Indiana

Caitlin Clark Changing The Popularity Of WNBA And Indiana Fever

Published

3 weeks ago

April 30, 2024

Caitlin Clark Changing The Popularity Of WNBA And Indiana Fever

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark brings the ball upcourt as the WNBA basketball team practices in … [+] Indianapolis, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark is already aware of her place in sports and the WNBA. The Indiana Fever guard hasn’t even played a professional game yet and is already among the World’s most popular athletes. She recently signed a reported eight-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Nike — her brand is growing rapidly after dominating the sports news cycle for nearly two months.

The Fever are seeing massive ticket demand as a result of Clark’s arrival. There were more than 6,000 fans at the team’s draft party earlier this month who just wanted to watch the franchise select Clark, and the media presence after team practices this week is over 10 times greater than what it has been in past seasons. The buzz around Clark and the team is massive.

“I think that just shows the excitement regarding our team,” Clark said this week of the number of people at the draft party and the team’s growing popularity. She expects a big attendance number for Indiana’s preseason opener on Friday in Dallas.

The Fever are looking forward to having large crowds at their games. Veteran guard Erica Wheeler thinks that Fever outings will have some of the biggest attendance numbers she’s seen since Wheeler battled UConn in college while at Rutgers University. NaLyssa Smith remembers playing in front of smaller crowds at Indiana Farmers Coliseum during her rookie season with the Fever. Now, that will look a lot different.

It won’t just be the home crowds that are massive. The demand for tickets to see Clark and the Fever play in non-Indiana markets is high. The Las Vegas Aces are playing a home game against the Fever in T-Mobile Arena instead of Michelob Ultra Arena to accommodate about 6,000 more fans. The Washington Mystics will host Indiana for one game this season in Capital One Arena instead of Entertainment & Sports Arena. That change will up the total capacity by about 16,000 fans.

Fans in Chicago are petitioning for something similar to happen. Clark and the Fever will be popular wherever they go, and that could change the landscape of the WNBA.

“The day she declared, we immediately started selling tickets,” Fever general manager Lin Dunn said after the 2024 WNBA Draft. “From the business side, she’s already had a great impact on the excitement in this city… She’s just created this unbelievable attention. But she’s earned it. Look what she’s done.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 15: Caitlin Clark poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after … [+] being selected first overall pick by the Indiana Fever during the 2024 WNBA Draft at Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

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Clark averaged 31.6 points and 8.9 assists per game in her final collegiate season. She became the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s all-time leading scorer that season, which boosted her status significantly.

Clark explained that she’s still in a hotel in Indianapolis as she acclimates to her move to a new city. She likes Indianapolis — the city’s size and speed are fitting for Clark and how she likes to live.

“Just have a quiet presence about me. I mean, I don’t really go out in public and do much,” she shared after her first official practice with the Fever. Clark said her free time consists of recovery and watching movies — she brought her PlayStation 5 to Indy but hasn’t hooked it up yet.

Her life has changed significantly due to her skill and popularity. She was a star in college basketball for years, but after Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes had a dramatic run to the NCAA Title game during her junior season, things changed.

“Probably after my junior year of basketball in college. But it’s kind of grown on a level that’s a lot different than what it was then,” Clark said when asked about the moment her life became different and abnormal. “I probably still don’t really go about my life in the way that I probably should. I still try to do normal things and live as a normal person,” she added before joking that she has a security team that follows her around now.

That level of popularity comes with a ton of off-court experiences. Clark has appeared on Saturday Night Live, signed with Nike and will get a signature shoe, and will be an executive producer for a show, among many other things. She’s in countless commercials and has become one of the planet’s most recognizable athletes.

That will change everything for the Fever and the WNBA. Indiana hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016 and has ranked bottom-two in attendance in each of the last two seasons. That will certainly change this year.

“I think there’s gonna be a lot of new fans coming into the WNBA. There’s already a lot of fans here,” Clark said. “Just continuing to grow that and attract that and keep those fans will be super important.”

The star guard is aware of her status and what it means for her and the Fever. But she has carried herself well in recent weeks and will hope to translate that to the court when Indiana’s season begins next month.

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Indiana

Survey says Indiana has 8th highest prices for hospital healthcare

Published

5 hours ago

May 21, 2024

Press Room

Survey says Indiana has 8th highest prices for hospital healthcare

Hoosiers are paying among the highest prices in the U.S. for hospital care. That’s according to a new survey that has just been released.

A RAND survey found that Hoosiers are paying the 8th highest prices on average for healthcare at hospitals, and those numbers include people with employer provided health insurance. The study blames hospital mergers and facility costs for the price increases, along with employers paying more for insurance premiums.

RAND Health Care Cost Analyst Brian Briscombe said these mergers and other factors in the environment of healthcare have put Hoosiers in a tough spot.

“If you don’t know the price of things, you’re kind powerless to shop around,” Briscombe said to WISH-TV. “You don’t really know how to shop around.”

Briscombe said rising hospital prices have also played a role in overall wages not increasing in Indiana like they should be.

“We get compensated partially by our salary and partially by our benefits,” Briscombe said. “If our benefits cost more and more, that just leaves less money left to pay your salary.”

