Caitlin Clark helps WNBA hit historic late-night cable number despite limited return in LA

Riley Gaines addresses the controversy surrounding WNBA star Caitlin Clark, asserting that concerns for Clark stem from her exceptional talent, not her race or sexuality. Gaines suggests jealousy from other players is fueling the on-court abuse and the league's 'self-imploding' nature. She questions the double standards applied to different athletes.

The WNBA has another Caitlin Clark television number to celebrate.

And this one might be even more impressive than some of the bigger ones.

Clark and the Indiana Fever helped deliver an average audience of 1.04 million viewers for Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks, according to USA Sports PR.

WNBA viewership hit a cable milestone as Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever drew 1.04 million viewers against the Los Angeles Sparks in a 10 p.m. ET Wednesday game. (Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Fever lost, 106-92, and Clark played just 16 minutes in her return from a back injury that had kept her out for the previous two weeks. But that feels secondary to the bigger story here.

WNBA WANTS A BIGGER STORY THAN CAITLIN CLARK, BUT TV RATINGS KEEP POINTING BACK TO HER

One million viewers is a monster number for the WNBA under almost any circumstance.

But these weren't exactly favorable circumstances.

The game aired across USA Network and CNBC. Clark has drawn much bigger numbers on broadcast television, but this was cable-only.

Additionally, this was not a weekend showcase game. It didn't even air in a friendly weeknight window. The game, played in Los Angeles, started on a Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET.

And it still averaged more than one million viewers.

According to USA Sports PR, citing Nielsen Big Data + Panel data, Fever-Sparks was the network’s