Caitlin Clark fans rage at ABC as costly WNBA decision impacts Sky vs Fever
Caitlin Clark's fans were livid on social media after seeing that they would not be able to watch the star's first game of the season at the right time on ABC due to a scheduling issue
Caitlin Clark's fans were livid to see that ABC was not broadcasting the Indiana Fever's season opener against the Chicago Sky at the right time.
Clark is set for a big season in 2025, with the Fever surrounding the star with veteran pieces to compete for a WNBA championship. In Clark's first game of the season, Angel Reese and the Sky stand, with the former LSU star recently shooting down a question regarding her comments on putting her on the same pedestal as Clark in terms of the league's rising popularity.
With the marquee matchup, fans were excited to see how the next chapter of Clark's rivalry with Reese would unfold. However, fans were left waiting more than 20 minutes to watch their favorite star take the court, thanks to ABC broadcasting the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces contest in the slot before the Fever's matchup.
The Liberty and Aces played a chippy game, causing Clark and Reese's game to start well past when it was supposed to. Naturally, fans were less-than-enthused by the wait, taking to social media to express their displeasure.
"Are you serious @ABCNetwork??? You put the season opener for Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever behind NY & Vegas? I have to watch this garbage on ABC until it's over??? And miss the beginning of of the Indiana game??? Do us a favor, screw off!!!" a particularly irate fan wrote.
Another posted: "@WNBA can you switch this Liberty aces game to Fever sky? Nobody gives af about New York or Las Vegas. We’re tuning in to watch Caitlin & that’s it. Fix this @ABC."
And while fans were upset by the fact that the game was being held up by the Aces and Liberty running longer than was scheduled, some on social media attempted to allay fans' fears that they would miss any action. In particular, fans reiterated because the Fever's game is nationally televised, the contest will not begin until told.
When the game began in earnest, it didn't take long for Clark to make her presence felt. With just about a minute gone in the first quarter, the 23-year-old dribbled on the left side and launched a 3-pointer from the "Mielle" logo, nailing it with ease as the crowd erupted.
The star guard was left in check, however, playing just over six minutes in the first after picking up two quick fouls in the period. She also had five points on 1-of-3 shooting from the field, as she got into the swing of playing with a new set of teammates this season.
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With Clark's star power, the WNBA elected to have Indiana play the most nationally televised games of all the teams in the league, including the defending champion Liberty. However, that decision caused some WNBA stars to scratch their heads.
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier admitted the decision stumped her during an appearance on 'First Take' in late March.
“Obviously, people want to watch Caitlin play, and you have to put the people on TV that people want to see,” she said. “But, at the same time, there are stars all over the league, and you want good basketball, as well.
“Obviously, Indiana with their free agents will be a great team, but to not have the defending champs on TV more, I think it's kind of crazy. It doesn't have to be that you're taking games away from Indiana but I think that you can raise the level of TV games for the rest of the league as well.”