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When Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA last year, the Indiana Fever not only returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 but also quickly became one of the most-followed teams in the league.
For Fever President Kelly Krauskopf, stars like Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston have built the foundations of a brand that she hopes can become as big as Apple, which has a market cap of $3.17 trillion, as per Yahoo Finance.
Speaking with reporters on Friday morning, she said:
“We want to sustain the growth, the interest level in the franchise. I mean, this is about the Indiana Fever. We have foundational players in Caitlin and Aliyah. But I want this team to be a leader in the country. An enduring brand like Apple or something."
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Her comments seem to have been met with mixed reactions from fans, with some pointing out that without Clark and Boston, the team has no brand.
As we've seen this year, when Clark was sidelined with a quad injury early in the season, viewership on nationally televised WNBA games was down 55%, according to Nielsen Data.
Caitlin Clark expected to play in Friday's game against the Atlanta Dream after returning from injury
Caitlin Clark returned to the court for the first time since June 24 on Wednesday against the Golden State Valkyries. After dealing with a quad strain early in the year, Clark returned in mid-June for a Commissioner's Cup game against the New York Liberty.
The contest marked the first of five that the 2024 Rookie of the Year would play before going down with a groin strain late in the month.
Clark returned to action as the Fever squared off with the Valkyries, logging 10 points, five rebounds and six assists on 33.3% from the field in an 80-61 loss.
Following the game, Clark is expected to suit up for Friday's clash with the Atlanta Dream (12-7), who currently sit two spots above the Fever in the WNBA's Eastern Conference standings.
Heading into tonight's game, Clark and the Fever are sitting in fourth place in the East and eighth place in the WNBA's power rankings, with a record of 9-10. The WNBA seeds teams 1-8 in the playoffs regardless of conference.
While the Fever have managed to stay afloat with some impressive play in Caitlin Clark's absence, now that the 2024 Rookie of the Year is back in action, the team is eager to climb the standings.
