The Caitlin Clark effect has taken over the WNBA. Indiana Fever games are getting record viewership and franchises are stepping out of small arenas to host games for 15-20k people. Fans are turning up in huge numbers to see Clark perform and as a result, the Fever rookie is even selling out road arenas. This overall progress in the league is something that everyone involved is slowly getting used to. Clark recently addressed the phenomenon during a post-game presser.
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The Indian Fever just defeated the Atlanta Dream 91-79 at a sold-out State Farm Arena. After the contest, Clark addressed what it’s like playing in sold-out NBA arenas on the road.
She said, “Last couple of years, I’ve played in front of sold-out crowds and these types of environments, so, for me, it’s not that different.”
However, Clark isn’t taking any of this for granted. She also talked about the presence of Fever fans in road arenas, which certainly helps her and the team, “There aren’t many cheering against us and that certainly helps. And for me, a lot of that was the same in college other than the IU fans. They were pretty crazy.”
While talking to the reporters about the big game on Sunday against the Chicago Sky, Clark said that the only thing she is surprised by is the fact that they are playing at the Wintrust Arena instead of the United Center. Regardless, playing in front of a crowd of 10,387 is something that she’s really looking forward to.
Clark knows how to use a big crowd to her advantage. The former Hawkeyes star said that she’s not fazed by a big crowd presence and actually feeds off of their energy.
Caitlin Clark on another record road crowd & how they've mostly been favorable for Indiana
"There aren't many cheering against us and that certainly helps. And for me, a lot of that was the same in college other than the IU fans. They were pretty crazy."https://t.co/AwcUuIfuAT pic.twitter.com/TyBpiPoecv
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) June 22, 2024
“It definitely adds an added emotion when there’s a lot of people cheering against you. But it’s the same when a lot of people are cheering for you. I think that’s energy that you can just feed off of,” the 22-year-old added.
Clark is one of the major reasons why the arenas are full to the brim in the first place.
Take the Atlanta Dream for example. The Dream typically plays in the Gateway Center Arena that’s made for 3500 people.
However, anticipating an overwhelming wave of support from fans, the ATL management moved their game to the State Farm Arena, where the Hawks play. As a result of acting quickly, 17,575 fans showed up to watch the game. This has set a franchise record for the Dream, and it won’t be a stretch at all if one claims that Caitlin Clark made it happen.
