Just a few games into the WNBA season, and controversy has been a constant. It all began with the heated flagrant foul involving Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, which quickly escalated into a broader issue as an investigation was launched into the behavior of Indiana fans. Then came a formal probe by the WNBA and league security into the Seattle Storm’s coaching staff over allegations of harassment.
The WNBA All-Star voting process is now under fire, with Caitlin Clark fans reportedly flooding the system and revealing serious flaws. Voting began on June 12, allowing fans, media, and players to submit one full ballot per day. Fans make up 50% of the vote, while current players and media each account for 25%. Some Clark supporters used public emails of media members like Natalie Esquire and Sara Jane Gamelli to submit votes, prompting Gamelli to call it “harassment.” However, analyst Rachel A. Demita argued the real issue is the league’s lack of safeguards, not fan behavior.
De Mita said on her Courtside Club Podcast, “You guys, I cannot help but laugh because firstly, you didn’t get hacked. Secondly, there’s no harassment and there’s no threat. How are.. There’s no harassment or threats. They’re just using your email. They just found a loophole because the WNBA doesn’t have two-factor (authentication), like you don’t have to verify your email.”
The WNBA All-Star voting process is surprisingly lax. Fans, media members, and players simply visit the league’s website, make their selections, and enter an email and birthdate to submit their votes, no login, no verification, no authentication required. There’s nothing stopping someone from using any email address, even if it isn’t theirs, to cast multiple votes. This complete lack of security has turned the process into a free-for-all, leaving it wide open to manipulation. De Mita didn’t mince words, placing the blame squarely on the WNBA for failing to implement even the most basic safeguards to protect the integrity of the vote.
She said, “It’s the WNBA’s fault for not having a proper voting system but the media members are getting so pissed off and I just can’t help but laugh.” It’s absolutely a blunder from the WNBA, and the media members blew the issue way out of proportion. Yes, the voting system is clearly compromised, but fans don’t have access to anyone’s email accounts; they’re simply exploiting a flaw that allows them to submit votes without verification. Media members, who cover the league professionally, should have been aware of this loophole well before the fans and addressed it constructively instead of sparking outrage on social media over something that poses no real harm.
The WNBA could have easily avoided this mess by looking at how the NBA handles All-Star voting. In the NBA, fans are required to log in through verified accounts on official platforms, which effectively prevents fraudulent submissions and maintains the integrity of the process. Implementing a similar system for the WNBA would have closed the loophole and avoided this entire controversy.
You can’t blame the fans of a particular player for rooting for that player and doing their best to ensure that their favourite player wins. And Caitlin Clark is leaps and bounds ahead of any player in the W in terms of fandom. That was shown once again as her return from injury revived the WNBA ratings.
Caitlin Clark’s Injury Return Draws Record Viewership
At this point, it is not even surprising. Caitlin Clark has driven the brunt of the WNBA’s growth ever since her arrival. She is often considered to have the same impact that Michael Jordan had on the NBA in the 1990s, driving the league’s growth in terms of popularity and success. Clark so far has the popularity part already down, and she has time to replicate the success.
After her injury negatively impacted the WNBA ratings by more than 50%, her return was good news to fans, the Indiana Fever, and the WNBA alike. The more time she spends on the court, the more money the WNBA and the Indiana Fever can earn off her popularity. It was records season once again when Clark faced Liberty.
The matchup between the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty averaged 2.2 million viewers on ABC, with viewership peaking at 2.8 million, according to ESPN. This made it the third-most-watched WNBA game ever aired on ABC. The game also delivered a significant year-over-year boost, drawing 76% more viewers than the average regular-season WNBA broadcast on the network in 2024. These numbers matched from their previous game earlier in the season when the Fever lost by 1 point.
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) reacts to a deep 3-pointer by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Saturday, June 14, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
While the Fever vs. Liberty game delivered impressive viewership, it still fell short of the season opener featuring Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. That highly anticipated matchup drew 2.7 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched WNBA game ever on ESPN platforms across both the regular season and playoffs. The broadcast peaked at 3.1 million viewers, highlighting the powerful pull of Clark and Reese’s budding rivalry.
Even though the Liberty-Fever game may have offered a tighter and more competitive contest on the court, with Clark entering as the underdog, it is clear that storylines and off-court narratives often play a bigger role in driving ratings. Star power, personal rivalries, and media buzz can captivate audiences in ways that pure basketball alone sometimes cannot.
Caitlin Clark is likely to continue dominating viewership numbers throughout the season, thanks to her massive and highly engaged fan base. That same fan enthusiasm, while a testament to her influence, can sometimes spill into questionable tactics, which is often the nature of passionate sports fandom. If the WNBA wants to maintain its growing credibility and fully capitalize on this momentum, it must address the flaws in its All-Star voting system. Whether the league chooses to act during this season or waits until next year to implement safeguards, one thing is clear: establishing a secure and transparent process is essential for the league to be taken seriously as it enters a new era of popularity.
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