Caitlin Clark’s return to Iowa was a celebration for Hawkeyes fans, a boon for WNBA

IOWA CITY, Iowa — A day that started with Caitlin Clark’s triumphant return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena ended with the WNBA basking in the spotlight.

No Iowa athlete in the last 80 years can match Clark’s impact, and that was on full display from the parking lot tailgates four hours before tipoff to the 117-decibel explosion when she connected on her first 3-pointer Sunday afternoon. Tickets for Indiana Fever’s exhibition — a 108-44 win against the Brazilian national team — sold out in 24 minutes and nearly every row in the 14,998-seat arena featured a No. 22 T-shirt or jersey. That’s the Caitlin Clark Effect.

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But more than Clark’s 36-foot 3-pointer or the fact she played at all with a tight left quad muscle, the crowd’s makeup told a bigger story. Red shirts and jerseys were everywhere, which is unusual considering how much that color is despised by Iowa fans. Former Ohio State scorer Kelsey Mitchell put up 27 points in her last Carver-Hawkeye Arena appearance seven years ago, but now she plays alongside Clark. When Mitchell unleashed a 3-pointer to put the Fever up 6-0, the eruption reached 116 decibels.

Rivalries were set aside as fans embraced and celebrated the Fever. All of the Fever, not just Clark.

“I felt like a Hawkeye today,” Mitchell said. “It’s 10 out of 10 for me. I had never done this before, played on a college campus. It was good connecting back with college students from walking across the campus yesterday, just talking to people. It was a very, very good experience for me, and I would do it all over again.”

Said Clark: “I told my teammates, they’re going to be here cheering for me, yes, but they’re also going to be here cheering for you and our entire team. I think that’s what’s so great about these fans, is they really rally around the entire team.”

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It’s not an unprecedented move for the WNBA to play exhibitions on college campuses. Last year, the Las Vegas Aces and A’Ja Wilson played one at South Carolina. On Friday, the Brazilian national team competed against the Chicago Sky at LSU, which Sky forward Angel Reese led to the 2023 national title. Based on the turnout and interest, these are more than just one-time events.

Iowa ranked second in NCAA women’s basketball attendance in each of the last two seasons, and the second of which didn’t involve Clark. In Clark’s senior year, the Hawkeyes sold out every home game and nearly every road environment. She became the most popular athlete in college sports and the Hawkeyes’ NCAA championship loss to South Carolina picked up 18.9 million viewers — 4.1 million more than the men’s championship game that year. So, it’s natural for the WNBA to bring its product to Iowa City.

Iowa women’s basketball fans immediately followed the Fever when Clark became the No. 1 pick last year. Interest in the WNBA soared with fans buying subscriptions to the league’s app to watch the Fever and other teams. Anecdotally, summer sports conversations that once revolved around the Chicago Cubs or St. Louis Cardinals shifted to the Fever or Las Vegas Aces, which former Hawkeyes Megan Gustafson and Kate Martin called home last year.

Hundreds of Iowa fans traveled to Minnesota last August to watch a Friday-Saturday doubleheader featuring the Lynx playing the Aces and Fever. Many others have made the trip to Indianapolis, which is about five hours from Iowa City. But that’s not the same as seeing the teams at home.

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The Fever coming to Iowa City as a testament to Clark’s popularity acknowledged the interest and can pay major dividends for the team and the league.

“We have great college basketball fan bases throughout the country that deserve an opportunity to witness these women doing what they do at the highest level,” said Fever coach Stephanie White, who played at Purdue and has broadcast numerous games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. “I love these kinds of environments and opportunities for our team, for our league and to bring special talents back home.”

The players loved it, too. Fever shooting guard Lexi Hull rocked a Clark Iowa No. 22 T-shirt to the arena as a nod to her teammate and friend.

“When we heard we were playing here, I was so excited to see it firsthand,” Hull said. “Obviously, you see all the clips or you see the decal on the floor. You see it all on social media, but being here is a whole different story.”

Of course, Clark was the star attraction and hundreds of youngsters mobbed her after the game for autographs just like when she was a student. She scored 16 points and donned the exact Nike brand Bruce Lee Kobes like she did for every big Iowa game. But her Fever uniform contains a splash of red, which serves as a metaphorical connection that the future isn’t just black-and-gold for Iowa’s WNBA fans. For the league, that color is green.

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“Just the way that Caitlin has not only gotten Iowa people together, but across the country and even the world, it’s just amazing,” Fever forward Sophie Cunningham said. “For us to come back and have them celebrate where she’s at, I think that’s huge. I think that’s such a smart move for Iowa and the WNBA. Let’s celebrate them at the college level, but also let’s bring them home so people can celebrate them at the pro level, too.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Indiana Fever, Iowa Hawkeyes, WNBA, Women’s College Basketball

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