On September 4, WNBA star Caitlin Clark was ruled out for the remainder of this season. Clark suffered a right groin injury during the Indiana Fevers game against the Connecticut Sun on July 15. She had not returned to the court since, but is now officially ruled out for the remainder of the season.
This effectively means she would have played in 13 out of 44 regular-season games in the 2025 WNBA season. This will affect more than just her because she is one of, if not the biggest star in the WNBA at the moment. Which means people attend games and watch them on television just to see her. Since she has joined the WNBA, merchandise sales increased by 600%, television viewership increased by 23% across all platforms, and by 170% on ESPN, attendance to games rose more than 54%, and the WNBA social media views increased by over 400%.
Clark has had a huge impact on the WNBA since joining. Now that she’s ruled out for the rest of the season, fewer people will attend and watch WNBA games, effectively paying less attention to the sport, which will cause the sport to lose revenue.
Rosalia Chavez, student at ERHS, Avid WNBA viewer, “I’m glad she’s taking time off to heal, that’s good, and it’s good that her teammates are backing her up on it and showing support for her decision.”
Yes, Clark’s injury will be hard for the WNBA, but it’s even harder for Clark herself. She did not miss a game her whole rookie season or her whole collegiate career. She is consistently playing basketball, working out, and working to get better, especially in the off-season. Since the injury, she has been doing everything she possibly can to recover and get back on the court. This will be more of a mental battle than a physical one because she will not be able to play the game she loves to its full extent for the rest of the season.
Stephen Singleton, head varsity basketball coach of Eleanor Roosevelt High School, said,” Caitlin Clark is the greatest WNBA player in the league today, and now that she’s out, you have to look and see who else will step up in her spotlight now that she’s gone for the rest of the season.” It just goes to show you how important Caitlin Clark is to the game. Without her, many players are going to have to step up and take the spotlight so the WNBA stays interesting.
