Caitlin Clark Shatters WNBA Ratings Records, Proves To Be League's Biggest Star

Caitlin Clark is elevating the WNBA to unprecedented heights, and the proof is in the viewership data.

The Indiana Fever rookie is the most famous player in the league, and despite a 1-7 start, is putting up big numbers and drawing eyeballs.

She's averaging a very impressive 17.3 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game and a very solid 6.3 assists per game.

Even though the wins aren't there due to being on a horrible Indiana team, Clark is proving she's more than worth the hype. She's also re-writing viewership records.

WNBA ratings hit new highs thanks to Caitlin Clark.

How impressive is the Caitlin Clark effect on the WNBA? Six different networks have hit ratings highs for the league's games, and five of them have one thing in common:

Caitlin Clark and the Fever were playing.

Front Office Sports reported the following six networks hit record viewership highs:

• ESPN2: Fever at Sun, May 14, 2.1 million
• ABC: Fever at Liberty, May 18, 1.71 million
• ESPN: Sun at Fever, May 20, 1.56 million
• Ion: Fever at Sparks, May 24, 724,000
• CBS: Liberty at Lynx, May 25, 704,000
• NBA TV: Fever at Aces, May 25, 333,000

The only game that didn't feature Caitlin Clark was the May 25th matchup between the Liberty and Lynx on CBS. All other five record spots for networks are held by a game that featured the former Iowa superstar.

Is there anyone out there who wants to say with a straight face she's not the face of the league? The ultra-talented guard became the face of the league the moment the Indiana Fever drafted her first overall. The WNBA Draft also averaged more than 2.4 million viewers - a record for the league.

It's absolutely insane how much Clark has boosted the league. After nearly three decades of little to no interest, the WNBA is now making headlines daily. That doesn't happen at the level it currently is without Clark.

Caitlin Clark has elevated the WNBA to new heights. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

It makes all the criticism and attempts to tear Clark down even more insane once you take a deep dive into the numbers. A'ja Wilson, Jemele Hill, Sunny Hostin and others can make it a race issue if they want, but the truth is people are just in awe of Clark's playing style and skills. That might upset her haters, but the WNBA and networks have to be loving all this newfound attention and fans being brought in. She's on a rocket ship to the top of the league, and it's awesome to watch. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.