Latest news with #Fever-Liberty
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Despite no Caitlin Clark, Fever-Sky broadcast drew nearly 2 millions viewers
When the WNBA national schedule was announced last March, one of the most potentially significant games from a viewership perspective was the June 7 game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky on CBS. The meeting was the league's first-ever regular-season primetime game on national television — and it was no coincidence that CBS and the WNBA worked together to feature a game involving Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Games airing on network television entities such as CBS or ABC bring more eyeballs, given network reach over cable, and reach is very important for the growth of any pro sports league. The game was one of eight regular-season games the CBS television network was scheduled to air during the 2025 WNBA season. Advertisement Of course by the time the game rolled around, Clark had been sidelined with a quad injury — a bummer for the audience. The game itself was also not close: The Fever dismantled the Sky 79-52 at the United Center despite missing Clark and head coach Stephanie White. How did the game do viewership-wise? CBS said on Tuesday it had averaged 1.924 million viewers, making it the third most-watched WNBA game on any network this season. Sports Media Watch noted it was the eighth-largest WNBA regular-season audience since 2001, and the 10th-largest including the playoffs. Of those games, it was the second-most watched that did not include Clark, behind Game 5 of last year's WNBA Finals. The most-watched game this season was also contested by these two teams: The Fever's 93-58 win over the Sky on May 17 drew 2.7 million viewers on ABC. That set a record for the most-viewed WNBA regular-season game across ESPN networks and is believed to be the most-viewed WNBA regular-season game in 25 years, since the era when NBC aired the WNBA. The Fever-Liberty on CBS drew 2.22 million viewers and is the second most-watched game of the 2025 season. These data points give you an immediate sense of Clark's popularity (newsflash: it's massive). It also is a nice story for the league in that they drew nearly 2 million viewers in a game Clark did not play. Last June, the Fever and Sky drew 2.25 million viewers for a CBS game, which at the time marked the WNBA's most-watched game in 23 years. Advertisement Big picture: The numbers continue the trend from last year when the WNBA had 22 regular-season games that averaged more than one million viewers — the first time since 2008 that a WNBA game topped one million viewers. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, WNBA, Sports Business 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liberty's Historic Sabrina Ionescu Announcement Is Turning Heads
Liberty's Historic Sabrina Ionescu Announcement Is Turning Heads originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Sabrina Ionescu has had a strong start to her sixth season with the New York Liberty. The three-time All-Star has put up averages of 17.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.9 triples in seven games played heading into Thursday's matchup against the Washington Mystics. Advertisement Thanks in large part to Ionescu's strong play, the Liberty have started the season with seven straight wins and are currently determined to win their second WNBA championship in a row. On Thursday night against the Mystics, Ionescu rewrote the WNBA history books yet again. She did so in the first quarter of the game by hitting a wide-open corner three on a fastbreak play. The Liberty announced on social media that with that trey, Ionescu has now become the all-time leader in franchise three-pointers with 401 triples to her name. "ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR SA-3️⃣-NA 📈 @sabrina_i now wears the crown as the ALL-TIME Liberty career 3PM leader! 👑👌" the team posted on Instagram. Advertisement View the original article to see embedded media. The Liberty's historic announcement quickly grabbed the attention of fans on social media. "That's Queen Sab for you 🔥" a comment on Instagram read. "SA-3️⃣-NA!!!" said another. "Let's go 🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽" a supporter wrote. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates her team's Krohn-Imagn Images "They don't call her the goat for nothing 👑" a reaction read. "Go Sabby," another said. "❤️❤️❤️" a reaction read. Inoescu just passed Liberty icon Crystal Robinson for the most triples in franchise history. The 27-year-old needed just 151 games to reach this incredible milestone. Ionescu has sent a clear message with her blistering start to the new season, which is that she is hungry to get that second championship under her belt. Advertisement Related: Sabrina Ionescu Reacts to WNBA's Big Announcement on Wednesday Related: Caitlin Clark's Honest Reaction to Controversial Moment in Fever-Liberty Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sabrina Ionescu Reacts to WNBA's Big Announcement on Wednesday
Sabrina Ionescu Reacts to WNBA's Big Announcement on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Liberty have made it abundantly clear that they are fully intent on defending their title. They have done so by getting off to a tremendous start to the season, winning all seven of their games thus far. Advertisement The Liberty, along with last season's runners-up, the Minnesota Lynx (8-0), are currently the last two remaining teams in the league that have yet to taste defeat in 2025. There's no denying that New York's success boils down to the strong play of their squad. In particular, their stars, such as Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, have been rolling of late, which has led to the Liberty's undefeated start. At the same time, however, a lot of credit needs to be given to their head coach, Sandy Brondello, who has done an excellent job in leading her team so far this season. New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello (right) talks with New York Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot (22).Kirby Lee-Imagn Images On Wednesday, the league announced that Brondello has been named the WNBA Coach of the Month after registering a perfect 6-0 record in May. Advertisement Ionescu caught wind of the news, and the three-time All-Star just had to flex her coach's big win. Ionescu's post did not need any caption as the 5-foot-11 guard let Brondello's major feat speak for itself. Brondello, Ionescu and the rest of the squad will now want to keep it rolling in their next game, which comes in the form of a road matchup against the 3-5 Washington Mystics on Thursday. The Liberty play three sub-.500 teams in their next three matchups—including Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on June 14—which indicates that New York could potentially get their winning streak up to double digits. Advertisement Related: WNBA Reacts to Sabrina Ionescu's Behavior on Saturday Night Related: Caitlin Clark's Honest Reaction to Controversial Moment in Fever-Liberty Game Related: Liberty Make Big Announcement After Seventh Straight Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New York Liberty Suffer Major Loss on Thursday
