The Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark rivalry hasn’t been hotter than it is now. Ever since Clark made that flagrant foul on Reese in the opening game of the season, the fans have been busy taking sides in this matchup. Even though Clark won’t be playing in the upcoming rematch between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, fans are still eagerly waiting for this matchup.

Talking about their cracking season opener, Clark dominated the stat board with a triple-double to her name. The Fever blew past the Sky, marking a 35-point win to start off the season. Both teams have disappointed their fans from then on, as Fever recorded  4 losses in 6 games after that, while the Sky have had 3 losses. But Angel Reese and Co. are coming off two consecutive wins over the Dallas Wings. 

The hype is real and CBS Sports, which will be telecasting the game, has announced its first pregame show, which includes a famed college basketball coach. South Carolina Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley will be an analyst on the show along with the current vice president of the Atlanta Dream, Renee Montgomery. Staley is more than qualified to be a great analyst. She brings a dual perspective—having been both a star player in the WNBA and a highly successful coach. 

“I’m looking forward to the next time they play, too,” Staley had said after that first game between the Fever and Sky. “I’m going to be glued in just like everybody else.”

Now, Dawn Staley will have the opportunity to share her insights on national television while being on-site for the game. Given her recent comments describing South Carolina’s 2023 Final Four loss to Iowa as the most painful of her coaching career, it wouldn’t be surprising if she leans slightly toward the Sky in this matchup. With her deep ties to the women’s game and her competitive spirit, her perspective on the Clark-Reese rivalry will carry even more weight during the broadcast.

CBS Sports’ upcoming pregame show is the first of four planned as part of its coverage of nine WNBA broadcast games this season. Future shows will accompany marquee matchups, including Valkyries vs. Aces and another Sky vs. Fever game on July 12, followed by a Liberty vs. Lynx clash on August 16. 

The first Fever-Sky matchup drew a packed house in Indiana and set records with 2.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA game in recent history. This upcoming rematch may not reach the same level of viewership, especially with Caitlin Clark sidelined, but it is still expected to attract an audience in the millions.

Interestingly, the most-watched WNBA game ever on CBS was also a Sky-Fever game, which drew 2.25 million viewers in June 2024. From a competitive standpoint, this weekend’s game could be even more compelling, as Indiana will be without its best player, creating a more balanced contest, which could drive up the ratings. 

CBS isn’t alone in ramping up WNBA pregame coverage as ESPN and Disney have been expanding their investment in WNBA Countdown, while ION has consistently aired a 30-minute pregame show during its Friday night broadcasts. In the wake of her appearance at CBS, Staley has made pretty scathing remarks towards one of their competitors.

Dawn Staley Calls For More Money From ESPN

Women’s basketball is surging forward with unprecedented momentum. Over the past year, both the WNBA and NCAA have shattered multiple viewership and attendance records, reflecting the sport’s growing popularity. Dawn Staley, known for speaking her mind without hesitation, recently called on ESPN to step up its investment in women’s sports by offering better media deals. 

At a recent book event in Columbia, South Carolina, the national championship-winning coach called to revisit the NCAA’s eight-year, $920 million media rights deal with ESPN, signed in January 2024. That deal includes broadcast rights for 40 championships, including women’s basketball, and pays the NCAA roughly $115 million per year.

Staley’s push for a better deal reflects her mission to ensure women’s basketball gets the financial support it deserves, especially as games like the 2024 Iowa-UConn Final Four, which drew 14.2 million viewers, are now outpacing major men’s sports events.

“We should get more money from ESPN,” Staley said. “We’re in a television deal. When we signed the deal three or four years ago, we weren’t where we are today. Let’s go back to the table and let’s talk about where we are today. Let’s negotiate in good faith.”

The game has grown a lot in the last three years. We have 8.5 million watching the NCAA finals between UConn and Staley’s South Carolina. When the NCAA had Caitlin Clark, it was a win for both ESPN and the college basketball community.  Clark broke three records in her last three college games. In the Elite Eight, Iowa’s rematch against Reese and LSU shattered the viewership record, set by the 2023 NCAA championship game, with 12.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched women’s college basketball game ever.

The Iowa vs. UConn Final Four matchup drew 14.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched basketball game in ESPN’s history. This record includes all levels and categories of basketball, not just women’s or college games. Even though ESPN holds NBA rights and has previously aired men’s March Madness games, no basketball broadcast had ever reached that audience size until Caitlin Clark’s performance. The game also attracted more viewers than any NBA Finals or MLB World Series game in 2024 and was surpassed by only five college football games that year.

The NCAA final that year drew 18.7 million viewers, but it was on ABC and not ESPN. ESPN has the incentive to revisit that media rights deal and it will be seen if they do so in the near future. Meanwhile, Staley will appear as an analyst on CBS Sports, which gives $1.1 billion annually along with TNT for the men’s college NCAA tournament.