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Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is apparently just as good a human being as she is a basketball player.
During a convention of The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. on September 19, Allison Barber, the President and COO of the Indiana Fever, revealed a heartwarming story that touched upon the generosity of Clark.
According to Barber, Clark asked the WNBA if the spot bonuses given to the Fever organization for attracting large crowds at away games could be shared with players from opposition teams. Barber noted how Fever drew massive crowds even in away fixtures, attracting a combined 264,643 fans from 20 away games (13,232 average per game) to benefit enormously from Clark’s popularity from a financial standpoint.
“Here’s all you need to know about Caitlin Clark: When we would go to away games, they always sold out,” Barber recalled. “Unbelievable. 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.”
“It’s really hard to take in,” she continued. “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, amazing person.”
Caitlin Clark, Fever Set Attendance Records
Barber went on to reveal that the WNBA turned down Clark’s request due to rules in their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The Fever President added that brands such as Nike were thrilled to be representing Clark due to her ability to attract new fans to the WNBA.
“The people at Nike told me that what Caitlin has done is similar to what Tiger [Woods] did in that they brought new fans to the sport,” Barber stressed.
To Barber’s point, Clark’s debut season in the WNBA not only renewed interest in women’s basketball but attracted scores of new fans.
Fever games averaged 1.18 million viewers across all networks, per Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. Those numbers were higher than the viewership averages of NBA franchises such as the Spurs (1.01 million average) and the 76ers (1.0 million). Furthermore, Furthermore, Fever’s home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse had a higher attendance (17,055) than at least five NBA franchises, including the Pacers (16,528), who also play in Indianapolis.
“I call it Clarkonomics,” Basketball Hall of Famer Debbie Antonelli said on the Sports Media Watch Podcast. “It is defined by attendance, ratings, the — no pun intended — ‘fever’ around the game. I’ve been in every WNBA arena this summer. Most of the arenas, or half of them, are full of Fever fans. There’s a lot of number 22s running around.”
Caitlin Clark Reveals Plans for Offseason
Besides setting all sorts of financial records, Clark also helped the Fever escape irrelevancy in the 2024 season as the franchise ended its eight-year playoff drought.
The Fever fell to a more seasoned team, the Connecticut Sun, in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. Despite the loss, Fever had a lot to be optimistic about ahead of the 2025 season, building off their new Big 3 of Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.
After the loss, Clark revealed her offseason plans in a news conference.
“I was focused on beating the Connecticut Sun, I hadn’t thought too far down the line,” Clark told the media. “I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow, I don’t know what I’m going to do the next day. Maybe play some golf. I think that’s what I’m gonna do until it becomes too cold in Indiana. I’ll become a professional golfer.”
Clark finished her rookie season with averages of 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds. She won the Rookie of the Year award for her historic campaign that saw her break the rookie records for most assists (337), points (769) and three-pointers made (122). Her 337 assists were also a record for any player in history, let alone a rookie.
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