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Even with many of its top stars sidelined, the WNBA has still had strong ratings and attendance numbers this season.
Injuries have kept Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese out, but that hasn’t dampened fan interest in the league.
ESPN games are up slightly over last season and games on ABC are up 17%. Attendance has also still been strong, thanks to the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season, who have sold out all of their home games, averaging more than 18,000 fans.
Still, it’s not all been rosy for the league with negative attention coming towards the WNBA with a number of adult toys being thrown on the court at various arenas over a two-week span. That has subsided over the last few days.
For the most part, even without their stars, those teams have been able to play at a high level.
Minnesota has won all three games without Collier—the MVP frontrunner—who is sidelined with a right ankle sprain, to remain in first place in the standings, increasing their lead to 6 1/2 games over New York and Atlanta.
Indiana has gone 6-2 over its last eight games without Clark, who has been out for nearly a month with a right groin injury. She is progressing from the injury but still is not practicing.
The second-year guard told Sue Bird on her podcast that she feels a level of “responsibility” to play, knowing that so many people have been drawn to the league because of her.
“I think that’s definitely been hard. I’m going to go to every road game no matter what, whether I’m playing or not. It’s hard because obviously I do feel this responsibility of being out there and playing,” Clark said.
New York has been up and down without Stewart, who said she plans to be back by the end of the month from a bone bruise in her right knee.
Clark ‘not into practice shape’
“It’s really building up from doing minimal to building some endurance to do longer periods of time,” Fever coach Stephanie White said. “She’s been able to do a little more on the court in terms of how she moves, but not into practice shape.”
Indiana is 10-9 without Clark including a 6-2 mark over its last eight games—despite losing two more guards, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald, with season-ending injuries.
Yet with only nine active players and no true point guards, Indiana still managed to rout the rival Chicago Sky 92-70 on Saturday.
The Fever signed Odyssey Sims to a hardship contract Sunday. Sims averaged 11.2 points, 3.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds during her 11-year career, which included an All-Star selection in 2019.
The Fever’s next game is Tuesday night at home against the Dallas Wings.
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