She may still be looking for her first win as an Indiana Fever player, but Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA is already putting more bums on seats than ever before.
Clark, who was selected by the Fever with the first overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, is 0-4 with Indiana after losses to the Connecticut Sun and the New York Liberty, marking a frustrating start to her career in the majors competitions.
While it’s still far from the introduction she dreamed of, the former Iowa sensation’s appeal shows no signs of slowing down.
In Saturday’s loss to the Liberty in Brooklyn, the Clark Effect helped the WNBA break the single-game ticket revenue record of over $2 million, drawing the largest regular-season attendance in Liberty history (17,735) to see her in action.
Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA is already creating more bums in the seats than ever before
The Fever’s loss to the Liberty in Brooklyn on Saturday set a single-game ticket revenue record in the WNBA, with the game grossing more than $2 million.
There were a number of celebrities in town, including Jason Sudeikis (left) and Billie Jean King (right)
There were also a number of celebrities in town for the match; including tennis legend Billie Jean King, championship-winning South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and acting superstar Jason Sudeikis.
“I thought the atmosphere was incredible,” Clark said. ‘There are certainly a lot of young girls here today. That was very nice to see.
“It’s fun to play in New York for the first time and to play in front of this environment.”
Clark’s historic success for Iowa, in which she became the all-time leading NCAA point scorer, brought record crowds to college basketball, along with record ticket prices.
Despite the success of the event at Barclays Center, she tasted defeat again at Barclays Center on Saturday evening.
The 22-year-old then slumped to her fourth straight loss to Indiana on Monday night as Connecticut collected its misery at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark’s frustration was clearly getting the better of her as well. She was caught on camera shouting ‘it’s bloody wrong’ at the referee, resulting in a technical fault.
Clark has lost her first four games with Indiana since being drafted with the first overall pick
“Just the technical foul, I can’t understand that,” Clark told reporters after the game.
‘A bit of frustration with the way the match was judged. But it is what it is. That’s out of your control.
“I thought our team put ourselves in a position to make some plays to try to win the stretch, and the Sun always came up with big plays.”