There isn’t solid evidence that the WNBA “lost” a specific amount of viewership because of that incident, and no reliable source in the material I found quantifies a direct ratings drop tied to it. The best-supported takeaway is that the play sparked controversy and more attention, not a measured viewership loss.

What the reporting says

  • The incident described was Alyssa Thomas pressing her fist into Caitlin Clark’s neck during a Fever-Mercury game.
  • The league later retroactively called it a flagrant foul and suspended Thomas for one game.
  • Commentary around the play focused on officiating and league response, rather than any documented audience decline from that one moment.

Viewership context

The only viewership figures in the sources are from Clark’s absence due to injury, not from this fist-to-neck incident. Those reports said WNBA national- viewership dipped 55% after Clark’s injury, and Fever national broadcasts fell 53%, from 1.81 million viewers before the injury to 847,000 during her absence.

Practical read

If you’re asking whether that incident caused a measurable ratings hit, the answer is no clear public number is available from the sources I found. If anything, Clark-related controversy tends to generate more discussion and short-term attention, while actual rating changes are more clearly tied to whether she is playing.

Summary: the incident was controversial, but the available reporting does not show a specific WNBA viewership loss caused by it.