Caitlin Clark May Upset Michael Jordan & Co. as She Proposes Hockey Style Fights to Fix NBA’s Declining Viewership

“Caitlin Clark has actually hurt the NBA,” Jason Whitlock controversially claimed a few weeks ago. The NBA ratings are down more than ever in recent years and Whitlock believes it’s because of Clark attracting more attention toward the WNBA. The Indiana Fever star herself thinks differently, of course, and one reason has to do with the rising popularity of football. But another change CC suggested was the evolving game of basketball, mentioning Michael Jordan.

On the latest episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, the former Eagles player discusses ratings in the NBA with the WNBA Rookie of the Year, declaring she obviously doesn’t need help with them. But Jason Kelce asks Clark why she thinks this is the case with the men’s league, and she says, “Honestly, I feel like the average basketball fan doesn’t understand how good NBA players are. And they think it looks like they’re not trying. I promise you they’re trying — they’re just, like, so good.”

Then she refers to the ever-changing nature of the game and how it’s evolved. Some might say it’s gone soft but she says it’s just how the skill level has changed, and Clark’s comment might ruffle some feathers. “That’s what’s great about basketball: It’s always evolving. It’s gonna be different than when MJ played, [and] it’s gonna be different in 10 years.”

At one point, Travis Kelce suggests, “A hockey-style fight once a game — everybody picks a fighter, give ’em gloves…” And Clark agrees wholeheartedly, “Two-minute penalty box…You can come back in, you don’t get ejected.” The NHL doesn’t eject players for fighting but the NBA does. Might a rule change like that help ratings, Clark asks.

Per Sports Media Watch, viewership was down 19% in mid-December 2024 from 2023 across ABC, ESPN, and TNT, and down 25% with NBA TV included. Some critics blame the excessive three-pointers everyone seems to love as more and more attempts are recorded thanks to new team analytics which say that threes are a more efficient way of scoring than attempting shots inside the arc.

This same strategy over and over again has grown old. Even Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal agreed, “We’re looking at the same thing.” In the same vein, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver introduced a new format to the All-Star game as well, but that has not sat well with most, including CC.

After major fan backlash at the NBA All-Star game’s lack of competitiveness, the execs proposed a new game plan with four teams playing, ending with two semifinal games and a final. But just like LeBron James didn’t agree with it, who also had an issue with “a lot of f—ing 3s being shot,” neither did Kevin Durant.

“I hate it. I absolutely hate it. Terrible. All-Star Game formats changing. All the formats are terrible in my opinion and we should just go back to East-West and just play a game. I think we’ve been trying to bring that flare back somehow with the All-Star Weekend, but I think we just keep it traditional.”

Clark agreed with Durant about keeping it East vs. West on the New Heights podcast, but maybe introduce other changes for the viewership and ratings problem. Although the Fever star said she personally loves watching threes, and is a maestro at them herself, even great plays lose their novelty after they’re repeated over and over again. A new fix is needed!