Regardless of by no means really utilizing her identify, the Indiana Fever lately put out a report that every one however places a shining highlight on their star rookie, Caitlin Clark.
The official launch got here out Aug. 14 and boldly boasted about how the crew’s “Followers Are Partaking with the Indiana Fever in Document Numbers.”
The Fever bragged about numerous crew milestones because it returned from the Olympics break (the place numerous WNBA gamers — although none from the Fever — received the gold medal in girls’s basketball).
“Ladies’s basketball has exploded in reputation, and extra followers are tuning in, packing arenas, and interesting in social media to look at their favourite groups and gamers,” the Fever said. “Indiana specifically has been the epicenter of the game with followers participating with the Fever and their younger stars in new methods, and the momentum exhibits no indicators of slowing down because the crew makes a push to return to the WNBA playoffs this season.”
Whereas by no means mentioning her by identify, it’s fairly notable that one of many key variations between the Fever final yr and this yr is the presence of Clark — whose nuclear superstardom has already generated fairly a little bit of jealousy and a tinge of racial animus within the league.
However these aren’t the one issues Clark has helped generate.
“The Fever lead the League in attendance for each house and away video games with greater than 186,000 followers attending a Fever house sport for the reason that season tipped off in Might, the very best complete in franchise historical past and a 265 % enhance in attendance from final season,” the Fever launch said.
It added: “4 Fever house video games this season have set single-game information for gross sales on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse Workforce Retailer, and the Workforce Retailer has skilled a bounce of greater than 1,000 % in internet gross sales.”
Maybe simply as impressively, the Fever boasted about the way it was hanging with a lot greater, rather more profitable sports activities leagues in sure arenas.
“The Fever maintain the highest spots within the League in social media engagement, video views, followers gained, and complete followers and since April, the Fever have had greater than 800M video views throughout platforms,” the discharge mentioned. “The crew is ranked first amongst groups within the WNBA, NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLB in video consumption in that span.”
All of this buzz was sufficient for Sportico, an outlet targeted on sports activities enterprise extra so than sports activities itself, to outright name these large numbers a direct results of the “Caitlin Clark impact.”
And, once more, that description is tough to argue with.
Clark’s arrival has been a veritable boon for the WNBA, and her on-court rivalries with the likes of Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese and (apparently) your complete Phoenix Mercury squad has ignited real curiosity in a product that had been struggling to keep up any form of foothold with sports activities followers through the years.
It does must be famous that Clark may be very deserving of this adulation and these accolades.
In contrast to a few of her extra shameless friends, Clark’s sport is definitely environment friendly and expert.
Sure, her turnovers are a difficulty, and sure, she’s not a lockdown defender, however her offensive brilliance (historic offensive brilliance, by the best way) is uncommon for anybody — not to mention a precocious 22-year-old — to have in basketball.
For all of the aforementioned good buzz, nevertheless, Clark and the Fever are scrapping for one of many closing few playoff spots.
Indiana will subsequent look to maintain these playoff hopes alive on Monday, when the crew travels to Atlanta to face the Dream.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.