The Indiana Hospital Association is disputing the numbers released by RAND, which is a non-partisan think tank. The IHA saying in a statement that the report did not consider how hospitals in Indiana subsidize insurance companies’ low payments to doctors.

“RAND reports also do not take into account Indiana’s low Medicaid rates, which haven’t been raised in over 30 years and rank far below the national average at 12th lowest in the nation,” the statement said.

Briscombe said there is no “national solution” to the problem with high prices for healthcare at hospitals and that it has to be dealt with market by market.

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How to Watch the Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever WNBA Game Today

Published

12 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

How to Watch the Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever WNBA Game Today

The Indiana Fever square off against the Connecticut Sun today in what will be a rematch Caitlin Clark’s WNBA season opening game. This time, however, the game will take place in Indianapolis, in front of Clark’s home fans. Tip-off from Gainbridge Fieldhouse is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Watch Today’s Game on Sling TV

When the Fever and Sun first met, Connecticut won 92-71. Indiana is 0-3 to start the 2024 season after dropping a pair of consecutive games against the New York Liberty, the reigning Eastern Conference champions. Can the Fever turn their season around tonight?

Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch today’s Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game, including free livestream options.

How to watch the Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game without cable

The Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game will be broadcast on ESPN and stream on ESPN+. You can also watch Caitlin Clark’s next game with a live TV streaming subscription to FuboTV, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.

Watch Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever for free on FuboTV

With FuboTV’s sports-focused live TV streaming service, you’ll get access to ESPN and over 200 other channels to watch nearly every WNBA game this season. A Fubo subscription costs $79.99 per month, but the streamer is offering a seven-day free trial right now. Grab the free trial offer to stream Caitlin Clark’s next WNBA game for free.

Watch Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever on Sling TV

One of the most cost-effective ways to stream WNBA games this season is through a subscription to Sling TV. Right now, there is a Sling TV deal offering 50% off your first month — bringing the Orange package with ESPN down to just $20 and the comprehensive Orange + Blue package, which includes your local ABC, NBC and Fox affiliates’ live feeds, to $30.

Sling TV comes with 50 hours of free cloud-based DVR recording space, perfect for recording WNBA games if you’re not home to watch them live.

Watch Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever on ESPN+

The Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game will stream live on ESPN+. For $10.99 per month, subscribers get livestreaming access to select games, along with on-demand access to original docuseries and ESPN’s exclusive sports analysis.

Watch Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever for free on Hulu + Live TV

With Hulu’s live TV streaming service, you’ll get access to ESPN2 along with over 90 other channels. Hulu + Live TV includes 12 sports channels such as FS1, TBS, TNT, and NFL Network as well as access to ESPN, ESPNU, and SEC Network for college sports.

Right now, you can get Hulu + Live TV, Disney+ and ESPN+, all with ads, for $76.99 per month after a three-day free trial. Grab the free trial to stream the Sun vs. Feve game at no cost.

What time is the Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game?

The Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game tips off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).

What channel is the Connecticut Sun vs. Indiana Fever game on?

Today’s Connecticut Sun at Indiana Fever game will air on ESPN.

Where to get Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever jerseys

Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark jerseys, sweatshirts, hats and more gear can be found at Fanatics here.

Shop Indiana Fever Gear

When will Caitlin Clark play against Angel Reese?

After squaring off in the 2023 national championship game when the LSU Tigers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will meet again when the Indiana Fever host the Chicago Sky on Saturday, June 1 at 1 p.m. ET. The game will air on NBA TV.

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Indiana

Career Scholarship Account Application Now Open for Indiana High School Students

Published

19 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Press Room

Career Scholarship Account Application Now Open for Indiana High School Students

CSA program expands opportunities for student work-based learning and apprenticeships.

Shutterstock photo.

INDIANAPOLIS – The State of Indiana is now accepting applications for students to participate in the Career Scholarship Account (CSA) program during the 2024-25 school year.

The first-in-the-nation CSA program provides $5,000 annually for 10th through 12th grade students enrolled in eligible work-based learning programs, including internships, apprenticeships, applied learning experiences and credential attainment experiences.

Indiana’s CSA program provides all students the opportunity to explore their interests, gain hands-on experience and build skills that will ensure a seamless transition from high school to higher education and quality careers.

CSA funds can be used to cover eligible expenses in the following categories:

Enrollment fees for courses, sequences, apprenticeships or programs of study;
Career coaching and navigation services;
Postsecondary education and training;
Transportation and equipment; and
Certification and credentialing examinations.

“In K-12 education, we have an incredible opportunity to help every student find their purpose, know their value and understand the possibilities for their life’s path,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “In order to maximize the four years of high school, we must work together to ensure more students have access to quality experiences that set them up for success, including high-quality work-based learning and educational attainment opportunities. Indiana’s CSA program is one way to remove barriers, such as transportation, and ensure more students have the opportunity to experience careers and earn a credential of value while still in high school.”

Students at any Indiana high school are encouraged to apply. Applications for the 2024-2025 school year will be accepted through Tuesday, October 1. Visit the student resources page for additional information on the CSA program, eligibility requirements and to access the student application.

Additional details on how funds may be used can be found here.

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