The Indiana Fever are about to become the hottest ticket in town.
Caitlin Clark’s college career is done, and the WNBA is eagerly preparing for her imminent arrival into women’s professional basketball.
The (now-former) Iowa Hawkeyes superstar could not bring home college basketball’s ultimate prize after suffering two losses in the national championship game to end her decorated career, but she is the certain #1 overall pick in next week’s draft — and she could be a star the minute she steps onto the hardwood in the pros.
Many seem certain of that, actually. If ticket prices for the upcoming season — as well as the newly-released national TV schedule — are any indication, everybody in the WNBA wants a piece of Caitlin Clark as she pushes for stardom in the top women’s league in the world.
Want to see the Fever? It will cost you
Clark is still five days from being drafted by the Indiana Fever at the top of the 2024 draft, but practically everyone regards it as a foregone conclusion at this point. As such, “get-in” prices to see the Fever take on the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces are now over $100.
To see Clark face league MVP Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty will cost you at least $88. Clark squaring off against Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and the Phoenix Mercury? A cool $109.
The Fever are poised to add Clark to a young core that includes 2023 top pick Aliyah Boston, third-year forward NaLyssa Smith, and star shooting guard Kelsey Mitchell.
Even if Clark doesn’t step into the league and lead it in scoring right away, she will have ample opportunity to make plays with her passing on a team that could grow into a contender in the coming seasons.
Indiana to dominate national broadcasts
The WNBA has high expectations for Clark from the jump, and the league also saw how the lead guard impacted TV ratings throughout this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Iowa games broke viewership records, culminating in 18.7 million viewers tuning in to watch the national final against South Carolina. Perhaps it’s no surprise then that WNBA fans — new and old — will be seeing a lot of Indiana games on national TV this coming season.
The Fever will have 36 of their 40 games broadcast nationally — one more than the two-time defending champion Aces — as Caitlin-mania comes to the pros.
With Clark potentially set to feature at the NBA’s All-Star Weekend in 2025, basketball fans everywhere will be in for a healthy dose of the two-time Wooden Award winner as she turns pro.
The 2024 WNBA season begins May 14 and runs through September 19. The season will be paused for the Summer Olympics in Paris after the July 20 All-Star Game.
