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Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever's Attendance Plummets After Loss to Valkyries
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- Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever's Attendance Plummets After Loss to Valkyries
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever dropped to 14-10 on the 2026 WNBA season after an 88-75 loss to Gabby Williams and the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Now, the Fever will continue their four-game homestand with a battle against the Seattle Storm on Friday night.
Clark struggled to get things going throughout the game, finishing with 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting, three rebounds, six assists and four turnovers, while Kelsey Mitchell added a game-high 20 points. But it was not enough to overcome the 18-7 Valkyries, and with the loss, Indiana fell to sixth place in the league standings
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts to a play during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena.Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Still, despite an up-and-down season for the Fever, Clark remains arguably the WNBA's biggest star. The former Iowa guard made her mark on the league immediately during her rookie year in 2024, making the All-WNBA first team while setting records for attendance and viewership. Clark even helped sellout 16-of-20 (80%) games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that year, which has a capacity of 17,274.
However, in year two, things didn't go as planned for Clark, as the guard was limited to 13 games due to numerous injuries, including her groin and ankle. And Indiana felt her absence throughout the 2025 season, both on and off the court, selling out only 8-of-20 (40%) games, a 50% drop from 2024.
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And while Clark has been healthy during her third season, playing in 20-of-24 games this year, it seems interest in the Fever has gone down even more. Following the loss to the Valkyries, which had an attendance of 17,014 , Indiana's sellout rate has dropped to 2-of-13, or a measly 15.4%.
" Indiana Fever Home Sellouts by Season 2024: 16-of-20 (80.0%) 2025: 8-of-20 (40.0%) 2026: 2-of-13 (15.4%)," I talk hoops wrote on X.
The Fever will face the Storm on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, before facing the New York Liberty the next day at 8:00 p.m. ET.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
