When she was lighting up the NCAA, Caitlin Clark set and broke attendance records for Iowa regularly. That effect has now carried over to the WNBA, where Clark has attracted bigger audiences. In fact, the Fever’s average home attendance this season has edged out five NBA teams’ records from the past season.
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The rookie has had a transformative effect on the league, bringing in thrice as much viewership as the average WNBA game. She has made the Indiana Fever the premier attraction at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena, even beating out their NBA counterparts, the Indiana Pacers.
Clark’s Fever saw 17,035 fans fill up the arena on average, while Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers only drew 15,648 fans on average last year.
It’s an even more notable achievement when you consider that Indiana hosted less than 5,000 fans per game last season.
Clark’s team also averaged a higher attendance than the Atlanta Hawks (16,985), the Washington Wizards (16,898), the Memphis Grizzlies (16,631) and the Charlotte Hornets (16,448).
INDIANA’S REGULAR SEASON ATTENDANCE :
🏀 Fever : 17,035
🏀 averaged 4,066 last year🏀 Pacers : 16,528
🏀 averaged 15,648 last year🏀 Fever’s average is higher than 5 NBA teams (Hornets, Pacers, Grizzlies, & Hawks). #WNBA
(Numbers via @WBBTimeline…
— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@VanshayM) September 22, 2024
The Atlanta Hawks made it to the Play-In tournament and the Indiana Pacers even pushed on to the Conference Semi-Finals. But neither team’s season could match the sheer star power of Caitlin Clark, who sold out 16 of the Fever’s 20 home games this season.
The 22-year-old’s rookie campaign has been a national sensation. Averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 boards and 8.4 assists, Caitlin Clark also broke the Indiana Fever’s 8-year-long playoff drought. In the process, she also became the first rookie to tally a triple double and break the WNBA’s single-season assists record.
Kelsey Mitchell, Clark’s teammate in Indiana, acknowledged the impact Caitlin has had on the league. “I think she’s done an unbelievable job of bringing, obviously, her own fans and people that support her,” the 28-year-old stated.
As the Indiana Fever prepare to take on the Connecticut Sun in the playoffs, more records might still be broken in Clark’s rookie season.
The numbers prove that Caitlin Clark has improved visibility for the WNBA
It’s not just Indiana who is feeding off of Clark’s magnetism. Atlanta, Minnesota and Washington all saw an attendance spike of over 100% when the Fever rookie was in town.
Games featuring the Fever, even when they’re the road team, have attracted 16,084 fans on average. On the other hand, WNBA games where Clark isn’t playing have seen an average attendance of 8,552.
WNBA attendance this season …
Average, Fever games: 16,084.
Average, non-Fever games: 8,552.
(That's an 88% difference. That's Caitlinmania.)Here's a breakdown of what teams averaged at home in Caitlin games and non-Caitlin games: pic.twitter.com/vnaFNxAutn
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) September 20, 2024
It’s not just numbers that have gone up since the guard’s arrival either. Last year, fans could attend every game of the WNBA Finals for $131. This year, the cheapest ticket to watch Clark’s first playoff game is going for $133.
The national spotlight on Caitlin Clark is clearly highlighting the women’s league as a whole. Though this has embittered some of Clark’s WNBA colleagues, they will likely warm up to her effect as the Fever guard continues to boost the financial value of the WNBA.