New York Liberty Suffer Major Loss on Thursday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Liberty got off to a great start in their game against the Washington Mystics on Thursday night. This is after Breanna Stewart climbed to the No. 8 spot in the franchise's all-time scoring leaderboard, followed by Sabrina Ionescu becoming the franchise's all-time leader for most three-pointers made. Advertisement Stewart and Ionescu's milestones, however, were overshadowed by some unfortunate news after their third star, Jonquel Jones, was forced to leave the game in the first quarter. Jones landed awkwardly after a shot attempt, and the former MVP quickly grabbed her right ankle as she lay on the floor. The 6-foot-6 center then had to be assisted to get to the locker room, where she was checked by the team's medical staff. Jones looked like she was in considerable pain, which is why it was not a huge surprise when it was announced that the five-time All-Star would not be able to return to the game. Advertisement Jones ended her night with three points, four rebounds and an assist in less than six minutes of action. As of writing, the Liberty have not provided an official update on the extent of Jones' injury. However, the fact that she was quickly ruled out from returning to Thursday's game does not exactly bode well for her status moving forward. New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones reacts during her team's game against the Minnesota Cruz-USA TODAY Sports Jones, who entered the Mystics game averaging 15.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 2.0 triples per contest, should get tests done on her ankle, which will determine the nature of the injury. At this point, New York fans have no choice but to hope that this is not a major injury for their 31-year-old star. Advertisement Related: Sabrina Ionescu Reacts to WNBA's Big Announcement on Wednesday Related: Caitlin Clark's Honest Reaction to Controversial Moment in Fever-Liberty Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Newsweek
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Caitlin Clark Injury Impacts Sky-Indiana Fever Rivalry Game Ticket Prices
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark suffered a left quad strain on Monday, leaving her set to miss at least two weeks and a massive showdown against the Angel Reese-led Chicago Sky. Read more: Fever Star Caitlin Clark to Miss Extended Time With Significant Injury INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 17: Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky and Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever meet at mid court prior to tipoff for the Fever's home opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse... INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 17: Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky and Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever meet at mid court prior to tipoff for the Fever's home opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 17, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. More Photo byClark's absence has led to a subsequent drop in ticket prices for the Sky-Indiana Dream game, which was highly anticipated. During the first match-up of the season, Clark and Reese had a major altercation after Clark committed a hard foul on Reese to prevent an open lay-up. According to TickPick, a ticket reseller, Fever ticket prices have dropped by 42% across the board, going from an average of $137 to $80 since Clark's injury was announced. Indiana Fever ticket prices to games over the next 2 weeks have dropped 42% since Caitlin Clark's injury announcement 😳 From $137 all the way down to $80 on @TickPick… — Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 27, 2025 Clark is expected to be out for a minimum of four games, including against the Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, and the marquee game on the road against the Chicago Sky. The Iowa product experienced some issues with her left quad during the pre-season, and now that same issue has carried over into the regular season. Typically, a quad strain results in an absence that can range from a few weeks to even several months, though there is no information on the extent to which the calf is injured. Read more: Caitlin Clark Shares Instant Reaction to Referee Controversy to End Fever-Liberty The Fever are 2-2 on the season so far, losing two close games against the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty while beating the Sky and the Dream. Clark was set to have a breakout, statement season in her sophomore professional year, though now with the injury, she will seemingly be left hoping that the team can do enough to get into the playoffs. An MVP could be unlikely at this stage if she misses more than two weeks, but given his ability to score, it still cannot be ruled out. The WNBA has experienced a significant boom period, with stars like Clark and Reese injecting life and excitement into women's basketball due to their charismatic personalities and stellar play on the court. Now with Clark expected to miss some time, there could be a drop in viewership and interest league-wide, though there are enough noteworthy players to keep the league's momentum going. More WNBA news: Caitlin Clark's Reaction to Opponent in Fever-Dream Has Caught Attention Caitlin Clark Shares Instant Reaction to Referee Controversy to End Fever-Liberty Angel Reese Responds Hate Speech Directed at Her During Game With Caitlin Clark Make sure to follow Newsweek Sports for all WNBA news and updates.
