WNBA television ratings have increased by 45% since Caitlin Clark joined the league.
Posted by The Gerry Callahan Show, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support5 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 35%
The Gerry Callahan ShowAug 17, 2026
The sources confirm that WNBA ratings rose after Caitlin Clark's arrival, but none gives a cumulative 45% increase since she joined. The nearby figures (a 170% ESPN jump in 2024, a 15% all-network rise in 2026, and ABC/ESPN up 5%) do not establish or refute the 45% total, so the magnitude cannot be graded.
What was said
… You have people like Angel Reese, who sucks at basketball, making more than half a million a year because of the woman she hates. Ratings since Caitlin Clark came into the league: up 45%. You had people on a nice, sunny Sunday in August watching girls hoop because of essentially one player, and they hate her for it. And I'm starting to think they hate they hate Sophie Cunningham even more. She's everything they hate. …
The Gerry Callahan Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Multiple sources report that television ratings and viewership rose sharply after Clark entered the league in 2024.[1][3][4]
Context. Sources give different growth measures: ESPN estimated a 170% regular-season viewership increase for 2024, while 2026 figures show about 15% growth across all networks and 5% on ABC/ESPN versus 2025.[4][5]
Context. No source states a cumulative 45% ratings increase since Clark joined, so the claim's specific figure is not corroborated or disputed.[2][3][5][6][7][8]
Context. The 45% figure appears only in the claimant's post, which is not evidence. The extracted claim matches the post's own wording.
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 6 not rated
- 1Adam Silver says Caitlin Clark has unfairly become a 'political football'reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Sophie Cunningham expresses thoughts on next WNBA ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3Caitlin Clark's billion-view social media impact on WNBA: 'Wow, it's a Taylor Swift effect'indystar.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 4Caitlin Clark is a big reason why the WNBA will be just fine in her injury absencecincinnati.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 5Caitlin Clark, Fever deliver ratings win for WNBAwho13.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 6WNBA proves its star power extends beyond Caitlin Clark with record ratingsca.sports.yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 72026 WNBA season reaches all-time high with insane ...sports.yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 8WNBA momentum continues into playoffs after milestone regular ...sportsmediawatch.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post