The Indiana Fever are drawing quite the crowd. At home, away. Really, anywhere the Fever go.
During Sunday’s 91-83 win over the Chicago Sky, the Fever reeled in another sellout crowd of 17,274. With its latest sellout, the Fever’s 2024 home attendance is up to a grand total of 116,782 in seven games. The Fever boast four home sellouts.
Beginning with her time at Iowa, these types of crowds have become the norm for Fever rookie phenom Caitlin Clark’s basketball career. One of her teammates, guard Kelsey Mitchell, acknowledged as much on Sunday after the Fever’s victory over the Sky.
“I blame Caitlin,” Mitchell said, eliciting laughter from the media in the postgame press conference.
Mitchell continued with what it means to play in front of packed houses night after night.
“I think it’s a really great opportunity for us to kind of like present who we are as a team. I think that the work that the class that came in, the draft class that came in, did a really good job of putting us on a pedestal to be known, to be seen and I think that we can utilize that and tie it in with the game.
“I think that for us it’s obviously a really good thing to see all these people here, but we try to keep the main thing the main thing. I will be honest and say that it’s the most people I’ve seen consecutively, so I’m excited about where it’s going. Shout out to Caitlin,” Mitchell said.
kelsey mitchell when asked about playing before sellout crowds for consecutive games:
“I blame Caitlin.” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/mw5k6tDszs
— 22 (@clrkszn) June 16, 2024
A few blocks away on Saturday, Katie Ledecky qualified for her fourth Olympic team inside the Indianapolis Colts‘ Lucas Oil Stadium in front of 20,689 fans. Ledecky became the ninth American swimmer to qualify for four Olympic Games.
Following Indiana’s win over Chicago, USA TODAY Sports’ Christine Brennan asked what it meant to Clark for that type of crowd to show up to support women’s swimming and then turn around and deliver a sellout crowd for the Fever the very next day.
“Yeah, I think it’s really cool. I was somebody that grew up loving women’s athletics, whether it was soccer, whether it was basketball or whatever it was, I always had it on, I always wanted to support it. I think it just shows, when given an opportunity, women’s sports are certainly an amazing thing and fun to watch and they’re only on the rise.
“I think people are finally starting to realize how great of a product that can be shown if they’re given an opportunity to play on national television or play in front of (big crowds) in big stadiums where people can buy tickets and get in a seat. I think once people come and watch one time, they can’t get enough of it and they continue to come back. To be a small part of that is super fun. Obviously, we get to play in front of a sold out crowd of 17,000 people and that’s not ever something you take for granted. I mean, the crowd, that energy just helps us and allows us to thrive off of it. It’s one of the coolest parts of our job, for sure,” Clark said.
Fever forward Aliyah Boston shared her thoughts to Brennan and the media as well.
“I agree. I think it’s really special. Caitlin said it best. I mean, women’s sports is on the rise and I think it’s amazing that younger girls have now so many more female athletes to look up to and say, ‘I want to be like her. I want to be an Olympian just like her.’ Just to be a part of that, it’s amazing. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Boston said.
Clark scored 23 points, connecting on 7-of-11 field goal tries, including 3-of-7 from 3-point range in the win over the Sky. It marks the seventh time this season that Clark has eclipsed the 20-point plateau.
Clark added nine assists and eight rebounds as she came within striking distance of her first career WNBA triple-double.
Boston has been on quite the run of late as well, registering three straight double-doubles and four consecutive games with double-figure scoring. Against the Atlanta Dream last Thursday, Boston matched her career-high with 27 points.
Mitchell has scored in double-figures in each of the Fever’s last two games as well, including 17 points in the win over the Sky.
The Fever return to action on Wednesday at 6 p.m. versus the Washington Mystics.
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