Connect with us

Indiana

Caitlin Clark Changing The Popularity Of WNBA And Indiana Fever

Published

on

Caitlin Clark Changing The Popularity Of WNBA And Indiana Fever


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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

“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.”

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.

Advertisement

“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.

Advertisement

“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.



Source link

Indiana

Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting

Published

on

Attempted murder suspect arrested in Indianapolis for Bloomington shooting


BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — A Bloomington man was arrested Wednesday in Indianapolis on an attempted murder charge after police say he fired seven to eight rounds into a white GMC SUV occupied by three adults and four children last month in Bloomington before fleeing the area.

A news release issued Thursday from the Bloomington Police Department said members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s special weapons and tactics team took Kafern P. Johnson, 32, into custody near the intersection of West 84th Street and Allison Avenue in Indianapolis without incident.

The arrest came more than two weeks after the June 23 shooting in the 1000 block of North Summit Street. That’s in a residential area next to Crestmont Park in Bloomington.

Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch received 911 calls at 7:41 p.m. June 23 reporting gunfire in the area.

Advertisement

Responding patrol officers and detectives determined Johnson had fired into the SUV following a verbal fight with the vehicle’s driver. Police said the dispute stemmed from an argument over a relationship.

No injuries were reported despite the number of people inside the vehicle.

Following his arrest, Johnson was taken to an IMPD facility for questioning and later booked into the Marion County jail. On Thursday morning, he was booked into the Monroe County jail.

The release said Johnson could face felony charges of attempted murder, criminal recklessness with a firearm, and pointing a firearm. No formal charges have yet been filed, according to online court records.

Bloomington police asked anyone with additional information to call 812-349-3324.

Advertisement

This story was formatted for WISHTV.com using AI-assisted tools. Our editorial team reviews and edits all content published to ensure it meets our journalistic standards for accuracy and fairness.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indiana

FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME

Published

on

FAIRFIELD NATIVE AND HIS WIFE FOUND DEAD IN THEIR NEWBURGH, INDIANA HOME


Fairfield native, David K. Wells, 69, and his wife Aileen, were found dead inside their home in Newburgh, Indiana, Monday night. Warrick County Sheriff Michael Wilder said that deputies responded to the residence just before 8:00 p.m. after dispatch received a call around 7:40 p.m. from a friend of the family requesting a welfare check. When officers didn’t get an answer at the door, they entered through the back of the home and found the couple deceased. Officers cleared the home and waited for detectives to arrive. Investigators also obtained a search warrant to do a further examination of the residence. Authorities were able to notify family members and conduct interviews to gather additional information. Sheriff Wilder said investigators believe the couple had been dead for less than 24 hours before they were found. He also said there is no indication of any forced entry or an intruder. Sheriff Wilder has not made a formal determination as to what happened. Autopsies for the couple were scheduled for yesterday morning to help determine a cause. David Wells grew up in Fairfield and graduated from Fairfield High School in 1975. He had a long career in television commercial production in Evansville and had more recently operated the Cigar! Cigar! tobacco store in Evansville.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indiana

Indiana sees significant drop in number of homeless veterans

Published

on

Indiana sees significant drop in number of homeless veterans


INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — Indiana saw a significant decline in veteran homelessness last year, despite the total number of homelessness rising across the state.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual estimation of the homeless population, known as the Point in Time (PIT) count, Indiana saw an 18.7% decline in veteran homelessness in 2025 compared to the year before.

That marked the second-largest decline of any state by percentage.

Helping Veterans and Families (HVAF) of Indiana specializes in assistance for veterans facing homelessness. CEO Emmy Hildebrand told News 8 the formula that’s finding success is the same that works with any at-risk group: housing and wrap-around services.

Advertisement

Hildebrand said that the formula needs support from the state.

“There is no state funding supporting homeless services in our state,” Hildebrand said. “And very little local funding outside Indianapolis.”

Safety net programs have faced budget cuts, with lawmakers eliminating funding for the Housing First program in 2025. It supported organizations helping people secure stable housing.

And housing advocates have criticized Indiana’s public camping ban as essentially making it illegal to be homeless.

HVAF client Terri Massey, a 34-year-old Navy veteran, said the stigma of being homeless was the most difficult challenge to overcome.

Advertisement

“I’m still trying to provide for my kids,” Massey said “I’m (not) out here being lazy or not trying to do better.”

Massey was working, supporting her children, but found herself sleeping in cars and hotel rooms because she didn’t have stable housing. “Going to that work, working 10 hours, leaving, going to sleep in my car.”

HVAF helped place Massey in a permanent apartment. HVAF also placed Massey in a different kind of “bootcamp” years after her time in the military, learning job skills. She’s looking for a job, but thankful to do it from a place she can call home.

“I am beyond grateful and thankful. I literally pray and thank God every day,” Massey said. “Because for the longest I felt like I was alone. And I had to figure everything out by myself. I didn’t.”

It’s estimated that seven percent of Indiana’s homeless are veterans. Hildebrand said there are federal funds for organizations working with veterans, which support HVAF’s programs.

Advertisement

Still, finding permanent housing is a struggle.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, for every 100 extremely low-income households in Indiana, just 34 rental homes are affordable and available.

“There are so many people on the bubble that are just one emergency away from living in their car, staying with friends and family, or living on the streets because we don’t have the appropriate system here in Indiana,” Hildebrand said.

Hildebrand said lawmakers assured her they would work to support homeless services, but she hasn’t seen any drafted legislation that might be introduced in the next legislative session.

Across the country, about one in 25 people experiencing homelessness previously served active duty in the armed forces, according to numbers from HUD. Veteran homelessness declined 56% between 2009 and 2025.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending