Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Takeover: The Hype and Excitement Fueling a Basketball Revolution
Michelle Lennis was a born and raised Purdue supporter who spent her childhood playing hoops in Indiana.
But when the college player elevated her sport to new heights, Lennis also discovered herself rooting for the Iowa women’s basketball team, captained by Caitlin Clark, this season.
In a state and city where basketball is already ingrained in the culture, the Indiana Fever kicked things up a notch on Monday when they selected Clark with the first pick in the WNBA draft. Lennis, 43, was totally engrossed in the thrill.
“She put it on the map like nobody else has,” Lennis said Tuesday, tearing up as she described her own case of Caitlin Clark fever. “People don’t take it seriously. They just don’t take women seriously.”
Monday night, Lennis and her 7-year-old son went to a WNBA draft party at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Fever, before shopping Tuesday at the team store. It delighted her to see young boys and girls excited about Clark’s impending WNBA debut.
“As a former player, seeing all the the hate and the comments and comparisons — and Caitlin just finally shut them all up,” Lennis said.
At the free draft celebration held on Monday at Gainbridge in Indianapolis—home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers—nearly 17,000 tickets were claimed. After the pick, balloons dropped, and fans cheered as they watched a live video stream from the WNBA draft event in New York.
Players for the Fever, such as Erica Wheeler, Maya Caldwell, and Lexie Hull, sprang up and put on red jerseys featuring Clark’s name and number 22 in white.
Later, coach Christie Sides joined the players on the court and, not having been in the room for the pick, asked the audience to act out their response. She was sporting a red T-shirt, one of the first Clark-branded merchandise products to be released on the team’s fan shop.: “With the 1st pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, the Indiana Fever select Caitlin Clark.”
Working with Lennis at a restaurant close to Gainbridge, Stephanie Bevins anticipates a spike in business during the much awaited Fever season. Amid concerns that the clothing would run out later, the two spent their lunch hour on Tuesday purchasing Clark and Fever items from the team store.
Paul Pierce on Caitlin Clark’s WNBA future: ‘Pretty damn good’
This spring, it was obvious that everyone were anticipating the Fever’s pick. Of the team’s 40 regular season games, the WNBA has 36 slated for national broadcasts or streaming partners. The team will appear 8 times on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, 8 times on ION, and 2 times on CBS.
The Fever only had one game on ESPN’s schedule the previous season; they did not play on any other networks.
The number of tickets sold by the team for the 2023 campaign has not been disclosed.
On Tuesday, courtside seats for the home opener were up for resale on the Ticketmaster website, with prices as high as $2,300 per seat. There were resale seats available on the highest balcony for a more affordable forty dollars.
Since she declared her decision to enter the draft in February, local and state officials in the basketball-loving state have been anxiously awaiting Clark’s arrival. Following the draft on Tuesday night, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb gave Clark a call to extend his welcome to Indianapolis.
“It’s a basketball state, I know the ticket sales have been amazing,” Clark said on the phone call. “… I can’t think of a better place to start my career.”
Following the pick, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett stated in a post on X that “Caitlin’s impact will almost probably have ripple effects from our Downtown businesses to our neighborhood playgrounds.”
Jeremiah Marshall said basketball was built in Indiana. He bought half-season tickets for the Fever for the first time this year ahead of the Clark fever.
“She’s a Midwestern personality,” he said.
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The 20-year-old Shelby Tekulve purchased a fresh assortment of Fever items on Tuesday afternoon, which included a T-shirt honoring the historic pick that said, “1st pick WNBA Draft Caitlin Clark.”
Tekulve has three years of season tickets to the Fever, as does her family. She anticipates that Clark will invigorate not just the team but also the Indianapolis Fever fan base, the WNBA, and the city.
“This season is going to be a lot of fun,” she said. “A lot of new people, a lot of new fans.”