Caitlin Clark's first WNBA playoff game scheduled during NFL Sunday
By Max Weisman
What was the WNBA thinking? Caitlin Clark's first playoff game, and the Indiana Fever's first since 2016, is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, right towards the end of the Indianapolis Colts game and the early slate of NFL games.
Clark's sensational rookie season has helped the WNBA break attendance and viewership records but will be competing with the NFL for viewers on Sunday. The Fever play the Connecticut Sun on ABC, and a national television audience may help the WNBA. Other WNBA game ones include Atlanta at New York at 1 p.m., Phoenix at Minnesota at 5 p.m. and Seattle and Las Vegas at 10 p.m.
“We believe Sunday provides our best opportunity to showcase the WNBA playoffs on broadcast, and so we want to take advantage of that platform,” ESPN's VP of programming and acquisitions Matt Kenny said. “And there’s a case to be made that when you have so many people in front of screens during a particular time that there certainly could be a sampling effect this year, more so than ever.”
Likely to be the WNBA's rookie of the year, Clark is averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. She broke the WNBA's single-season assists record in her rookie season and has notched two triple-doubles on the year.
The WNBA schedules Caitlin Clark’s first playoff game during the NFL witching hour. Makes no sense. https://t.co/SWPM8WArMH
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) September 20, 2024
Depending on how the WNBA series play out, up to 13 playoff games could be competing with the NFL for viewership, and that's not all they'll be competing against.
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Due to the Olympic break that pushed the WNBA season back more than a week, the league's playoffs will be competing with the MLB postseason, which it normally does, but this year's WNBA Finals may go right up to the end of the League Championship Series.
The WNBA scheduled its Finals so that if it goes the distance it will not compete with the NBA's opening night on October 22. October 20 would be the day for a WNBA Finals Game 5.
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