A day after Caitlin Clark’s dazzling performance against the New York Liberty, there was a much quieter energy around Indianapolis.
Fevered fans wearing her No 22 on their backs were long gone, the store at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was closed and, just steps away from the arena, the Pier 48 bar was virtually empty.
But, as the bar’s manager Annika explained, Clark’s impact on the city has been anything but fleeting.
‘We know people that have changed their whole lives and moved up here just to witness this whole thing,’ she said, before explaining how one female fan had come to the Midwest from Florida.
‘She moved across the nation. And she loves it here. She’s kind of fallen in love with Indianapolis a little bit as well.’
There are plenty of charms to the city, namely the scenic White River Park in downtown, but Clark, 23, has certainly become part of the area’s appeal since being drafted into the WNBA 14 months ago.
Caitlin Clark is seen signing autographs for Indiana Fever fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Clark has taken the WNBA and sports world by storm since being drafted by Indiana last year
It’s led to a surge in popularity for the Indiana Fever, whose schedule is painted across a wall
Even during a week in which the Indiana Pacers (who share the same owner as Clark’s team, the Indiana Fever) hosted two NBA Finals games, there were constant reminders of Clark’s impact.
The flags of the sibling franchises were consistently brandished side-by-side in bar windows – even in the window of a Taco Bell on one occasion. The Fever’s schedule is painted across a building adjacent to Gainbridge. Construction on the Fever’s $78million practice facility is ongoing just steps away.
And when Clark – who has missed more games this season than in her entire four years at Iowa – torched the Liberty to the tune of 32 points, one reporter had even made the long trip from Hong Kong to watch her play.
By that journalist’s own telling, there were several other fans who had made the trip from Asia, while plenty others had trekked to Indianapolis from out of town too.
One father named Nate told the Daily Mail how he and his family – including his tween, basketball-playing daughter – had arrived at midnight the night before from North Carolina.
Another group said they had come from Iowa City, where Clark rose to fame in college, while a man in his early-20s named Jake said he had arrived from southern Indiana.
Another group of two older couples, also from Iowa, said they spent around $150 per ticket to see her play. And the owner of a different local bar, O’Reilly’s, said he had previously served patrons from Vermont, New Mexico and even Canada.
There is no one archetype to the supporters who have flocked (or continue to flock) to Indianapolis, but their Fever fandom almost always coincides with this new era of Clark.
‘It really is almost like having a brand new team here, with all apologies to the previous 15-plus seasons,’ said Joel, the owner of O’Reilly’s.
The longtime Indiana resident has witnessed no shortage of local athletic successes. Reggie Miller and Paul George previously led the Pacers to deep NBA playoff runs, and the Colts were one of the NFL’s best teams in the 2000s. The Fever even won a title in 2012.
The Fever and Pacers’ flags are routinely flown side-by-side in the windows of bars
This, though, feels ‘very different,’ he said.
‘We’ve had a lot of great athletes in Indianapolis, Peyton Manning era was certainly much like that, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever was just a few blocks away.
‘It’s very exciting, we’ve seen Caitlin jog by here. So Indianapolis is – it’s kind of a community thing. You’ll see an Indy 500 racecar driver out shopping at Target. It’s exciting to have her that close. It really is.’
Fever fans have created a unique sort of environment to revel in that thrill, which is something novel for many of them.
Those who stop by one of the nearby bars before a game often prefer to stay awhile, enjoying a meal with their drinks before departing to enjoy the pomp and circumstance of Gainbridge. In terms of the regular season, Pier 48 bar manager Annika claimed that Fever games draw (at least) an equal bar crowd as Pacers contests, while Joel from O’Reilly’s said he’s had to turn people away from his establishment in the last couple of years.
‘The Fever crowd will show up earlier and leave earlier, so you can play your introductions, festivities at the stadium,’ he said. ‘[They] will take in the entire atmosphere.’
During the Daily Mail’s visit to Gainbridge, the arena had a decidedly family-friendly feel for the host’s 3pm matchup against the defending champions. And the young girls present in the crowd certainly will have enjoyed Taylor Swift’s ’22’ blaring from the speakers after Clark’s makes from the field.
But there were plenty of adults in the crowd too, and ultimately, it seems there’s something for everyone in this Clark phenomenon.
Nate was familiar with women’s hoops from his sister playing college basketball, but explained how Clark’s rise was inspiring for his daughter.
Fans travel from all over the USA and even worldwide to get a glimpse of Clark in Indiana
Clark, seen signing autographs in Seattle, is also a massive draw on the road
She’s been a bit up-and-down since returning from her quad injury earlier this month
‘There’s more for you. Put the work in, maybe one day,’ he said, when asked about the message the reigning Rookie of the Year sends.
Clark’s passing-heavy style (she set the WNBA assist record last year) is a draw as well.
‘She plays true basketball. She’s a playmaker,’ Jake said.
‘She tries to look out for other people and then try and do her own thing too. But she knows when she should be a little bit selfish and start scoring, but then she tries to look out for her teammates as well.’
For others, she represents a local kid who came good.
‘In our world, she’s just a normal kid that grew up next door,’ says one of the aforementioned fans from Iowa. ‘But in other worlds, she was privileged. And we don’t see that. I don’t see that.’
Later that afternoon, Clark wagged her tongue after a blistering stretch of three-straight three-pointers, and later got called for a technical foul for berating the refs.
It’s not quite the ‘humble’ star that Nate had described earlier in the day, while pundits would criticize her for ‘flopping’ the following week against the Connecticut Sun. At other times, she’s become a sort of unwitting avatar for racial debate within the sport.
Clark is – to put it mildly – polarizing, but her impact has been undeniable. It’s no coincidence that WNBA ratings briefly nosedived during her five-game absence with a quad injury, and her two games missed with a groin issue afterwards surely wouldn’t have helped the league either.
Clark is seen smiling while warming up against the Seattle Storm on June 24
Whether she’s on or off the court, Clark’s influence on the league and the city of Indianapolis is undeniably enormous. Some fans will even ask bar manager Annika if Clark has been to Pier 48; apparently, others in the Fever organization have.
There will surely be an even greater focus on the Fever and Clark now following the Pacers’ devastating Finals loss to the Thunder.
And if the basketball-crazed state does ‘deserve’ its recent hoops success, as Fever coach Stephanie White said, well its residents are surely embracing Clark with open arms.
‘The basketball in Indianapolis right now is going pretty crazy,’ Annika said. ‘And I feel really grateful to be working right across the street.’
