Sky's second meeting with Fever is most-watched WNBA game in 23 years

Athletes and coaches love to remark that rivalries are created in the media.

There's no denying some truth to that. However, the best rivalries are planted, watered, and grown by fans who show up and tune in to support their favorite sports figures. The Sky's 91-83 loss to the Fever is proof of that with a record 2.25 million viewers tuning in to the CBS Sports broadcast.

It was the most watched WNBA game on any network in 23 years, peaking at nearly 3 million viewers. The second professional meeting between the Sky's Angel Reese and Fever guard Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly the reason for the record-breaking number of eyes.

Need convincing?

Consider that Iowa's Elite Eight win over LSU — Clark and Reese's NCAA title rematch — drew 12.3 million viewers. It was the most-watched NCAA women's basketball game on record until Iowa played UConn in the Final Four, earning 14.2 million viewers. Days later, the record was broken again when nearly 19 million viewers tuned in to watch South Carolina beat Iowa in the NCAA title game.

The first meeting of the season between these revitalized rivals — resulting in a 71-70 Sky loss — became a national debate after Sky guard Chennedy Carter hip-checked Clark as she waited for the ball to be inbounded. At the time, the foul was assessed as an away-from-the-play personal foul. The next day, however, the league upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 1.

The rematch came equipped with another flagrant, this time called on Reese as she attempted to block Clark's layup, catching her head instead of the ball. Beyond just the flagrant foul, there were heightened moments indicative of a rivalry, including Fever fans booing Reese every time she stepped to the free throw line and Reese, in turn, blowing kisses to the fans after one trip.

On Sunday, Sky fans will have a chance to bring that same energy when these two teams meet for a third time, this time at Wintrust Arena.