Fans flood the stands for Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut
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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever drives against DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun during the fourth quarter at Mohegan Sun Arena.
PHOTO: AFP
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UNCASVILLE – The Caitlin Clark era in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) began to fanfare and a sold-out crowd on May 14, as fans piled into Mohegan Sun Arena to witness what they believe is a turning point for women’s basketball.
Fans wove through buzzing casino games and lined up outside the gates more than two hours before Clark’s regular-season debut with the Indiana Fever on the road against the Connecticut Sun.
The league hopes it hit the jackpot with Clark, who broke the all-time collegiate scoring record in her final season at Iowa and became appointment viewing in households across the United States.
“It’s so emotional. It’s so awesome,” said Candace Crabtree, a former college coach who travelled from Boston to see the game.
“It’s just an amazing experience because as an athlete myself and coach, we didn’t have the same type of exposure.”
Ticket sales have surged across the WNBA on resale platforms, with Clark’s celebrity status helping to bring a bigger spotlight to the women’s league, which has long trailed in popularity compared to its men’s counterpart.
Veterans and fans said the change was apparent at Mohegan Sun Arena, which had not sold out a home opener since 2003. The game on May 14 did not have a single available ticket, with courtside seats being offered for as much as US$4,262 (S$5,752) on secondary markets.
Fans wearing Clark jerseys crowded into seats, while framed pictures of the 1.83m-sharpshooter were up for bid at a silent auction alongside photos of New England sports heroes like Tom Brady and Larry Bird.
“The WNBA always gets knocked by people. We get it. We hear the jokes. But I think this is the door opening,” said Raul Santana, a Sun season-ticket holder for five years who works at the Mohegan Sun casino.
The ice-veined Clark showed no sign of nerves before tip-off, telling a throng of reporters she was simply excited to take the court.
“There’s just a different buzz in the air,” she said. “That’s what women’s basketball should be.”
She overcame a slow start in her debut to put up 20 points but the Sun burned too bright, with Connecticut beating the Fever 92-71.
“You gotta learn from it and move on and be ready to go,” added Clark, who also had 10 turnovers across the night.
“Obviously too many turnovers – that’s not going to get the job done. There are a lot of things to learn from. There are going to be good ones, there are going to be bad ones.
“As a team, collectively, we would have liked to play better and (have) shown a better product.”
Clark will make her home debut in Indianapolis on May 16 against last season’s WNBA runners-up New York Liberty. REUTERS, AFP
