INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever are back at home Thursday night, prepared to take on the Los Angeles Sparks. However, they will be doing so without superstar Caitlin Clark, raising questions about what impact this might have beyond the basketball court.
WRTV has been exploring the phenomenon known as the "Caitlin Clark effect," which has extended well beyond the Fever's games this season.
Numbers show a noticeable difference in demand, ticket prices and even viewership when Clark is playing compared to when she is sidelined.
Fans are traveling from near and far to see Clark in action with the Indiana Fever. Vivid Seats reported an 82% spike in website traffic for Fever tickets when Clark returned from injury earlier this season.
“Clearly, there is a Caitlin Clark effect going,” said Kate Christensen, an assistant professor of marketing at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
For the second time this season, some fans may be disappointed as the star player is out due to another injury.
When Clark was previously sidelined, Sports Illustrated and USA Today reported a 55% decline in ratings for nationally televised WNBA games.
“We'll see if we see the same drop when she's out,” Christensen said.
News of Clark’s absence for Thursday night’s matchup against the Sparks comes just days after Vivid Seats indicated that the Fever’s upcoming game against the Dallas Wings ranks among the top 10 most in-demand WNBA games of the entire season.
During a recent game against the Seattle Storm, dedicated Clark fans traveled hundreds of miles to watch her play and were expected to do the same for Friday's game against the Wings.
“You can see that demand is up more than double from last year. This is a classic matchup,” Christensen told WRTV. “Paige is the UConn star...she's been having an incredible season, and Caitlin's been having some trouble. So, everybody wants to see what’s going to happen.”
Christensen added that the length of Clark's absence has similar impacts.
“I think we'll see a drop. I think it'll be less than last time,” she said, projecting that as the league continues to grow, the differences in demand may diminish.
As of now, it remains uncertain how long Clark will be sidelined.
According to Vivid Seats, the rematch between the Fever and the Wings on August 1 is currently the most in-demand game of the season, with average ticket prices already exceeding $500.
The Fever appear in nine of the 10 most in-demand WNBA games this year.
The average price to see the Fever on the road is $311, which is 168% higher than WNBA games that do not feature Indiana.
