When former NBA player and activist Etan Thomas posted a video of the crowd at Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals between the Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty, he suggested the arena was half‑empty and warned that viewership would plunge now that star guard Caitlin Clark was no longer playing. He framed the scene as a sellout, posting on X that “Nobody will watch the WNBA playoffs now that Caitlin Clark is no longer playing. Support will plummet. Viewership will plunge. She is the only driving force that brings out fans.”
Actual attendance figures
State Farm Arena in Atlanta can hold almost 17,000 spectators. The announced attendance for the semifinal game was 9,745, which is roughly 57 percent of capacity. While the upper bowl was tarped off, the arena still hosted a sizable crowd, and the numbers are consistent with recent non‑playoff games at the venue, which have drawn around 17,000 fans.
One X user highlighted that the Dream’s regular‑season games at the arena on June 20, 2026, and August 16, 2026, each attracted 17,044 attendees. The user argued that moving the playoff game to the larger State Farm Arena may have resulted in empty seats, but the overall attendance remained strong for the franchise.
Television viewership remains robust
Television ratings for the game have not yet been released, but a user cited an ESPN report that the Dream‑Fever matchup on August 16, 2026, drew 2.6 million viewers on cable, making it the most‑watched WNBA game ever on that platform. While the semifinal game’s exact numbers are pending, the historical data suggests that the league’s TV audience continues to grow, even without Clark on the court.
Other WNBA stars such as Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson have also contributed to the league’s popularity. Reese earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Wilson secured her fourth MVP award this season. Their achievements underscore that the league’s appeal is not limited to a single player.
Community response
Fans on social media responded to Thomas’s post with a mix of humor and factual rebuttals. One user quoted a line from *The Lion King*, noting that empty seats are “the darkness” that does not define the league’s overall health. Others pointed out that the WNBA’s merchandise sales, including Clark’s jerseys, have outperformed even those of LeBron James since 2024, indicating strong fan investment.
Overall, the data suggests that the WNBA’s attendance and viewership remain solid, and the league continues to attract a broad audience across the country.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
