WNBA playoff ratings plummet after Caitlin Clark goes home

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark and Connecticut Sun forward DeWanna Bonner continue to jaw at each other during their Game 2 matchup

The first weekend of the WNBA playoffs without rookie phenom Caitlin Clark were a bit quieter in terms of attention and viewership. 

After Clark drew a WNBA record 1.84 million viewers to her first playoff game against the Connecticut Sun on Sept. 22, while competing with an NFL Sunday, she followed it up with another record audience of 2.54 million viewers for Game 2. Clark and the Indiana Fever lost both those games, however, sending Clark home for the offseason. 

Now, the remaining teams contending for the WNBA title are the New York Liberty, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and MVP A'ja Wilson, the Sun and the Minnesota Lynx. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) talks to Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) during the first half during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena.  (Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images)

The first game between the Aces and Liberty, a rematch of last year's WNBA finals between two of the league's most popular and successful teams, drew an audience of 929,000, ESPN announced, which is 50% less than the Fever's Game 1 against the Sun. Still, it was historically good for any WNBA playoff game that doesn't involve Clark, as it was better than any of the TV numbers for the finals games between the two teams last year. 

Meanwhile, Game 1 of the Sun-Lynx series had an audience of just around 650,000. 

Both of those games have also fallen well behind some of Clark's regular season games in terms of viewership as well. In early