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It’s official: The Caitlin Clark phenomenon is upon Indianapolis. At a time when the popularity of women’s basketball is skyrocketing (in large part due to Clark), the Indiana Fever had the No. 1 pick, and the stars aligned when Clark decided to turn pro.
Clark broke just about every record in college basketball and was the force behind a record-breaking national television audience for the women’s national title game between Clark’s Iowa and South Carolina. That game was the most watched basketball game (pro or college) in five years, outdrawing the men’s national title game between Purdue and Connecticut by 5 million viewers.
What will the impact be to Indianapolis and our state? Well, we already are beginning to realize the impact Clark will have on the Indiana Fever and the WNBA. The Fever will have 36 games nationally televised, more than any other team in the league. And ticket sales and ticket prices are soaring. When the Indiana Fever go on the road, ticket prices are selling at five to 10 times last year’s prices, and games are being moved to bigger arenas. Today, there are only 12 WNBA teams, but the Caitlin Clark effect is about to change that, as well. San Francisco, Toronto, Philadelphia, Portland, Denver and Nashville are all lining up for expansion franchises.
The economic impact will be tremendous for downtown Indianapolis. I know I am not alone in having my 15-year-old daughter text me on draft day asking when she can go see Caitlin and the Indiana Fever. Clark and the Fever will draw new fans downtown, giving a shot in the arm to downtown businesses and encouraging further investment downtown. And the increased brand recognition for the state of Indiana is incalculable.
Tuesday morning as I watched Clark on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the day after she was selected by the Indiana Fever, host Michael Strahan noted that Indiana was the perfect fit given Clark’s Midwestern roots. Every time Clark is mentioned, Indiana will be also. May I dare say that Clark’s economic impact will be bigger than that of Taylor Swift coming to Indy for three nights in November? In Indiana, the answer is a resounding yes!
With all the excitement surrounding Clark, you might have missed other recent good news. According to last week’s Wall Street Journal/Moody’s Analytics report, Indianapolis’ labor market is 14th-best in the country, outpacing cities in all surrounding states and ranking ahead of Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Denver, Boston and Charlotte, North Carolina. The study noted that the cities with the strongest labor markets are drawing workers and companies as a result of their affordability compared with traditional technology and financial centers. More affordable home prices, and a high quality of life, are factors motivating workers to leave the coasts in favor of cities like Indianapolis.
Maybe call it the Caitlin Clark effect, but I am optimistic about the future of Indianapolis and our state. Bold new investments have the opportunity to transform our downtown: Eleven Park and a new Indy Eleven professional soccer stadium, the redevelopment of Circle Center Mall, the new Intercontinental and Hilton Signia hotels, IU and Purdue Indianapolis expansions and IU Health’s medical campus expansion. And the Indiana Economic Development Corp. just announced record-breaking job-creating investments of $20.7 billion throughout Indiana in the first quarter of this year.
Exciting times are ahead for Indy and Indiana. Just as Reggie Miller and Peyton Manning brought pride and positive economic impact to our city and state, Caitlin Clark will give us much to cheer about in the coming years.•
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Feltman is publisher of IBJ and CEO of IBJ Media. Send comments to nfeltman@ibj.com.
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