An ESPN executive reveals how Caitlin Clark is drawing new fans to women's sports, proving the product's excellence keeps them engaged.
The debate around the so-called “Caitlin Clark effect” has followed her from Iowa to the WNBA. Now, one ESPN executive is framing that impact in a way that underscores both her star power and the broader growth of women’s sports.
Speaking at a Front Office Sports event in Nashville, Susie Piotrkowski, ESPN’s vice president of women’s sports programming and espnW, described Clark as a “gateway drug,” a phrase she stressed was meant entirely as praise.
“I say this in quite literally the most positive way possible: Caitlin’s a gateway drug for some people to women’s sports,” Piotrkowski recently said on Front Office Sports Live Summit. “If that brought you in, I’m going to keep you here. And I’m not going to make you feel silly if you don’t get it, or you still think, ‘Oh, so is that rating because of the Caitlin Clark effect?’ Well, she’s been out of college basketball for a long time. I’m going to tell you why it is more than that. And that’s okay if you’ve come by way of her — now I’m going to tell you why it’s necessary for you to stay here.”
Clark’s arrival in the WNBA in May 2024 coincided with a surge in attention around the league. Her games routinely led viewership charts, and Fever matchups accounted for the four most-watched games of the season before she suffered a groin injury in July. She did not return for the remainder of the year.
Yet Piotrkowski pointed to what happened after Clark was sidelined as equally important. ESPN still recorded its most-watched WNBA regular season and playoffs, with overall viewership up 3%. The network averaged 1.3 million viewers across 25 games on ABC and ESPN, a 6% increase from the previous season. Eight of the 10 most-watched WNBA games aired on ESPN platforms, and WNBA Countdown saw a 7% bump year over year.
For Piotrkowski, the takeaway is not that Clark’s impact is overstated, but that it is foundational rather than fleeting.
“I think every single one of us can say what Caitlin has done for our business is incomparable,” she said. “However, people are coming because the product is excellent. And they are not leaving.”
Basketball broadcaster Ros Gold-Onwude, who joined Piotrkowski on the panel alongside Togethxr executive chair Nancy Dubuc, agreed that Clark’s presence has been significant but emphasized that the momentum extends beyond one player.
“I think just the entire ecosystem of women’s basketball is rising,” Gold-Onwude said.
She also noted that increased visibility brings added responsibility, particularly for broadcasters. With more viewers tuning in, accuracy matters — from getting statistics right to pronouncing names correctly. Gold-Onwude pointed out that mispronouncing a player like Breanna Stewart should be treated no differently than mispronouncing Stephen Curry.
The broader media strategy reflects that shift. ESPN recently announced “Women’s Sports Sundays,” a nine-week primetime block replacing Sunday Night Baseball with women’s sports games and studio programming. Piotrkowski described the move as intentional and market-driven.
“This was done very, very intentionally because the marketplace demands it and the fan demands it,” she said. “What we are creating is a true standalone franchise. This is our Monday Night Football.”
Clark’s name may have opened the door for new viewers. ESPN’s position is that once inside, the quality of the league and the wider women’s sports landscape is what keeps them there.