Journalist hilariously fails claiming WNBA’s popularity isn’t effected by Caitlin Clark’s playoff exit

Las Vegas Aces fans spoke to OutKick in defense of A’ja Wilson following a heated courtside interaction with a fan during Game 2 of their series against the Indiana Fever.

Watching left-wing media try to discredit Caitlin Clark and her dedicated fan base has been a tale as old as her rookie season. The fact remains that Clark is one of the most popular athletes in America. Her jersey sales have outdone LeBron James’ since 2024, every single one of the top 15 WNBA broadcasts this season was one of her games, and every game she has played in has been a sellout. She is one of the most influential, transcendent sports figures of all time, so claiming that her playoff exit won’t affect attendance and viewership is a laughable attempt at devaluing the golden goose. That’s what journalist, activist, and retired NBA player Etan Thomas tried to do on Monday morning. Spoiler alert: He failed miserably.

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If you take a look up from the lower bowl, above the suites, you’ll realize that the entire upper bowl is tarped off. State Farm Arena holds almost 17,000 fans, but the announced attendance for the game was 9,745. Why would they do that, Etan? Maybe because they don’t have Caitlin Clark coming to town. The sales and interest for the Liberty isn’t anywhere close to the ticket sales juggernaut of Clark and the Fever.

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“The attendance when they (Atlanta Dream) played the Fever this year in non playoff action…June 20, 2026: 17,044 and August 16, 2026: 17,044. They should have kept their playoff game at Gateway because they more than likely lost money for moving to the bigger venue and leaving 7,000+ seats empty!!! viewership numbers are not out but I highly doubt they will come close to August 16, 2026 (Dream vs. Fever at State Farm Arena): 2.6 million viewers on ESPN. ESPN called it the most-watched WNBA game ever on cable.”

Another user hysterically responded to the post by using a reference from The Lion King saying, “Look, son. Everything the darkness touches… those are seats that weren’t filled.” I’ll be honest, that made me laugh out loud.

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Thomas would do well to delete this post and save himself from further embarrassment when the viewership numbers come out. In the meantime, Clark and her fans will continue to live rent-free in his mind.

(*) Full article: https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/journalist-hilariously-fails-claiming-wnbas-popularity-isnt-effected-caitlin-clarks-playoff-exit