Caitlin Clark Delivers Massive Ratings AGAIN For WNBA Following Olympic Break

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Well, if you thought that the lengthy Olympic break might cool fans off on the WNBA – well, more specifically Caitlin Clark – you would be mistaken!

The Indiana Fever returned from the break with a 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, followed by a 92-75 win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday. 

Both games drew massive numbers of fans to their TV screens as Clark hit the floor for the first time since July's WNBA All-Star Game. 

Although the Olympic ratings for the women's basketball gold medal game weren't quite as big as people thought they might be, the return of Clark certainly aided the WNBA over the weekend. 

For Friday's game, which aired on the ION Network, the coverage averaged 1.2 million viewers, according to Sports Media Watch. 

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark have had two games since the Olympic break and both delivered massive viewership for the WNBA.

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark have had two games since the Olympic break and both delivered massive viewership for the WNBA.

(Grace Smith/IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK)

It was the second-highest WNBA viewership number in history for ION, trailing only – you guessed it – a previous matchup featuring Caitlin Clark earlier this season. 

On Sunday, the Fever faced the Seattle Storm in a prime spot: 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. And they delivered. 

The game averaged 2.2 million viewers, the fourth-largest viewership number for a WNBA game in the past 20 years. 

I sound like a broken record, but you know what's coming. Yes, the only three games to rate higher also featured Caitlin Clark (the WNBA All-Star Game and the two Fever matchups against the Chicago Sky and Angel Reese). 

Can Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever and the WNBA continue to draw big audiences once the football season starts? 

Still, the biggest question remains whether this momentum will carry into football season when sports fans have more options on television. 

The college football season kicks off this weekend and the NFL is now just two weeks away. 

But given the fervor that continues to build around Clark, and the fact that viewers immediately tuned back in following nearly one month away, it is a good sign that fans might continue to watch even as football begins. 

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark have had two games since the Olympic break and both delivered massive viewership for the WNBA.

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark have had two games since the Olympic break and both delivered massive viewership for the WNBA.

(Christine Tannous/IndyStar/USA TODAY NETWORK)

The Fever's first head-to-head matchup against the NFL will come on Friday, September 6. 

That night, Indiana faces Minnesota at 7:30 p.m. ET. The NFL's Brazil game, featuring the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, begins at 8:15 p.m. ET.

Then, the Fever play that Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET. That ripoff is going to go directly against the first NFL Sunday of the season, although the Indianapolis Colts play at 1 p.m. so local fans could watch (or possibly attend) both games. 

Clark and the Fever have four regular season games scheduled to go up against NFL football. 

That's going to be the biggest test for "Caitlin Clark Mania." 

Is she up to the task? It's a tough ask, but at this point I wouldn't bet against her. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.