It was August 28th, a regular game day for Caitlin Clark at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. But the normality of the game changed when she shifted her gaze to the audience. It was Simone Biles, attending her first WNBA game as a spectator. “My first of many WNBA games 🤞🏾,” Biles wrote, as history unfolded before her. What was once played in front of half-filled arenas was now also attracting Olympians. This is the “Caitlin Clark effect” on the women’s league, a sentiment that’s equally clear in Indiana Fever’s finale.

Tonight, September 19th, Clark and Co. entered their last game of the regular season against the Washington Mystics. With the No. 6 seed in the playoffs already secured, the game was inconsequential for the Fever. Despite having their postseason position locked in, the Fever still made history by setting an all-time WNBA attendance record, after the game being shifted to an NBA arena, with 20,711.

It was a 92-91 loss against the Washington Mystics for the Fever, but standout Caitlin Clark still managed to rack up eight points with eight assists in 20 minutes of gameplay. How could she not deliver what 20,711 fans showed up for? She went 2 for 5 from the field, including two impressive three-pointers to surpass Diana Taurasi and claim the second spot in the single season 3 PM record.

In the second half, she was mostly benched, likely to rest and carry on healthy before they take on the Connecticut Sun in the playoffs. Regardless, Thursday night was historic, as it surpassed the previous attendance record of 20,674, reached four times by the Mystics during the 1998-1999 regular season. But the credit isn’t Clark’s alone.

The Mystics played strategically as well

Washington Mystics usually play at the Entertainment & Sports Arena, which has a capacity of 4,200. However, due to Clark’s ability to draw enormous crowds, the game was shifted to Capital One Arena. The Mystics aren’t the only team transitioning to larger arenas for games against the Indiana Fever this season.

Even the Las Vegas Aces did something similar, switching to the larger T-Mobile Arena for their July 2nd game instead of playing at their regular Michelob ULTRA Arena. That time, too, it had impressive results, with the game attended by 20,366 fans, the highest in a regular-season single game in the last 25 years.

Quite evidently, fans are willing to go anywhere for Clark. They even flocked to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to watch the Fever set a new WNBA home attendance record with over 300,000 viewers throughout the season. After an impressive run with the Hawkeyes, Clark has kept up with the momentum at WNBA. As of now, she’s vying for a WNBA championship title for her team, averaging 19.2 points with 8.4 assists per contest. Will she be able to accomplish her goals?