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Iowa Hawkeyes insider David Eickholt ripped apart the WNBA's media coverage, particularly those involving Caitlin Clark. On Thursday, Eickholt vented about it on X.
He called out the league's media contingency for taking shots at the Indiana Fever star, and told them to stop discrediting her if they want the league to grow further.
"I've never seen a league media contingency attempt to discredit someone more than Caitlin Clark," Eickholt tweeted. "Every time they highlight other notable players, they always end it with a subtle shot at her. Yes, the league is bigger than one player. But only one player is going to take the game to the next level.
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"If you want the game to grow, get out of your own way. The pettiness is stunning."
In another tweet, the insider reported the decrease in the WNBA's viewership since Clark was sidelined due to a quadriceps injury. On Wednesday, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt from published an article about it.
The WNBA's viewership has decreased by 55%, and Indiana games saw a 53% decrease. Before Clark's injury, the Fever's national TV matchups averaged 1,810,000 viewers; however, since she got sidelined, it droppd to around 847,000.
Fever's rocky season continues as Caitlin Clark's injury absence drags on
The Indiana Fever had a rocky start to their season, winning only two of their first first five games. Caitlin Clark suffered a quadriceps injury on May 24 against the New York Liberty, and they lost to the defending champions 90-88.
After Clark got hurt, the team lost the next two games. Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson were also sidelined and the Fever used the emergency hardship contract to sign Aari McDonald.
Since McDonald's addition on June 1, Indiana won its two consecutive games until the Dream ended its win streak on Tuesday. Clark's expected recovery time was at least two weeks, and she was expected to return in the 77-58 loss to the Dream on Tuesday. However, the Fever ruled her out before the game.
Clark is averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game this season.
There is still no expected timeline for the 2024 Rookie of the Year's return, but fans can expect her to come back later this month.
