Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever point guard, continues to generate significant attention both on and off the court, demonstrating a remarkable impact on sports viewership. Notably, the NCAA women’s basketball championship games featuring Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes recently matched and even surpassed the Super Bowl in audience size, highlighting the rising prominence of women’s basketball.
During the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball final, Iowa faced LSU, led by Angel Reese, in a thrilling matchup that drew a peak viewership of 12.6 million, setting a record for the most-watched college sports game in history, combining men’s and women’s events alike. The following year’s NCAA final saw Clark lead Iowa against South Carolina in a widely anticipated championship clash. Although Iowa fell 87-75 to the Gamecocks, the game attracted an even larger audience of 18.7 million viewers, according to CNBC. Together, these two championship contests accumulated approximately 31.3 million viewers, underscoring Clark’s strong appeal.
Comparing NCAA Viewership to the Super Bowl
The NFL has yet to release the official Super Bowl LX viewership numbers, but the halftime show featuring Bad Bunny attracted 135.4 million views. While that figure surpasses the NCAA game numbers, the impressive turnout for Clark’s games in college basketball reflects her growing influence. Across the past two seasons, Clark’s presence has consistently filled arenas and boosted viewership figures, prompting multiple NBA teams to reschedule home games to accommodate fans eager to watch her performances live.
Joe Tsai Highlights Caitlin Clark’s Significant Effect on WNBA Metrics
In November 2025, Joe Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, discussed Clark’s considerable impact on the WNBA during the All-In Podcast. Tsai emphasized the dramatic improvements seen in the league’s statistics since Clark entered the professional ranks:
“Caitlin Clark definitely had an effect on the WNBA. All metrics went up. This was last season, when she first came into the league from college. We’ve seen all our metrics from viewership to ticket sales, sponsorship, everything went up almost 4X.” – Joe Tsai, Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty Owner
Despite playing only 13 games last season due to muscle injuries, a factor contributing to declines in attendance and viewership, Clark remains a pivotal figure in women’s basketball, arguably the league’s most electrifying and influential player.
Ongoing Influence and What the Future Holds for Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark’s ability to captivate large audiences during NCAA tournaments and boost WNBA engagement signifies a critical shift in the visibility and popularity of women’s basketball. Her individual draw not only challenges traditional sports viewership hierarchies but also offers hope for further growth in the league’s fan base and commercial success. As Clark continues recovering and competing, fans and stakeholders anticipate even greater contributions that could reshape the landscape of women’s sports broadcasting and attendance.
Fun fact: Women’s College Basketball National Championship games that featured Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, had higher viewership than this year’s Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/ns7QDfFckO
— Mike Ott (Lover of beer and green bean casserole) (@DustyBottoms04) February 9, 2026
Here’s Joe Tsai, owner of the New York Liberty, on the All In Podcast – Talking about Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA.@WNBA @CaitlinClark22 pic.twitter.com/zDKqbcx9H9
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) February 6, 2026
