever and Sun drew 2.5 million viewers.

In the recent podcast episode of "A Touch More," Bird mentioned that those numbers by Clark and the Fever were "astronomical" while explaining that there's clearly a fluctuation in viewership when Clark is involved.

“Viewership numbers with Caitlin Clark are astronomical,” Bird said . “She brings in all the things. We know this, we’ve said this. Yes, the games that she’s not playing have lower viewership."

While Bird admitted that WNBA viewership has dropped since Clark and the Fever were eliminated, she wanted to emphasize that the viewership numbers are still hitting historical rates.

"The WNBA playoffs, where Caitlin’s obviously not in it because her team lost are still breaking records from previous WNBA years," Bird added. "These numbers are still really high and still really meaningful… Yet, some people continue to flip that… Nobody ever said Caitlin wasn’t gonna be a marketing gem, a unicorn."

Clark's rookie season in the WNBA led to countless viewership and attendance records.

During her historic rookie season, the WNBA earned 54 million unique viewers on ESPN, ESPN2, ION, NBA TV, CBS and ABC. On ESPN platforms alone, there was an average of 1.19 million viewers, marking a 170% increase in viewership from the 2023 season.

There were also incredible numbers in the attendance category. The WNBA averaged 9,807 fans across all stadiums, which counts for a 48% increase from 2023.

The league also saw its highest attendance in 22 years, welcoming a total of 2,353,735 fans throughout the season, another 48% increase from 2023.

While the boost in numbers may not be based solely on Caitlin Clark, she's certainly helped bring a spark after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.

During her rookie season, the first-year star averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game. Clark led the Fever to its first WNBA playoff appearance since 2016 with a 20-20 record, helping turn the tide early in her career.

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