People Think It’s Gone Soft – Caitlin Clark on why NBA Ratings have dropped and how to save them before $76 billion deal
Caitlin Clark has chimed in on the NBA ratings debate. The 22-year-old star has offered her theory on why NBA ratings have fallen in recent years and even offered a solution on how to raise them. GettyThe WNBA have shattered multiple audience records following Caitlin Clark’s arrival[/caption] The current season is seeing an average of just 1.4 million viewers across national stations like ABC, TNT, and ESPN, according to Sports MediaWatch. This is a sharp overall fall of 18 per cent from last season with ESPN facing a 28 per cent fall through November 21, according to Yahoo Sports. This is a worrying trend ahead of a record-breaking 11-year TV deal which totals $76 billion for the 2025-26 season. The new deal nearly triples the annual revenue the NBA has with its current deal. With ABC and ESPN keeping the rights, but Amazon Prime and NBC Universal will now air select games after TNT lost their rights. WNBA superstar Clark, who enjoyed a stellar debut season last year, went on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce and shared her thoughts on why NBA ratings down. “I feel like the average basketball fan just doesn’t understand how good NBA players are and they think it looks like they’re not trying,” Clark told the pair. “I promise you they’re trying, they’re just so good.” When asked for a specific reason for the decline in viewership, Clark mentioned the lack of physicality. “The physicality of the league has changed a lot,” she added. “I wasn’t around when it was much more physical and maybe people want more beef and physicality, and people think it’s gone soft. But I think that’s also because the skill has just changed. Clark capped off a remarkable debut season with the WNBA Rookie of the Year awardGetty “That’s what’s great about basketball, it’s always evolving,” Clark continued. “It’s going to be different than when [Michael Jordan] played, it’s gonna be different in ten years than it is now.” The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year also admitted that the NFL is just the US’ favourite sport currently and the NBA is struggling to compete against it. “It’s hard for me to put my finger on why it has gone down and it’s competing against a lot of football right now, you have to take that into consideration,’ Clark said. ‘Football is just America’s favorite thing.” Clark’s league, the WNBA, enjoyed unprecedented success last year when it came to their own viewing figures and attendance. A 170% increase in average viewers for regular season games saw the WNBA attract 54 million unique viewers in 2024. The WNBA restarts on Friday, May 16th while Clark will return to action on May 17th as she opens her season against Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky.
Caitlin Clark has chimed in on the NBA ratings debate.
The 22-year-old star has offered her theory on why NBA ratings have fallen in recent years and even offered a solution on how to raise them.
The current season is seeing an average of just 1.4 million viewers across national stations like ABC, TNT, and ESPN, according to Sports MediaWatch.
This is a sharp overall fall of 18 per cent from last season with ESPN facing a 28 per cent fall through November 21, according to Yahoo Sports.
This is a worrying trend ahead of a record-breaking 11-year TV deal which totals $76 billion for the 2025-26 season.
The new deal nearly triples the annual revenue the NBA has with its current deal. With ABC and ESPN keeping the rights, but Amazon Prime and NBC Universal will now air select games after TNT lost their rights.
WNBA superstar Clark, who enjoyed a stellar debut season last year, went on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce and shared her thoughts on why NBA ratings down.
“I feel like the average basketball fan just doesn’t understand how good NBA players are and they think it looks like they’re not trying,” Clark told the pair.
“I promise you they’re trying, they’re just so good.”
When asked for a specific reason for the decline in viewership, Clark mentioned the lack of physicality.
“The physicality of the league has changed a lot,” she added.
“I wasn’t around when it was much more physical and maybe people want more beef and physicality, and people think it’s gone soft. But I think that’s also because the skill has just changed.
“That’s what’s great about basketball, it’s always evolving,” Clark continued. “It’s going to be different than when [Michael Jordan] played, it’s gonna be different in ten years than it is now.”
The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year also admitted that the NFL is just the US’ favourite sport currently and the NBA is struggling to compete against it.
“It’s hard for me to put my finger on why it has gone down and it’s competing against a lot of football right now, you have to take that into consideration,’ Clark said. ‘Football is just America’s favorite thing.”
Clark’s league, the WNBA, enjoyed unprecedented success last year when it came to their own viewing figures and attendance.
A 170% increase in average viewers for regular season games saw the WNBA attract 54 million unique viewers in 2024.
The WNBA restarts on Friday, May 16th while Clark will return to action on May 17th as she opens her season against Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky.
