Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever put up big numbers once again this week as their only home preseason game brought more than 13,000 fans to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis. The continued explosion of attention around Clark and the Fever is so massive that it led longtime sports commentator Colin Cowherd to predict the Fever would outdraw the NBA’s Indiana Pacers in attendance and local television viewership.
Cowherd explained why he thinks momentum will follow Clark to Indianapolis on Friday on The Herd.
“The Indiana Pacers average about 16,000, they’ve never had TV ratings locally and attendance, they’ve always been near the bottom of the league,” Cowherd explained. “I think a WNBA team in the same city will outdraw the NBA team. I absolutely believe that.”
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When Indiana drafted Clark in April, the ESPN telecast became among the most-viewed women’s basketball events ever. Clark’s Iowa team drew TV ratings in the ballpark of NFL playoff games and the Academy Awards.
Thursday night’s preseason attendance is just another data point indicating the Fever will be a major force locally and nationally.
“We’re getting into territory where it’s like, ‘whoa,'” Cowherd added. “If you’re getting 13,000 … when’s the last NBA exhibition that Indiana hosted that got 13,000? That seems like a lot for any NBA team.”
The Pacers ranked 29th of 30 NBA teams in total attendance this past season. Ratings for early-season Pacers games on Bally Sports Indiana signaled a bounceback, with young star guard Tyrese Haliburton leading a competitive young squad (which is currently competing in the second round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks). But the team is bottom-10 in market size in the NBA.
Cowherd believes the whole WNBA is in for a big uptick in attention as a result of the popularity of Clark and the Fever.
“The growth was steady, this is not growth. This is an explosion. The WNBA needed this,” Cowherd said. “They were playing in some second-tier arenas, now they’re going to play in bigger arenas.”
Cowherd’s proclamation around the data may not come to pass, but recent history suggests the sky is the limit for Clark in Indiana.
[The Herd]
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.