“The skill has just changed”: Fever star Caitlin Clark gives honest take on NBA declining rating while chatting with two NFL stars
Caitlin Clark. Image via: Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo
Fever star Caitlin Clark has recently reflected on the NBA’s declining rating. The Time Magazine’s 2024 Athlete of the Year has recently had a chat with NFL star brothers Travis and Jason Kelce on the latest episode of their New Heights podcast and she revealed that a lot has changed over the years in NBA and for American fans, football gets more priority over the basketball league.
Caitlin Clark reflected on the NBA’s declining rating
WNBA star Caitlin Clark recently had an unexpected conversation regarding her view on the declining television ratings of the NBA. In an interview with Travis and Jason Kelce, the Indiana Fever forward gave her take on changing viewership trends. She has offered a broad perspective on the discussion during her chat with the NFL stars.
Clark’s bold remarks shed light on changes in fan engagement influencing the league’s popularity. “Honestly, like, 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 so good, like that’s why it looks like they’re not trying,” Clark explained.
The 22-year-old went on to add, “Obviously, the physicality of the league has changed a lot, and I wasn’t around when it was like much more physical, and maybe people want more like beef and physicality, and people think it’s gotten soft, but I think that’s also because the skill has just changed.”
Clark further reflected on the changing scenarios in the league and fans could spot the noticeable differences. She added that there is a huge contrast in the tonality of the game when compared to today’s gameplay with the time when Michael Jordan played. “It’s going to be different than when MJ played. It’s going to be different in 10 years than it is now,” she told Kelce brothers.
Of course, it’s hard to “put finger on why it has gone down” but in the realistic scenario, the NBA is in direct competition with the NFL and she believes, the American sports audience loves watching football over other sports. “Football is just, you know, that’s America’s favorite thing,” Clark added.
The 2024-25 NBA season started with a drop in viewership, as ESPN and TNT broadcasts saw double-digit declines during the first two weeks. However, Christmas Day brought a much-needed boost to the league. Nielsen reports the NBA’s five-game Christmas lineup averaged 5.34 million viewers, an impressive 87% increase from the previous year. Additionally, it has become ESPN’s most-watched Christmas Day since 2019, matching the same viewership average from that year. Still, being restricted to the holiday matchups for the increase in rating is quite concerning for fans.
