Just as a college junior, she drew a massive public interest in the game, the kind that had never happened before. Her top-class scoring and 3-pointers made the 2023 NCAA Tournament a huge success. Soon, Caitlin Clark became a household name. She also locked in the casual viewers with her visually majestic long-range shooting. One by one people were getting struck by her basketball magic, putting the Caitlin Clark effect in motion. Dubbed by the Des Moines Register, the name has been attributed to the rise in ticket sales and revenue ($82.5 million approx.) for the University of Iowa.

Mel Raines, CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, wasn’t lying when she said, “This is a historic moment, an inflection point for women’s basketball, and there’s nothing more fitting than Indiana being at the center of it all. Over several seasons, we have built a young, talented roster that fans are excited to support, and this is a momentum that we will build off for years to come.” This is the level where Clark’s presence has elevated the Indiana Fever. And, with time it has attained a lot of depth, let’s see how.

Caitlin Clark effect at its best

The GOAT of TV Ratings, as called by the Wall Street Journal, Caitlin Clark drove television viewership to unprecedented levels as the national championship game broke the viewership record with 9.9 million viewers, becoming the most-watched college basketball game in history.

Clark broke more than half a century-old record set by Pete Maravich in less than half a decade to become the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer. That time too she drew an average of 3.39 million viewers. This trend followed Clark whenever she played against strong competitors in the Division.

The 2024 National Championship game took the record-setting vibe to 18.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched basketball game since 2019, outdrawing the men’s college basketball title game, hence, giving a grand finish to her NCAA career.

By this time, Clark had become somewhat like a national hero. Still, there was more to come. The night Clark was drafted as the no.1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, about 2.45 million viewers tuned in just to watch her big transition to becoming a pro, making it the most-watched WNBA telecast in more than 2 decades.

Despite Clark having a rough start as a pro with the Indiana Fever having a scarcity of victories, there was an undebatable abundance of people flocking into the arenas and watching her play. Since then, the Indiana Fever has seen a 264.6% increase in total audience in both home and away games. Secondly, the team has reached a league-high 38-game broadcast on national TV.

However, the effect is much bigger than these aforementioned numbers and has impacted the team’s growth from a marketing as well as business perspective.

Indiana Fever having a blockbuster season all around

Besides drawing record-breaking crowds and engaging more and more people through TV, the CC effect has done wonders for the team off the court as well. When Caitlin Clark came into the league, she brought with her a huge and loyal fanbase and her elite marketability.

Since her addition to the team, the Indiana Fever has seen an 1193% increase in their jersey sales. Four times, the team set a single-game team store sales record for Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indiana Fever’s home court. Ticket sales have seen a 264.6% increase YOY, making the Indiana Fever the top WNBA team in both home and away attendance.

Similarly, they have the largest number of team sponsors in the WNBA, giving them a 225% increase in corporate partnerships. Pharma brand Eli Lilly is one of the most recent sponsor additions that committed to the team in May, hence, the jersey patch. Besides, State Farm and Gainbridge are already getting generously paid in brand exposure benefitted through nationally televised games and social media.

Lastly, their social media engagement has shot up to the skies as now they have a league-high 1.8 social media followers, making them the most popular WNBA team among the fans. Between the WNBA draft and the All-Star Game, the team came on top amidst every team in the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB, with 800 million views in terms of video consumption.

Hence, Todd Taylor’s (President for Business Operators for Pacers Sports & Entertainment) words hold all the crux when he said, “This is a fun team, on and off the court, and our staff has done an exceptional job at creating content that connects our growing fan base in new and innovative ways This is an important moment for our sport and our city and state, and it is exciting to be able to share it with our fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and all over the world.”

However, there is one team that beat the Fever in social media engagement, i.e. MLS’ Inter Miami, which is known to be home to the soccer legend Lionel Messi. But, with the regular season resumed already, Caitlin Clark might soon beat them too with her ever-increasing fan engagement. Until then, stay tuned for such interesting insights.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger