Caitlin Clark Effect on Full Show As Indiana Fever Reveal Massive Mid-Season Growth in WNBA Star’s Rookie Season
Caitlin Clark has changed the Indiana Fever for good is an understatement as the latest financial report from them showcase incredible numbers since they drafted her as a rookie.
![Caitlin Clark Effect Twitter](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-08/572462521_1723640826_imresizer-1723640820072.jpg)
The Indiana Fever, led by Caitlin Clark, are hoping to keep up the momentum they built up before last month's All-Star Game, both on and off the court, as they return from the WNBA's Olympic break this week. With a record of 11-15, the team has seen a league-high 186,000 fans attend home games this season, up 265% from 2023. The Fever have won three of their last five games to move up into seventh place in the WNBA standings. But when it comes to the Clark era, Indiana is unrivaled online.
The Indiana Fever released a report on Wednesday that stated the team leads the league in terms of total followers, video views, followers gained, and social media engagement. With 800 million views in team-produced videos between April 15 and July 19, it even outperformed every other team in the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB, according to the Fever. Out of all the American teams, only Inter Miami of MLS fared better. The Fever currently have the most team sponsors in the league. In May, Eli Lilly signed on as Indiana's jersey patch sponsor.
In front of a record 3.44 million viewers, Team WNBA defeated the 12-player U.S. Olympic squad 117-109 thanks to the play of Fever stars Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Clark during the July All-Star Game.
Clark wasn't selected for Team USA's Olympic squad, but she did spend some of her vacation time wearing a personalized jersey and going to Yankees games. Afterward, Yankees manager Aaron Boone remarked, "It was fun to see the number of our guys that were kind of just starstruck being around her."
All 14 of Clark's remaining games in the 2024 regular season are slated to air on national television. The series will begin on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Ion with a rematch against Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury. The Fever take on the Seattle Storm on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Given that the team reported a 1,193% increase in uniform sales year over year, there will undoubtedly be many Clark jerseys in the stands for those games. Clark is currently receiving $76,535 from the rookie base salary structure as per the terms of the agreement.
Considering additional player marketing agreements with the league and her team, as well as her own brand deals with companies like State Farm and Nike, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has stated that Clark could earn as much as $500,000 this season. For starters, she received $2,575 in cash for her All-Star appearance.
Clark will earn even more if she continues to play the way she does on the court—she currently leads the league with 8.2 assists per game. A $1,500 award is given for being named to the All-WNBA Rookie Team, and a $5,150 bonus is given for winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year title.
![](https://www.pinkvilla.com/assets/images/newsletter-icon.png)