Yardbarker
x
Fever COO praises Caitlin Clark's generosity with incredible story
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Fever COO praises Caitlin Clark's generosity with incredible story

Caitlin Clark intends to share the wealth.

During her record-setting WNBA debut season, fans flocked to arenas nationwide to cheer for the Fever superstar. According to official data, the Fever's games pulled in a record 340,715 fans for their home fixtures at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,036 average), but their away fixtures were packed to the rafters, too. Indiana's 20 away games drew a combined crowd of 264,643 fans (13,232 average). 

While Clark is largely responsible for renewed fan interest in the WNBA, the Fever star wants all her fellow players to benefit from the new influx of revenue. 

At a recent speaking engagement at The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Fever President and COO Allison Barber shared a touching story highlighting Clark's generosity. 

"Here's all you need to know about Caitlin Clark: When we would go to away games, they always sold out," Barber said. "So, Atlanta [Dream] would normally have 3,000 to 4,000 people. Now they have 17,000 people and they sold 1,000 standing-room-only tickets. So, when we walked into the arena, people were on that third balcony looking down at the tops of our players' heads to watch... After a few away games, and all of the sellouts, Caitlin asked the WNBA if they would pay spot bonuses to the away team players." 

"She said 'We're making all this new revenue, and I would like the away team to benefit from that. Could they get a spot bonus?' So that's the heart of Caitlin Clark. That's the classy and amazing person."

Barber further revealed that the WNBA declined Clark's request as it violates the league's CBA. 

A spot bonus is a one-time incentive given to players or employees for improving the financial metrics of a sporting league. In this case, the spike in attendance at away games was due to Clark, entitling her to the bonus. However, the star guard wants her peers to get a piece of the piece, so to speak. 

Clark's Fever were eliminated from the playoffs this season. But the rookie guard capped off her season with a few more records — both on and off the court. 

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!