Must-See-Caitlin-TV Update: It's Another WNBA Ratings Bonanza Saturday, Sunday

Why don't they just put Caitlin Clark's image on the WNBA logo?

What would all the haters think of that?

Whenever she moves on national television, it becomes ratings gold, according to WNBA standards. And Clark, the first pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft, doesn't even play for a decent team. Her Indiana Fever are 2-9 this season.

Indiana guard Caitlin Clark hand checks Chicago forward Angel Rees during the second quarter of their game Saturday in Indianapolis that Indiana won 71-0 in at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Getty Images)

But everyone basically just wants to watch her, despite some over-the-horizon comments by "rival" Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky … with the rival part mainly coming from Reese's perspective.

The first Clark-Reese pairing since Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes beat Reese and the LSU Tigers to reach the NCAA Womens' Final Four drew 1.53 million viewers on ESPN on Saturday afternoon for a 0.9 rating. Indiana's 71-70 win over Chicago was the fourth largest WNBA TV audience over the past 22 years.

Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter after pushing Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark to the floor while the ball was dead Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Officials called it a common foul by mistake, and were later overruled by the league office, which called it a flagrant foul. (Getty Images)

It remains one of the most talked about WNBA games ever as Reese and Sky guard Chennedy Carter each knocked Clark to the ground with hard fouls. The one by Reese was not called, however. The one by Carter, which was a body block that the Chicago Bears would be proud of, was later upgraded by the league from a common foul to a flagrant foul. 

ANALYSIS: Caitlin Clark Flagrant Fouler Chennedy Carter's Disciplinary Baggage

Clark barely complained, however, as she has been known to do all season despite a slew of hard fouls against her that her coach, Christie Sides, has been regularly sending to the league offices.

"I think everybody's physical with me," Clark said recently. "They get away with things probably other people don't. It's tougher, but it's a very physical game. That's just professional basketball."

And now the top four WNBA TV audiences of the last 22 years all featured Clark this season.

- No. 1 was the Indiana regular season opener and Clark pro debut at Connectiut on May 14 that drew 2.12 million to ESPN2.

- No. 2 was Indiana against the New York Liberty on May 18 with 1.7 million on ABC.

- And the No. 3 game ahead of Caitlin Vs. Reese was Indiana versus Connecticut on May 20 on ESPN that brought in 1.56 million.

Saturday's game was Reese's first WNBA affair that drew significant viewership of any kind.

Angel Reese Remains Delusional

Yet, Reese said this Monday: 

"I know I'll go down in history. I'll look back in 20 years and be like, ‘Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women's basketball is not just because of one person (Clark). It's because of me, too.' And I want you to realize that."

But no one does.

The WNBA had gone almost 16 seasons without an audience of a million or more. And now it has five. Only the No. 5 game does not involve Clark directly, though she did set the table, so to speak. The Los Angeles Sparks-Las Vegas Aces game on Saturday, May 18, drew 1.34 million viewers on ABC. But that was the second game of an ABC doubleheader. Clark and Indiana played just before that game against New York and drew 1.7 million.

Clark is not the only WNBA player on the receiving end of hard fouls, which could be driving up the ratings.

Reese, who was known for extracurricular fouls while at LSU, got a dose of her own medicine from Connecticut forward Alyssa Thomas on May 26.

Like Clark, Reese did not complain much.

"I want to be knocked down by vets," Reese said. "And I want to be able to get up and grow."

The only difference between Thomas' foul of Reese and Carter's and Reese's fouls on Clark was that Thomas was ejected from the game. Carter clearly should have been, too, more so than Thomas. Thomas' foul was at least while the basketball was live. When Carter decked Clark, the ball hadn't even been inbounded.

Some, including announcer Bob Costas, have cried that not as much was made of the Thomas foul on Reese as the Carter foul on Clark because it was black on black as opposed to black on white.

No, Bob. Actually, the real reason not much has been made of the Thomas foul on Reese was likely because the game was not televised nationally. Not many actually saw it.

That is obviously not the case with Caitlin-Must-See-TV.