Fever accesses the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ on fan engagement
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Fever returns to the court on Friday when it hosts the Phoenix Mercury inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
It will be Indiana’s first game since the Olympic Break.
Another big crowd is expected for the game, and why wouldn’t it be? The Fever has seen big crowds all season long thanks in part to the team drafting guard Caitlin Clark with the first overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft.
Indiana leads the league in attendance, with eight sellouts out of the team’s 11 home games.
The franchise released a bunch of numbers on Wednesday that showcase just how much fan engagement the team is having during this memorable season.
More than 186,000 fans have attended a home Fever game this year, which is a 265% jump from last season. Keep in mind that the Fever still has nine more home games remaining this regular season.
Mel Raines, CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said in a news release, “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 momentum that we will build off for years to come.”
The crowds also show up to Fever road games, with over 230,000 fans watching the Fever in opposing arenas so far this year.
Social and digital media interaction has skyrocketed as well for the team. For instance, videos produced by the team from April 15 through July 19 “had more than 800M views,” according to the release.
Todd Taylor, president for business operators for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said in the release, “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.”
Here are some other wild numbers showing just how much engagement the team is having this year:
- Jersey sales up 1193%.
- Ticket sales up 264.6%.
- Corporate partnerships up 225%.
- Freddy Fever (the team’s mascot) has seen a 150% increase in appearance requests.
The league must have taken notice with numbers like this because Indianapolis will host the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, according to an ESPN report on Wednesday.
