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Latest Fever update shows true power of the 'Caitlin Clark Effect'
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Indiana Fever update shows true power of the 'Caitlin Clark Effect'

Indiana Fever rookie phenom Caitlin Clark has quickly become one of the faces of the WNBA, and the team has benefited greatly from her star power.

The team gave an update on Wednesday morning — just two days before it kicks off the final 14 games of the regular season — about some of the record numbers it has experienced this season, much of which is thanks to Clark.

The Fever have sold 100 percent of season-ticket inventory, their attendance is up 264 percent from last season and they lead the league in attendance with an average of 16,898 fans per game (nearly 4,200 more fans per contest than the next-closest team).

The team also set broadcast records for the most-viewed WNBA games on ABC, ESPN, NBA TV and Ion networks, and it has played in the 12 most-watched WNBA games this season.

There’s also been a 1,193 percent increase in the team’s merchandise sales from last season, and it broke the single-game merchandise sales record four times throughout the year. 

The Fever’s social media numbers are also off the charts. In the four-month window from April through July, the team has had more than 800 million views across its social media platforms and gained 1.3 million followers since April 15 when Clark was drafted No. 1 overall.

But that’s not all. Clark is also breaking records herself. She’s the top seller in terms of WNBA player-specific merchandise, Fanatics told TMZ, and the company has seen a 1,000 percent increase in WNBA merchandise sales from last season. 

Clark also participated in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, which drew record numbers. The game peaked with 4.1 million viewers and averaged a record 3.4 million, topping the 2023 All-Star Game viewership by 300 percent.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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