Caitlin Clark has brought so much attention and popularity to the Indiana Fever that the team’s new president has big ambitions for the brand.
Kelly Krauskopf, the Fever’s new president of basketball and business operations, said during her inaugural press conference Tuesday that she wants the Fever’s brand to be like the technology company Apple.
“We have a foundational player in Caitlin Clark and we’re going to build on that. But I want this team to be a leader in this country and an enduring brand like Apple. I hope so. There’s a real opportunity here,” Krauskopf said. Said.
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Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark speak during a playoff game against the Sun on September 25, 2024 in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
For Krauskopf, Clark’s presence on the team gives the organization a chance to reach a new generation of fans. She also plans to be very forward-thinking about who her team markets to. She suggested the team is trying to focus on a new demographic, as opposed to the fans it appealed to when it won its only WNBA championship in 2012.
“This is a moment where it will take a generation to get to that level,” Krauskopf said. “I told the players, ‘Look, we’re making this for someone. We’re making this for someone’s 10-year-old daughter right now. ‘We wanted to keep pushing it forward and pushing it forward because that’s what you guys do.’ It’s paid forward and paid forward. ”
“I know what kind of support we have and we have it. I feel empowered and very confident in the direction we’re going. Because… Because we have that level of support.”
Krauskopf also pointed out that Clark was 10 years old when the Fever won their first title. Now, she believes Clark brings a distinct recruiting advantage to the team as it looks to evolve its brand and expand its fan base.
“If you’re a smart basketball player and you watch (Caitlin Clark) play, you want to play with her,” Krauskopf said.
But after a season in which multiple WNBA players criticized Fever fans and accused them of being “racists,” Krauskopf will likely be looking to give the Fever this reputation.
After the team lost to the Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs, multiple Sun players spoke out against Fever fans, claiming they used racist language.
“Honestly, it’s been a lot of nonsense,” Sun player Alyssa Thomas said after the Sun’s victory. “During my 11-year career, I’ve heard racist comments from the Indiana Fever fan base. I don’t think anyone has ever experienced it (like I did).” “Honestly, that’s not acceptable. There’s no room for that.”
Thomas even went so far as to say that the Fever had to intervene to stop the fans’ actions.
“We don’t want fans that are going to put us down or call us racial names,” Thomas said. “We already understand what’s going on in the world and what we have to deal with on that front. We’re here to play basketball for work, and it’s It’s fun, but I don’t want to go to work every day and have my social media blow up.” It’s unfair about things like that, whether it’s a check on the (Fever) fans or a check on this league. , something needs to be done.
DeJonai Carrington, the same Sun player who blindsided Clark in Game 1 of the playoff series, insulted the Fever fan base after Indiana defeated Connecticut 84-80 on Aug. 28.
“The Indiana Fever has the worst fans in the (WNBA). Wow,” Carrington wrote in a post to X that night.
Inside Caitlin Clark’s impact on men’s basketball
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts after being hit in the eye during a playoff game against the Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena on September 22, 2024 in Uncasville, CT. (M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Clark’s longtime rival and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese has harassed both the Fever and Clark’s former University of Iowa fans with racial slurs, death threats, and even an apparently AI-generated Reese. He accused Clark’s fans of sending the images to his family.
“I think it’s really just justice for the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, and now the Indiana fans. They’re running for her and I respectfully respect that. But sometimes… It can be very disrespectful, and I think there are a lot of opinions out there that say, “Racism when it comes down to it,” Reese said on the first episode of the podcast on Sept. 5.
“People came to my address and followed me home. As it turned out, naked AI images of me were created many times and sent to my family. So he sent it to me and said, “Are you naked on Instagram?”
Clark himself addressed the allegations of racism against Fever fans during his team’s farewell press conference. However, Clark refused to acknowledge that the person accused of racism was a fan of his team.
“Those aren’t fans. They’re trolls,” Clark said.
Either way, there’s no denying the influx of followers Clark has brought to Indiana and the WNBA as a whole.
The WNBA broke viewership and attendance records this year, with Clark’s presence on the team leading the way. The 14 most-watched WNBA games of the year all included the Fever, with the season finale against the Washington Mystics on Sept. 19 drawing a crowd of 20,711 after being moved to a larger arena. , breaking the record for the most attended game in WNBA history.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Sun forward DeWanna Bonner exchange words during a game in Uncasville on September 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
While playing against the NFL on Sunday, Clark drew a WNBA record 1.84 million viewers for his playoff opener against the Connecticut Sun on Sept. 22. The second game followed with a record audience of 2.54 million viewers. However, Clark and the Indiana Fever lost both games, and Clark returned home in the offseason.
However, ratings plummeted after Clark and the Fever were eliminated from the playoffs. Game 1 of the Aces vs. Liberty, a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals between two of the league’s most popular and successful teams, drew a crowd of 929,000, ESPN announced. 50% less than Game 1 vs. The Sun.
Going forward, Krauskopf will look to use that ammunition to build the team’s brand while other players may continue to face accusations of racism against the fan base.
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