While Caitlin Clark’s WNBA colleagues may resent the attention being paid to this year’s No. 1 pick, there’s no denying the impact she’s had on interest in the league. A recent example is Clark’s Fever team. Visited the Atlanta Dream on FridayThe Dream typically play their games at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, which has a capacity of 3,500 and usually has plenty of empty seats.
However, demand for tickets was so high that the game was moved to Atlanta’s Philips Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. An estimated 17,575 people watched the game, breaking the Dream League’s previous attendance record, which was set for the opening game in 2008. An estimated 11,609 fans attended the opening game.
On the court, the Fever won their fourth straight game, the first time the fading franchise has done so since 2015. Clarke had 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, seven assists and four rebounds. She continued to struggle with turnovers, which have been an issue since the beginning of her WNBA career, committing seven. But the Fever still won handily, 91-79.
Clark, who often played in Iowa games and drew big crowds both at home and away, was taken aback by the extra attention. “For me, this kind of environment isn’t that different,” Clark said. “But it’s something you get used to. I don’t want to say ‘get used to,’ but you get used to playing. And it’s fun.”
Tickets are also in high demand for the Fever’s upcoming game against the Chicago Sky on Sunday. The Fever have played two games against the Chicago Sky already this year, both of which were controversial. In the first game, Sky player Chennedy Carter committed a controversial hard foul on Clark, punching him from behind and knocking him to the ground before the ball was inbounded. In the second game, fellow rookie Angel Reese was assessed a Flagrant 1 for a hard foul on Clark after hitting Clark with her elbow hard against his head while trying to block a shot.
