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Caitlin Clark has garnered a lot of attention over the season, and the result of that is the Indiana Fever playing in bigger arenas so fans can see her play. Just recently, the Fever played at State Farm Arena to face the Atlanta Dream, and 17,608 fans came out to see the game. It almost felt like a home game for the Fever, because every time they would score, the crowd would burst into cheers and excitement.
The Fever ended up defeating the Dream, and Clark was asked if she thinks the team has an advantage when they play in bigger arenas, but she was quick to shut down the narrative.
“I don’t think it gives us an advantage, I think we’re used to it. I think if anything it gives them a little fire. It’s like ‘This is our home crowd, this is our home stadium.’ You want to defend your home court, that’s how we feel when we’re at home in front of our crowd. But I don’t think any crowd intimidates us, and honestly, you can tell they’re just there for good basketball. They’re almost cheering for both teams it feels like. It’s still a very intense basketball environment, but I think we’ve gotten experience in those environments.”
As I’m casually recording the crowd, Caitlin Clark hits a three and everyone goes crazy. This place is PACKED pic.twitter.com/CDZHNhowqU
— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) August 26, 2024
Clark mentioned that growing up as a kid, she would have been excited to see a crowd like State Farm Arena.
“I feel like I’m just a kid that plays basketball that has a lot of fun. For me, coming into these arenas and these environments, I look around and it’s incredible,” Clark said. “I don’t show up and expect these crowds. Maybe I’ve gotten a little used to it, but for me, that’s not anything that ever gets old. It’s really just something that’s cool, especially as a young girl who grew up going to games. As a young girl, I would’ve come to a game in a building like this and seen this type of crowd, I think I would’ve been in heaven.”
Fever, Atlanta Dream make history at State Farm Arena
The Atlanta Dream and the Indiana Fever made history, as their game was the biggest WNBA game ever in Georgia. The game was a sellout as fans from both teams came out to support.
“Amazing crowd, great atmosphere for women's basketball. Fans in Atlanta always show up and they give us something to really be proud about,” Dream head coach Tanisha Wright said after the game.
Shoutout to the 🅰️👏 pic.twitter.com/SQoYTSKZn9
— State Farm Arena (@StateFarmArena) August 27, 2024
Clark has gotten a lot of attention over the season, and it was pretty much known before she was drafted that it would be this way. During her time at Iowa, many people were tuned in to her playing, and there's no doubt that she's helped the game grow.
Earlier in the season, Caitlin Clark mentioned how their matchup against the Chicago Sky should've been played at the United Center, where the Chicago Bulls play.
“I mean, I saw the ticket prices. I guess the only thing is I’m surprised we’re not playing at the United Center,” Clark said. “I thought that would have been really good for the game and for all the women’s basketball fans in Chicago. Maybe there’s a conflict of some sort that I don’t know about. Obviously that’s a little above my pay grade.”
In the future, it wouldn't be a surprise if more games were moved to bigger arenas during the season.
