Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever make TV viewership history in Iowa City exhibition
SHE DID NOT MISS A BEAT. AND SHE GOT THE FANS AFTERWARDS TOO. I’M GOING TO GET RIGHT TO IT. SHE IS RIGHT BEHIND US TAKING PICTURES WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. YOU CAN SEE HER STANDING RIGHT THERE TALKING TO HER OLD COACHES, TAKING PICTURES WITH EVERYBODY WHO CAME AND TRAVELED TO SEE HER HERE AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA. SHE PUT ON A SHOW IN POST GAME. SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A FEW THINGS THAT I WANTED TO CLEAN UP AND WANTED TO DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER, AND THAT’S JUST THE COMPETITOR THAT SHE IS, AND THAT’S WHO SHE’S ALWAYS BEEN. HER ENTIRE LIFE HERE AT IOWA WITH THE INDIANA FEVER AS WELL. LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE INDIANA FEVER HERE. THEY HAVE BUILT THEIR TEAM AROUND CAITLIN CLARK THIS SEASON. THEY PICKED UP A BUNCH OF VETERANS. THEY KEPT KELSEY MITCHELL, WHICH WAS HUGE FOR CAITLIN. YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY REALLY SMOKED BRAZIL BY 60 POINTS. IT’S INSANE TO DO IN A PRESEASON GAME. AND CRAZY THAT YOU KNOW CAITLIN IS HERE BACK IN IOWA PLAYING. SHE DIDN’T EXPECT THAT THEY’D BE BACK HERE THIS EARLY AND THAT SHE’D GET TO PLAY ON HER HOME COURT. SHE’S STOKED TO BE HERE. YOU CAN TELL HOW HAPPY SHE IS WITH HER FAMILY. HER PARENTS RIGHT THERE IN THE MIDDLE. THE EXPECTATIONS FOR SEASON TWO FOR CAITLIN CLARK, STEPHANIE WHITE SAYS, ARE DEFINITELY HIGH. YOU KNOW, HER ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND EVERYTHING THAT SHE DOES FROM A WORK STANDPOINT HAS STOOD OUT TO ME. SHE DOESN’T WASTE REPS. SHE DOESN’T WASTE TIME. I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO SEE SOME SOME, SOME NEW FINISHES FROM HER. I THINK YOU’RE GOING TO SEE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CADENCE IN THE WAY THAT SHE’S SHE PLAYS WITH THE BALL IN HER HANDS. SOMEHOW IT FEELS LIKE THE PRESSURE IS ALWAYS JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKING ANOTHER LEVEL AND ANOTHER LEVEL. BUT, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS REMIND MYSELF, LIKE, IT’S NOT A MOMENT I HAVEN’T BEEN IN BEFORE. LIKE, I UNDERSTAND THE EXPECTATIONS. I UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURE. AND, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THAT’S GOOD OR BAD. LIKE, I WOULDN’T WANT THAT ANY OTHER WAY. YEAH. CAITLIN CLARK, EXTREMELY SELF-AWARE. YOU CAN SEE THAT SHE DOES THAT ON THE COURT. SHE DOES THAT OFF THE COURT. SHE’S TALKING WITH HER BROTHER HERE AND PERHAPS HER GRANDPARENTS SPENDING SOME TIME. IT LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE GOING TO DO IN INDIANA FEVER DINNER OF SOMEWHAT IN THE MEDIA ROOM. WE WERE ACTUALLY ASKED TO LEAVE SO THEY COULD TAKE THAT AND HAVE A GOOD TIME WITH CAITLIN CLARK BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SHE IS BACK IN IOWA CITY AND SUPER GRATEFUL TO BE HERE. OF COURSE, WE SAW THE HIGHLIGHTS. SHE GOT OFF TO A GOOD START. SHE HAD THAT LEFT LEG TIGHTNESS YESTERDAY, BUT SHE WAS ABLE TO COME OUT FIRING AND PUT ON THE PERFORMANCE THAT EVERY FAN WAS EXPECTING HERE AT CARVER-HAWKEYE ARENA, JEFF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SHANNON. YEAH, THAT’S vlog CONTRIBUTOR BLAKE CLARK. BIG COLLEGE KICKOFF. DON’T FORGET REGULAR SEASON OPENER. GRAB YOUR POPCORN JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AWAY. FEVER HOST ANGEL REESE AND HAILEY VAN LITH IN THE CHICAGO SKY, 2 P.M. YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH WATCH IT EVERYWHERE IF YOU HAVE
Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever make TV viewership history in Iowa City exhibition
Updated: 1:00 PM CDT May 7, 2025
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The capacity crowd inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena weren't the only fans who watched Caitlin Clark's return to her home state.Video above: Caitlin Clark returns to Iowa City with Indiana FeverThe Indiana Fever vs. Brazil National Team preseason game clocked in at an average of 1.3 million viewers, according to ESPN, which aired the game. That's more than 55 of 57 NBA preseason games on ESPN since 2010, according to the network.A report from The Athletic says both NBA preseason games to top Clark's return to Iowa City were games involving basketball superstar LeBron James.The average viewership for Sunday's game was 13% higher than ESPN's 2024 regular-season average for the WNBA. The Fever-Brazil television audience peaked at 1.6 million, and the game drew a sellout crowd of 15,000 at Carver-Hawkeye, where the average paid ticket price on the resale market was $440.The game itself wasn't close. Clark scored 16 in a 108-44 blowout victory, including a 3-pointer from beyond the No. 22 logo on the court that signifies where she set the NCAA Division I scoring record.Clark and the Fever begin the regular season on May 17. The Athletic reports 41 of the team's 44 games will be nationally televised or streamed. » Subscribe to vlog's YouTube page» Download the free vlog app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The capacity crowd inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena weren't the only fans who watched Caitlin Clark's return to her home state.
Video above: Caitlin Clark returns to Iowa City with Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever vs. Brazil National Team preseason game clocked in at an average of 1.3 million viewers, according to ESPN, which aired the game. That's more than 55 of 57 NBA preseason games on ESPN since 2010, according to the network.
A says both NBA preseason games to top Clark's return to Iowa City were games involving basketball superstar LeBron James.
The average viewership for Sunday's game was 13% higher than ESPN's 2024 regular-season average for the WNBA. The Fever-Brazil television audience peaked at 1.6 million, and the game drew a sellout crowd of 15,000 at Carver-Hawkeye, where the average paid ticket price on the resale market was $440.
The game itself wasn't close. Clark scored 16 in a 108-44 blowout victory, including a 3-pointer from beyond the No. 22 logo on the court that signifies where she set the NCAA Division I scoring record.
Clark and the Fever begin the regular season on May 17. The Athletic reports 41 of the team's 44 games will be nationally televised or streamed.
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