Caitlin Clark-less WNBA All Star ratings reveal a troubling truth

The numbers are in — and the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game didn’t just miss the mark, it completely faceplanted. Despite a packed house in Indianapolis and flashy warm-up tees calling for better pay, the television audience clearly tuned out. Why? Simple. Caitlin Clark didn’t play.

Ahead of Saturday night’s All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, several WNBA players — including Caitlin Clark — took the floor wearing shirts that read “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” It was a direct shot at the ongoing CBA negotiations.

But here’s the problem: You can’t demand higher pay when interest in the league tanks the second Clark isn’t playing. That’s not a knock on the message — it’s a reality check for the WNBA.

Caitlin Clark t-shirt during All-Star Weekend

Caitlin Clark’s shirt:

“I DESERVE NBA MONEY” 👀 pic.twitter.com/1FW564IU0R

— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) July 20, 2025

The All-Star Game averaged 2.19 million viewers on ABC. That’s a 36% drop from last year, and easily one of the worst downturns in recent WNBA history — especially when you consider how much momentum Caitlin Clark has given the league this season.

Last year’s game had a unique setup: Team WNBA vs. Team USA, with the Olympics looming. This year? Caitlin Clark was named a captain… and then didn’t play due to a groin injury. And without her, the casual audience straight-up vanished.

This League Needs to Stop Tearing Down Its Face

It’s ironic, isn’t it? The WNBA is begging for more eyeballs, more respect, and more money — all valid demands. But then they go out of their way to snub Clark from the Olympic roster, limit her in marketing campaigns, and then shrug when the biggest stage of the summer flops without her.

Read More: Caitlin Clark might be recruiting Sabrina Ionescu to form the WNBA’s version of the Splash Bros — And it would break basketball >>

You can’t grow the game while gatekeeping the one player who’s actually moving the needle. The WNBA keeps acting like it’s “bigger than Caitlin Clark,” but every single data point tells us otherwise.

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