The first weekend of the WNBA playoffs without rookie phenom Caitlin Clark was a bit quieter in terms of attention and viewership.

After Clark drew a WNBA record 1.84 million viewers to her first playoff game against the Connecticut Sun on September 22, competing with an NFL Sunday, she followed this up with another record audience of 2.54 million viewers for Game 2. However, Clark and the Indiana Fever lost both games, sending Clark home for the offseason.

The remaining teams competing for the WNBA title are now the New York Liberty, defending champion Las Vegas Aces and MVP A’ja Wilson, the Sun and the Minnesota Lynx.

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September 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) talks with Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) during the first half during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images)

The first game between the Aces and Liberty, a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals between two of the league’s most popular and successful teams, drew a crowd of 929,000, ESPN reported, which is 50% fewer than the Fever’s Game 1 against the Sun. Still, it was historically good for any WNBA playoff game not involving Clark, as it was better than all TV numbers for last year’s finals games between the two teams.

Meanwhile, Game 1 of the Sun-Lynx series had an audience of about 650,000 people.

Both games have also fallen far behind some of Clark’s regular season games in viewership. In early September, Clark’s Indiana Fever played before a TV audience of 1.26 million viewers, in a game against the Minnesota Lynx that was played at the same time as a Friday night Week 1 NFL game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. .

In Clark’s first regular season finale against the Washington Mystics on September 19, a total of 20,711 fans who showed up at Capital One Arena set a new record for the most attended WNBA regular season game.

On the TV front, Clark made the Fever the most-watched team in the WNBA by a landslide in her rookie year, as the 14 most-watched WNBA games of the season all included the Fever.

Clark’s teammate point guard Kelsey Mitchell told reporters in September that Clark is the reason she has a player who has more attention and fans than before.

INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK’S IMPACT ON MEN’S BASKETBALL

September 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) possesses the ball during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images)

“I think the reality is that people wouldn’t know without (Clark),” Mitchell said when asked if he would get more attention and fans this season. “She’s done a fantastic job of bringing her own fans and people who support her, but for me I kind of laugh about it and embrace it at the same time because I always flew under the radar. I’ve always been kind of that person who’s very conservative, very introverted, so now I see the other side of it.

Shooting guard Erica Wheeler told reporters that Clark’s presence this season has meant the team needs to be more resilient to scrutiny.

“All we do is have fun with Caitlin Clark, who never takes anything seriously,” Wheeler said. “I tell people all the time that she really is a kid at heart. There are times when we have to be serious, and we are serious, but most of the time we have fun. Because you have to understand that the outside world was really trying to get into this building. We just wouldn’t let it.”

The fans who tuned in to see Clark in her rookie year watched the Iowa product break a handful of league records en route to the WNBA Rookie of The Year award.

She broke the record for most points by a point guard in a single season in WNBA history on the final day of the regular season.

Clark previously broke the record for most points by a rookie and the league’s single-season assist record.

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, 22, smiles on an official Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (INDIANAPOLIS STAR-Imagn images)

The single-season record holder and leader in assists this year, Clark is the youngest player to ever lead the league in assists.

Clark also led the league in three-pointers this year and had the second-most all-time in a single season with 122.

Additionally, she broke the record for the most All-Star votes for any player in WNBA history, becoming the first rookie to ever record a triple-double.

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