The Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever became instant rivals after the 2024 WNBA Draft. It's not because their fans got into a scuffle or the teams woke up with bad blood. Instead, it was because they drafted Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. In all fairness, the games are close and the scorelines usually don't tell the whole story. However, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert posits that there is so much more to the league than just these two.
The impact of the Sky vs. Fever rivalry games
Look, the WNBA was built over time and not overnight. A lot of players have come and gone to the association that Cathy Engelbert is now taking care of. Yes, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark gave it a major boost in terms of revenue and concurrent viewers. However, to say that the Fever and Sky rookies are the only focal points of the association is disingenuous. The WNBA C0mmissioner outlined why this is the case in her latest statement, via TODAY with Hoda and Jenna.
“Caitlin and Angel, everybody's talking about that rivalry. We have a New York-Vegas rivalry coming after last year in the finals. The WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship. There are so many things now, storylines. Why do people watch? They watch because there are household names they know, there are rivalries and there are games of consequence. This game matters and this is why they are watching,” Engelbert said.
However, the impact that Clark and Reese have on the WNBA cannot be understated. In the Fever and Sky's latest clash, ESPN garnered an insane 2.3 million consistent viewership throughout the course of the game. Moreover, it also had a peak of 3.3 million viewers. This rivalry set the WNBA viewership record and it is even regarded as the highest-viewed game of the association in 23 years. There are other rivalries and things to watch out for but Clark and Reese are what the people are feeling as of the moment.
The specific impact of the Fever rookie to the WNBA Commissioner's office
Hailing a player as the next woman up is nothing new. LeBron James carried that torch in the NBA for a really long time. But, there is just a very different impact that Clark makes in the WNBA. This is independent of her rivalry with Reese and definitely spans wherever she goes.
Cathy Engelbert discussed how the league has been strategizing their growth since they caught wind of the Fever rookie's undeniable stardom.
“We're obviously marketing around all of our players, but I think Caitlin's lifting everybody. Our arenas are packed, our viewership. A key part of why I was hired is to look at how to bring new viewers and new fans. We're one of the most demographics in all of sports, both on the court and now our viewership,” the WNBA Commissioner concluded.
There is a lot that the Fever rookie is yet to accomplish in the league. Hopefully, all of these fans could stick around and watch her grow into the promised superstar that she could be. Until then, it will be a fun ride riddled with games against the Sky and bumps on the road.
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