As soon as Caitlin Clark joined the Indiana Fever after the 2024 WNBA Draft, the team became the most popular squad in the league. Viewership and attendance numbers skyrocketed. Opposing teams even had to start moving games to bigger arenas when Clark and the Fever came to town.
While Clark is a big reason for the Fever’s newfound popularity, she is not the only draw for fans. Clark has missed most of the season with an injury. Nevertheless, the Fever continue to draw significant viewership numbers when they play on national TV.
When the Fever played the Wings in late June, they drew over a million viewers even though Clark was sidelined. The same trend continued throughout July. On July 9, the Fever’s matchup with the Liberty drew almost 1.2 million viewers. Their latest game against the Sky drew 1.5 million viewers, making it the sixth most-watched regular-season game to air on ABC.
Those numbers significantly outshine the attention other teams get. In early July, a matchup between the Aces and Liberty became the most-watched regular-season game not involving the Fever since 1999. It averaged 701,000 viewers and peaked at 813,000.
There’s more to the Fever than just Caitlin Clark
This should go without saying but Caitlin Clark isn’t the only WNBA player fans like to watch. Many fans may have flocked to the Fever because of Clark, but along the way, they evidently also fell in love with the rest of the team. While the viewership numbers without Clark aren’t as impressive as when she takes the court, they still prove that fans also enjoy watching the Fever without their superstar.
Fans’ continued support isn’t much of a surprise. The Fever have plenty of interesting talent.
Aliyah Boston was the top pick in the draft the year before Clark and is already one of the best bigs in the league in just her third season. Kelsey Mitchell is one of the most dynamic scoring guards in the game. Natasha Howard is an established veteran who was named Defensive Player of the Year earlier in her career and was an MVP candidate. Lexie Hull is an exciting young 3-and-D wing, and Sophie Cunningham’s popularity has skyrocketed since she joined the Fever.
It’s still unclear when Clark will return to the court
Caitlin Clark has only played 13 games all season long. The Fever have been able to survive without her, climbing in the standings and securing a playoff spot. Kelsey Mitchell has been leading the way, putting up big scoring games.
Still, the Fever would love to have Clark back sooner rather than later. However, there is no official timetable for her return quite yet.