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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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Amid the surging popularity of the WNBA and more interest in the league, Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham made a strong statement regarding her All-Star teammate, Caitlin Clark.
However, Cunningham says it's the "obvious" assessment of how things have changed since Clark joined the WNBA three seasons ago. Cunningham recently made her thoughts clear on the launch of her new podcast, "No Hesitation," featuring basketball trainer Drew Hanlan.
Hanlan explained that Clark helped increase WNBA viewership and globalize it, comparing it to how Michael Jordan helped globalize the NBA and basketball, and how Tiger Woods helped make golf more popular.
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"And I'll tell you what, for the W. I know you might get in a little bit of trouble. It is because of Caitlin Clark," Hanlan said to Cunningham.
"Timeout, timeout, timeout. ... I should not get in trouble for knowing the obvious. I think you use that for your benefit. It is so obvious, and that doesn’t mean there wasn’t greatness before her; it’s just like that’s when our game really started to go global," Cunningham told Hanlan.
More news: Angel Reese Gets Honest About Caitlin Clark as Teammate at FIBA World Cup
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Clark was drafted No. 1 in the WNBA in 2024 after her superstar college career at Iowa, where she set the all-time NCAA points-scored record, passing the legendary Pistol "Pete" Maravich. Since joining the WNBA, Clark has been setting records in the league and seems destined to do much more as she continues her career.
Hanlan explained that attendance and viewership in the league have "blown up" in recent years, providing some solid comparisons.
On the podcast, he mentioned that Fever attendance averaged just over 2,000 people five years ago. Fast forward to this season, and Hanlan stated that the Fever are averaging 15,109 people per game.
He also said viewership on all networks averages 1.3 million viewers this season, five times what it did five years ago. In addition, the league's overall attendance average has increased from 2,600 people per game to over 11,000 people per game.
The numbers don't lie, and Clark appears to be a big part of what has made the league grow. The addition of exciting new stars to the WNBA, such as the Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers and the Minnesota Lynx's Olivia Miles, has also contributed to recent surging success.
All of the above are going to appear in the WNBA Playoffs, which will likely see huge viewership and attendance, as Clark, Bueckers, and Miles strive to win their first championship in the league.
More news: Caitlin Clark Gives Honest Assessment of Angel Reese as Team USA Teammate
For more about the WNBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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