Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is not short of added firepower on the team roster, with huge names and high-level players joining them for the 2025 WNBA season. One new teammate would be Sydney Colson, who praised Clark’s impact in the city of Indianapolis.
In one press interview, Sydney Colson described Catilin Clark and her impact to the city of Indianapolis as “nuts,” citing how she has affected even the economy of the city.
“It was nuts, there’s no other way to say it,” Colson said. “You’re seeing a team that’s now affecting the economy in the city. People coming from out of town, out of state, out of the country maybe even to see games and that’s special.”
“You got people coming… from out of the country to see games… and that’s special”
Syd Colson on Caitlin Clark’s impact on the City of Indianapolis pic.twitter.com/QWn0glnwJK
— Clark Report (@CClarkReport) March 25, 2025
Fans have coined a term for the impact of Clark on fans, the city she plays in, and to the sport overall: the “Caitlin Clark effect.” The term has been used not only by her fanbase but also by people who have witnessed her career trajectory from college to the WNBA.
Only recently, the Iowa Women’s Basketball X profile reported that tickets for the pre-season exhibition game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City between the Fever and the Brazilian National Team got sold out in only 45 minutes. Around 15,000 tickets were sold in less than an hour.
15,000 strong 💪#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/CLzhlLnpVA
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 27, 2025
The game between the Indiana Fever and the Brazilian National team will be on May 4.
How Huge is The “Caitlin Clark Effect”?
The so-called “Caitlin Clark effect” was looked into in a report that analyzed the financial impact of Clark on the WNBA for her 2024 rookie season. As analyzed by valuation expert Dr, Ryan Brewer, the Fever star contributed a lot financially to the league.
Clark’s presence was responsible for 26.5% of the league’s activity, including attendance, merchandise sales, and television viewership. Her games averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 199% increase compared to non-Clark games, and the Fever became the first WNBA team to draw over 300,000 fans in a season.
Due to the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, Clark’s rookie salary was limited to $76,535 despite her significant contributions. This has ignited debates about providing equitable compensation to players.
This phenomenon ties directly to the “Caitlin Clark effect,” which refers to her ability to elevate the popularity and visibility of women’s basketball. The term originated during her collegiate career at Iowa, where she broke attendance and viewership records, drawing comparisons to transformative figures in sports history.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
