The Indiana Fever just closed a historic regular season by winning 20 games. It was enough to put them back into the playoffs for the first time since 2016 as Caitlin Clark broke out. She was a college star, but nobody expected her to dominate the WNBA as a rookie. Clark will win Rookie of the Year and may make the All-WNBA first team. She broke records, but it was more than her play.
Clark brought new popularity to the league. She was the first player ever to receive 700,000 All-Star votes and the Fever played in front of massive crowds wherever they went. There were a ton more eyes on the team and the number one overall pick in 2024 deserves credit for that.
How much did Clark change things? The regular season attendance figures are in, and Clark brought out the fans. Here is a look at a wild stat that shows her massive impact.
Caitlin Clark changed the WNBA forever by bringing fans to games
Tim Reynolds shared the numbers on X, and it was crazy how many people came out to Fever games this season. They averaged 16,084 fans or 88 percent more than games featuring other teams. See the full breakdown below.
WNBA attendance this season ...
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) September 20, 2024
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
When Clark came to town, the fans showed up. The Dream averaged just 3,316 patrons in non-Fever games but shot up to 17,592 in the two games versus Indiana. Every team got more people when facing Indiana, and the rookie was selling out arenas across the country.
This is just the beginning for the WNBA. The expansion Golden State Valkyries sold over 17,000 season ticket deposits (subscription required) ahead of their inaugural season in 2025.
The following year Toronto and Portland will enter the league as will a new CBA. With more fans and exploding popularity, the salary cap will rise significantly. That will only bring more talent to the league and things will keep improving.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are just the beginning. The WNBA has been a supremely talented league for years and plenty of young stars are on the horizon. Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins already have significant followings and will bring even more eyeballs to the W. Clark started the revolution, but it is about to completely take off.
The Indiana Fever are not done. They are gearing up for a first-round playoff showdown against the Connecticut Sun. Fans can expect more sellouts, but Clark has struggled in their regular season matchups. Does she take her game to another level in the postseason? Tune in to find out.