Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever bring sold-out crowd to Atlanta Dream

ATLANTA — Experiencing Caitlin Clark as an internet subject and seeing her play basketball in real life are two very different things.

On social media, it provides a blank canvas for actors in bad faith to get things done and sow discord. But in person, she does what most online sports fans seem to hate the most.

It encourages more people to watch sports.

How dare she.

What happened Friday night here in Atlanta on Clark’s first trip with the Indiana Fever isn’t particularly new on her first tour in the WNBA. She sold out State Farm Arena, filling more than 17,500 seats while delivering an entertaining 16-point, 7-assist performance that helped Indiana run out of town with a 91-79 victory.

It was, by far, the largest number of people to ever see a WNBA game in Atlanta sports history. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time for many of them. And it happens all over the country as Clark moves from town to town during his first year.

“I always say if they get in at least one game, they usually come back,” Atlanta veteran forward Nia Coffey said.

Despite all the backlash towards Clark and the attention she has received, this is the reality that the smart people in the WNBA understand. It’s going to attract people, and it’s up to everyone else to transform their product from a novelty into a commodity. It’s so simple, the actual blueprint for how Clark changes women’s basketball, that it’s almost comical how much time comment sections have spent arguing about it.

And that’s where the disconnect occurs between how people are experiencing the Clark phenomenon online and what’s actually happening – as they were in Atlanta on Friday when many human beings paid real money to fill an arena in which even very good NBA teams have struggled. for sale in past years.

On the Internet, the overheated discourse about everything Clark does or has nothing to do with – much of it racist – might suggest that his mere presence is a tinderbox for which his most ardent supporters and those who support him are ready. now want its popularity. explode at any time.

What actually happens when she enters an arena couldn’t be further from this absurdity.

The crowd that showed up to see Clark Friday was a typical Atlanta melting pot: suburbanites mingling with rappers, socialites and former athletes, families and young professionals. It seemed like every person in the state of Georgia with a connection to Iowa was in the building dressed in black and gold, but the majority of those in attendance supported the Atlanta dream.

Maybe these fans are so new to the WNBA that they haven’t yet developed a dislike for other teams or players. Maybe they’re not yet emotionally invested in their own team. Regardless, there was an incredibly positive atmosphere throughout, which the players really appreciated.

This doesn’t fit the idea that Clark generates huge negative reactions. It was just a really cool experience enjoyed by everyone from 2 Chainz and Allen Iverson to a whole bunch of little kids wearing jerseys with the number 22 on the back.

“It’s fun going to all these new cities as a rookie and being able to play in front of their crowds. You could feel the energy in the building tonight and that’s what makes basketball so fun,” Clark said.

Sorry, haters, but it was really fun watching Clark fly up and down the court throwing deep 3-point bombs, controlling the floor with his pace, and throwing diagonal crossover passes to corner shooters who would have made Trae Young a little jealous.

And despite everything the people who talk, write and tweet about Clark want her to represent, she has been very clear about two things: she wants to play good basketball and she wants to make the WNBA popular just like her made college basketball women’s. most popular.

The rest is just noise made by people using Clark to promote their own causes. She doesn’t recognize it, she doesn’t feed it, she doesn’t adhere to it. She just hoops, and people of all ages respond because deep down, they know she already does rare things in this game.

“You want to play for them, you want to do good for them,” Clark said. “And a lot of people spent a lot of time and money to come watch our team and enjoy the experience and because we play great basketball, a lot of them are going to come back and that’s a good thing.”

Who could argue with that?

And that’s just the beginning.

Friday was Indiana’s fourth straight victory, bringing the Fever’s record to 7-10 after winning just 13 games all of last year. The game slows down for Clark, who plays with more clarity on offense even as defenses guard her all 94 feet and send multiple people to try to take the ball out of her hands. It will only get better. And it’s hard to imagine audiences not coming back, especially given the way she’s been performing lately.

In fact, Clark said she was surprised that Sunday’s game against the Chicago Sky and college foil Angel Reese was not being played at the United Center, unlike their usual 10,000-seat facility, given that both of their matchups this season have succeeded. in serious errors and several days of content to feed the indignation machine.

But as usual, Clark chose the more balanced route, allowing everyone to throw their shots because she knows there should be enough play.

“I’m pretty sure the only people who see this as a rivalry are (the media),” Clark said. “For us, it’s just a basketball game. If it can move the game forward, that’s amazing. That’s the way it should be.”

But in reality, Friday is as it should be: a full arena with a diverse crowd, enjoying a WNBA game without the rancor and vitriol that has become part of Clark’s online discourse.

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