Fever vs. Sky sees major dip in rating with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese out

With Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese out due to injury, Saturday’s game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever saw TV ratings take a massive hit. According to Front Office Sports, the 1.31 million viewers tuned into the CBS broadcast, the fewest since Clark and Reese entered the league in 2024.

Additionally, a July 27 matchup broadcast on ABC in which Clark and Reese both also missed due to injury drew only 1.47 million viewers. That number is the second-fewest since 2024.

Compare that to the 2.7 million people who tuned in for the season opener between the Sky and Fever, and it illustrates how large of an impact Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have on viewership. That number was the largest for a WNBA regular season game in the past 25 years. Two other Sky-Fever games surpassed two million viewers in the 2024 season.

Currently, Clark is dealing with a right groin injury that has caused her to miss the team’s past 11 games. She has missed 20 games total this year after playing every contest during her rookie season.

Saturday’s game vs. the Fever was the fifth in a row that Reese has missed as she continues to deal with a back injury. She has played in only two of the team’s nine games since the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19.

Reese’s next chance to play will come Wednesday when the Sky take on the Connecticut Sun at 7 p.m. ET. The Fever lost 81-80 to the Dallas Wings on Tuesday and have a couple of days off before a matchup against the Washington Mystics on Friday.

Caitlin Clark injury update: Stephanie White reveals star guard still not practicing, increased individual workout load

Clark has still not yet returned to practice as she continues to deal with a right groin injury, per Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White. She has missed the past 10 games and is without a timetable to return.

However, White did offer a positive update in that Clark has been able to increase her workload in terms of what she can do away from the practice court. It’s been a slow process, but she is at least inching in the right direction.

“She’s been able to get a little bit more of her full-court running with all of her body weight,” White said Monday. “It’s really building up from doing minimal to then building some endurance to do longer periods of time. She’s been able to do a little bit more on the court in terms of how she moves, but not into practice yet.”

It’s been a tough season for Clark in terms of injuries. In addition to the right groin injury she is dealing with now, she also missed two weeks in June because of a groin injury on her left side. Prior to her injury this season, Clark was averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 27.9% from 3-point range.