Latest Fever-Liberty viewership numbers reveal Caitlin Clark factor is real

Saturday's game between the Fever and New York Liberty averaged 2.2 million viewers on ABC marking the third most viewed WNBA game on the network ever. It was later announced by ESPN that this match-up peaked at 2.8 million viewers. The Fever handed the Liberty their first loss of the season 102-88 and remain in the hunt for the Commissioner's Cup title.

The game saw a significant increase in viewers due to the return of generational talent, Caitlin Clark, who missed five games due to a quad injury. Viewership numbers tanked during Clark's absence as did ticket prices. The two other highest rated games on ABC also featured Clark.

It is absurd at this point to deny that the massive increase in popularity and relevance for the WNBA is not due to Caitlin Clark's mere presence. Talent and skill level aside - she has been the most captivating women's sports figures of all-time.

She dominated in her first game back and even flirted with what would have been her second triple-double of the season finishing with 32 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Fans tuning in were in awe after she hit three deep three-point shots in just 33 seconds.

Viewers could likely sense the energy in the arena especially when the roof of Gainbridge Fieldhouse blew off after her third consecutive deep three shot from 33 feet away. Keep in mind - the three-point line is 22 feet from the basket.

The Caitlin Clark effect exists all over the world

Caitlin Clark can be found everywhere - and so can her fans. Numerous stories have surfaced about fans traveling from all over the globe to see Clark play. During Saturday's massive return in front of 17,274 fans in Gainbridge, it was brought to Clark's attention during the post game presser that she had several international fans in attendance.

Not only was her performance memorable to the over 2 million viewers, it was even more special to five of her fans that traveled 8,000 miles via a 22-hour flight from Hong Kong to Indianapolis to watch her play. Clark was in absolute awe when she found out fans have traveled so far to show their support.

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"No way!" Clark interjected. "I wish I could have met them. If you know them, tell them thank you for coming," she said.

"That's incredible to see the type of reach we can have and how much people love basketball across the globe," Clark added.

Clark's impact has influenced so many people around the world and the viewership numbers are attest to this. It has been a long time since the sports realm as a whole has seen such an impactful figure.

The global reach by Clark herself has been significantly beneficial for the WNBA in multiple ways. Her absence from competing for three weeks saw a decrease is almost every major category - ticket sales, viewership numbers, social media engagement, etc.