Horizon League commissioner talks Caitlin Clark effect
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowFrom high school state tournaments to the upcoming Horizon League Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships, basketball fever is underway in Indiana, and more hype is coming.
Arguably the biggest hype is for the WNBA Draft on April 15, where many expect the Indiana Fever to draft Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall draft pick.
Since Clark announced she was turning pro, home ticket prices for the Fever jumped more than 300% and traffic to the team’s website spiked 180%.
Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach told Inside INdiana Business having a player like Clark joining the team would be extraordinary for the Fever and Indiana basketball in general.
“She is going to elevate that league just as she’s done to the college women’s game,” Lach said. “I just literally saw a stat today that college women’s basketball on Fox has higher viewership than college men’s basketball; that’s on average across their entire season. That’s amazing, and that is the trajectory of the sport.”
Clark has already made an economic impact on women’s basketball while playing for Iowa. Lach said she expects that to continue no matter where she ends up in the WNBA.
“It’s not as if they’re paying—what is it now—$400 for a ticket and then saying, ‘Well, I didn’t get my money’s worth.’ They’re saying, ‘Where’s she gonna play next? I want to go watch her,’ because it’s not just her offense. It’s not just though her ability to put the ball in the basket. It’s all the other facets of her game that I think just continue to draw in a much wider fan base.”
ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo told our partners at the IBJ she’s not surprised Clark decided to declare for the draft.
“She’s the most exciting college player and the most popular college player that we’ve seen come along in the women’s game in a couple of decades,” Lobo said. “But she’s also an unselfish … player with a down-to-earth personality, who I think fits so perfectly in the Midwest.”
Last week, Zionsville-based annuity-products company Gainbridge—which has the naming rights for Gainbridge Fieldhouse where the Fever play—announced a multi-year partnership with Clark to serve as a brand ambassador.
“Caitlin is a once-in-a-generation talent, and she is bringing record-breaking audiences to women’s basketball and women’s sports,” Dan Towriss, CEO of Gainbridge parent Group 1001, told the IBJ. “Gainbridge’s investment in sports marketing and women athletes is a key part of our growth strategy and aligns with our commitment to building financial products for women and the next generation of investors.”
Click here to read Mickey Shuey’s spotlight on Clark’s potential future with the Fever in this week’s Indianapolis Business Journal.
Meanwhile, Lach is preparing for the Horizon League Men’s and Women’s championships at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum, which are scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
Lach said Indianapolis is the perfect host city for the championships.
“When we have Indy, I would say basketball fans come; then they become Horizon League fans afterwards, because this is an incredibly accessible Division I environment, and you see some high level talent,” she said. “There’s some future professionals out there who are going to be playing and make it to the next level, but they’re also going to be professionals and careers down the road too, which I think is very inspiring.”