Few athletes have the ability to captivate a sport and send its popularity soaring almost on their own, but basketball player Caitlin Clark certainly appears to be one of them.
Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise is sending ripples beyond the basketball court. In early April, she played her last college basketball game, and retired with the highest point total in men’s and women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history. Her Iowa Hawkeyes got to back-to-back national championship games after having previously reaching the final once in program history.
Eight days later, she was the WNBA’s number one pick. She’s played five games for the Indiana Fever, and has already made quite a splash in the professional game. The fans’ desire to see her play is evident.
Both of the Fever’s home games were played in front of sold-out Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowds. Additionally, the Fever’s road game at the Connecticut Suns was the first sell-out home opener since 2003. Their trips to the Seattle Storm and the New York Liberty were also played in front of record crowds.
The Fever’s game at Las Vegas in July has been moved to T-Mobile Arena in anticipation of high ticket sales. That’ll be the second time the Fever have played at Las Vegas this season. Their first meeting, a 99-80 victory for the Aces last weekend, was played in front of 10,399 fans. This was the fourth-highest attendance for an Aces match at Michelob ULTRA Arena.
The spray from the splash Clark has made has landed far off the court, in sportsbooks and daily fantasy contests. Daily fantasy sports operator PrizePicks told iGB it saw a 185% increase in WNBA picks for opening night against 2023.
