Every game is a home game for the Indiana Fever. Ever since last year, the ‘Caitlin Clark Effect’ has turned the WNBA’s fortune on its head. Fans started pouring in, brands took interest, and attendance was at an all-time high. The Fever guard is responsible for more than a quarter of the financial activity of the league, and raised viewership by over 300% in her rookie year. However, this season has been pretty unlucky for CC so far. Two straight injuries have led to Clark missing twenty-one games, and the league has suffered for it!

Case in point? Indiana Fever tickets before CC’s injury and afterwards. As soon as fans got the word that their favorite point guard would not be taking the court, ticket prices plummeted. Her absence caused prices to fall by anywhere between 40-70% for marquee games! And seeing sold-out arenas on the road has become a rarity this season, even for the Fever.

However, the Connecticut Sun put out a refreshing press release ahead of the Aug 17th clash between the Fever and the Sun. “Today, the Connecticut Sun announced that its August 17th matchup against the Indiana Fever at Mohegan Sun Arena has officially sold out. The Sun’s 8,910 tickets sold marks the fourth sellout of the 2025 season for Connecticut after the team’s previous sold-out matchup when the Sun took over TD Garden for its second-ever game and second sellout in the storied arena against the Fever on July 15.” The press release read, celebrating this rare accomplishment for the season.

The Sun has only managed three other completely sold-out games during this season, and one of them was against the Indiana Fever. This time, however, things are slightly different. Caitlin Clark is not travelling with her team today because of personal reasons. And while Fever officials refused to comment on the situation, sources say that it is because of a death in Connor McCaffery’s family. Let’s find out exactly what happened and why Caitlin Clark couldn’t make it to the game in Connecticut.

Caitlin Clark’s absence linked to tragedy in Connor McCaffery’s household?

Caitlin Clark is notorious for travelling with the team regardless of everything else. Injuries? Illness? Nothing matters; she just wants to be around the court and with the Indiana Fever as much as possible. So, it was definitely surprising when the team announced that the six-foot-tall point guard would not be traveling to Connecticut on Sunday. And when we found out the reason? It’s safe to say that this absence is well-deserved.

The Indiana Fever star has been going steady with fellow Iowa alum Connor McCaffery for over two years now, and they’ve been with each other through the highs and lows of life after college. McCaffery, an assistant coach for Butler University, suffered a major loss, which he shared on Saturday night. His grandmother, Marit Smaby-Nowlin, passed away at the age of 80 years old.

It was quite an unfortunate incident, but the Iowa alum’s IG post was even more heartbreaking. “I’ve been trying to think of what to say and I can’t,” he wrote on Instagram. “It’s impossible to put into words how much you meant to our entire family. I refuse to say goodbye, so until we meet again.”

The cause of death hasn’t been revealed so far, but we know that Smaby-Nowlin was found unresponsive after she had been on vacation at Lake Vermilion alongside other family members.. She was brought to Cook Hospital, but passed away soon after. In light of this heartbreaking news, a break from sports seems apt for the Indiana Fever star, who is probably supporting her beau during this time of mourning. Stay tuned for more updates.