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Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever's dominance with WNBA attendance numbers have just been trounced by the New York Liberty and the Valkyries this season. According to new data from Across The Timeline, the Fever have slipped from the top spot in the rankings for game attendance by teams at home.
The league's newest expansion franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, currently sits in first place with an average game attendance of 18,064. This is despite the team playing only three league games so far.
While their affiliation with the NBA's Golden State Warriors could be a factor in their rise to the top, it's still a surprise to see them dethrone the Fever so quickly.
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In second place are the New York Liberty, with an average attendance of 17,344 per game. While this isn't a huge surprise given that the Liberty are the defending champions and have Sabrina Ionescu in the fold, it's still an impressive gain in attendance.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Fever sits in third place, with 16,939 patrons on average at home games. This marks a departure from their foothold on attendance records in the WNBA last year.
However, it's still early in the season, and it will be interesting to see whether Clark and company can eventually regain their coveted position.
Caitlin Clark speaks out about narrow WNBA defeat to Sabrina Ionescu's Liberty
On Saturday, the Fever lost by two points in a tightly-contested game to the Liberty, 90-88 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. After the game, Caitlin Clark spoke to reporters at the press conference. When asked what positive learnings the team would take from the defeat, she said (2:01 mark):
"Yeah, that's probably what's frustrating about it, too, is like we are two possessions or you know, from being for now. But there are so many little areas in this game that we could have improved.
"Like on our defense again, to start the game was poor, and we got to find a way to come out with more energy, being able to go hard. And yes, they [Liberty] present a very tough challenge."
Caitlin Clark dropped a double-double in that game, posting 18 points and 10 assists in 38 minutes on the floor. On the other side, Sabrina Ionescu dropped 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists to help her team clinch the win.
