Overview
- Susie Piotrkowski used the phrase onstage at a Front Office Sports event in Nashville, emphasizing it as a compliment about Clark drawing first‑time fans.
- ESPN introduced a nine‑week Women’s Sports Sundays franchise to occupy the former Sunday Night Baseball slot with live games and studio coverage.
- Piotrkowski said ESPN recorded its most‑watched WNBA regular season and playoffs despite Clark exiting with a July injury and not returning, with overall viewership up 3%.
- Additional figures cited included ABC/ESPN averaging 1.3 million viewers across 25 WNBA games, a 6% year‑over‑year rise, with ABC’s Sky–Fever opener drawing a network‑record 2.7 million.
- Panelists noted Clark’s outsized business impact alongside a rising women’s basketball ecosystem, with calls for more precise, respectful on‑air coverage of athletes.