A journalist and former NBA player, Etan Thomas, claimed in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Caitlin Clark’s absence from the WNBA playoffs would not impact attendance or viewership. However, critics pointed out discrepancies in his claims, noting that while Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals between the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty had announced attendance of 9,745 at State Farm Arena, which holds almost 17,000 fans, much of the upper bowl was empty. Thomas’s post drew ridicule online, with users highlighting that Clark’s presence typically results in full arenas and high viewership numbers.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Watching left-wing media try to discredit Caitlin Clark and her dedicated fan base has been a tale as old as her rookie season.
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media → watch → season
The fact remains that Clark is one of the most popular athletes in America.
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Clark → remain → America
Her jersey sales have outdone LeBron James' since 2024, every single one of the top 15 WNBA broadcasts this season was one of her games, and every game she has played in has been a sellout.
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she → outdo → games
She is one of the most influential, transcendent sports figures of all time, so claiming that her playoff exit won't affect attendance and viewership
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exit → claim → attendance
That's what journalist, activist, and retired NBA player Etan Thomas tried to do on Monday morning.
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journalist → retire → morning
Spoiler alert: He failed miserably.
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He → fail → ?
Thomas posted a video of the crowd from Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals between the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty.
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Thomas → post → Dream
At first glance, it looks like a sizable, raucous group waving their rally towels, but looks can be deceiving.
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looks → look → towels
Thomas framed it as a sellout, posting on X saying sarcastically, "Nobody will watch the WNBA playoffs now that Caitlin Clark is no longer playing.
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Clark → frame → playoffs
Support will plummet.
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Support → plummet → ?
Viewership will plunge.
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Viewership → plunge → ?
She is the only driving force that brings out fans."
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that → drive → fans
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.
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page → contain → partners
If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
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News → sign → wager
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.
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that → create → newsroom
If you take a look up from the lower bowl, above the suites, you'll realize that the entire upper bowl is tarped off.
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bowl → take → suites
State Farm Arena holds almost 17,000 fans, but the announced attendance for the game was 9,745.
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attendance → hold → game
Why would they do that, Etan?
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they → do → that
Maybe because they don't have Caitlin Clark coming to town.
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Clark → have → town
This level of delusion and Caitlin Clark hate must be studied.
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level → study → delusion
It's clearly warped Thomas' mind because he really thought he was cooking here.
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he → warp → mind
As you can imagine, Thomas got roasted in the replies.
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Thomas → imagine → replies
One X user broke down the numbers in regards to attendance and viewership.
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user → break → attendance
It's a glorious way to show that Thomas did not think this post through before sharing.
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Thomas → show → post
"The attendance when they (Atlanta Dream) played the Fever this year in non playoff action...June 20, 2026: 17,044 and August 16, 2026: 17,044.
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they → play → action
They should have kept their playoff game at Gateway because they more than likely lost money for moving to the bigger venue and leaving 7,000+ seats empty!!!
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they → keep → seats
viewership numbers are not out but I highly doubt they will come close to August 16, 2026 (Dream vs. Fever at State Farm Arena): 2.6 million viewers on ESPN.
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they → doubt → ESPN
ESPN called it the most-watched WNBA game ever on cable."
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ESPN → call → cable
Another user hysterically responded to the post by using a reference from The Lion King saying, "Look, son.
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user → respond → King
the darkness touches
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darkness → touch → ?
… those are seats that weren’t filled."
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that → fill → ?
I'll be honest, that made me laugh out loud.
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me → make → ?
At this point, Thomas needs to just log off.
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Thomas → need → point
He clearly has it out for Clark, her fans, and Sophie Cunningham.
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He → have → Clark
He famously claimed that Cunningham had "White privilege" after she was flagrantly fouled by the Chicago Sky's DiJonai Carrington earlier this season.
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she → claim → Carrington
Carrington, after being ejected, posted on Threads: "WHITE PRIVILEGE" while tagging the Indiana Fever.
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Carrington → eject → Fever
Again, this is the problem with journalists and activists like Etan Thomas, their minds are so warped by their political worldview that they can't even comprehend that Angel Reese, A'ja Wilson, and other players, just don't come remotely close to driving audiences to buy tickets and tune into games like Caitlin Clark.
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audiences → comprehend → Clark
Reese has improved her game and become a Defensive Player of the Year.
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Reese → improve → Year
Wilson continues to dominate the stat sheet, securing her fourth WNBA MVP this season.
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Wilson → continue → MVP
But, they don't sell shoes, tickets, and attract eyeballs for their games like Clark.
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they → sell → Clark
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
