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The recent nationally televised games featuring the former Iowa star Caitlyn Clark have been a stark contrast to her time at Iowa. Her first nationally televised game last season drew 583,000 viewers, while the recent matchup between Iowa and Virginia Tech on ESPN2 only managed 209,000 viewers. Similarly, the game between Iowa and Toledo on the Big Ten Network drew a meager 136,000 viewers.
These numbers highlight the heavy reliance of basketball, more than any other sport, on star power. Without Caitlyn Clark, women's college basketball is struggling to attract an audience, and this could foreshadow what might happen to the WNBA in the future.