There has never been a frenzy as big for any player leading up to their career as there has been for Caitlin Clark. This week, Clark broke yet another record before even stepping foot into the regular season. Not only does she have the most lucrative shoe deal in women’s basketball history and the bestselling jersey of the year, but she has also blown away attendance records during the preseason.
The Indiana Fever saw the highest attendance for a regular season game last year with 7,356 fans. On average, they had 4,466 fans per game at their home arena throughout the season. However, those numbers immediately spiked once they received the number one pick in the 2024 draft. Believe it or not, Clark and Indiana have almost doubled their attendance record from last year’s regular season during only the first two preseason games.
For their home preseason game against Atlanta, 13,028 people showed up on Thursday night to catch Clark take on the Dream. Clark’s popularity is making a huge impact in the league, and she has already taken the league to new levels before the regular season even starts.
Clark’s preseason debut came on the road against Dallas, where she scored 21 points with five three-point shots in a 79-77 defeat. However, the bigger story out of the game was the record-breaking attendance. For their first preseason home game in Indiana, Clark and the Fever hosted their one and only home preseason game on Thursday night against Atlanta. Clark fans came out in record numbers, achieving historic attendance figures. The most attended Indiana game of all time happened 21 years ago against the Washington Mystics, with 18,345 fans showing up. It is only a matter of time before this record is broken, potentially as soon as later this month when Caitlin Clark opens the season at home against the New York Liberty.
Clark’s unprecedented popularity is drawing massive crowds, not just at home but also on the road. Her ability to attract record-breaking attendance highlights her significant impact on the league, setting a new standard for women’s basketball. As Clark travels around the country for road games, it will be fascinating to see if she continues to draw record-breaking crowds.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Do you think Caitlin Clark will continue to break attendance records as she travels for road games?