"League wants to keep the media and the fans in the dark" - Skip Bayless conjectures on WNBA hiding Caitlin Clark suffering season-ending injury

The Indiana Fever continue to sideline Caitlin Clark until she recovers from a groin injury she suffered on July 15 against the Connecticut Sun. Clark’s third muscle injury this season has forced the Fever to be extra cautious with her. Fever coach Stephanie White has said on a few occasions that the team will not rush a return for the All-Star guard.

Talk show host Skip Bayless had this to say on Thursday after Clark sat out against the LA Sparks Tuesday, her eighth straight missed game:

(2:18 mark)

“Is it possible that this time, she tore her groin so badly that she’s already been privately ruled out for the rest of the season, yet the league wants to keep the media and the fans in the dark about this so that people keep tuning in, figuring, ‘Oh, she'll be back soon.’ Is that what’s going on?”

Bayless based his speculations on the WNBA’s flailing ratings when Caitlin Clark was unavailable. Tickets and ratings significantly drop every time the superstar point guard can’t suit up for the Fever. The 2025 All-Star game ratings reportedly went down by 36% compared to last year’s edition, when Clark played.

The host of the “Skip Bayless Show” continued that had Clark not actively participated as an assistant coach and cheerleader, the ratings would have been ugly. He added that the numbers would have been 10% less without Clark’s visibility and engagement.

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Skip Bayless speculates Caitlin Clark is taking a “mental break”

Skip Bayless claimed that he found it hard to watch WNBA games without Caitlin Clark. While the Fever star has a day-to-day status, Bayless continued about his speculations:

(5:10 mark)

“I have wondered out loud if maybe Caitlin Clark has taken a couple of injury breaks just because she needed a mental break from all the jealousy, all the resentment, all the on-court bullying and cheap shots.”

Only time will tell if Skip Bayless’ speculations turn out right. The Indiana Fever, though, are adamant that Clark is out because she continues to recover from a groin injury. With still a little over a month left in the regular season, the Fever are in the thick of the fight for a playoff spot. Many will monitor Clark’s status, particularly late this month.