Then, on Sept. 19, the Capitol One Arena was once again packed to the rafters — 20,711 in attendance to see the Mystics stave off the Fever 92-91. Given the attendance numbers that the WNBA officially declared on its website, Shapiro’s claim about the Mystics’ ticket sales is indeed plausible.

While Johnson attempted to downplay Caitlin Clark’s impact, another report claims that she’s the reason why Indiana Pacers executives want to catch up with their WNBA counterparts.

According to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal (SBJ), the Pacers front office fully recognizes what the Fever has accomplished in the past year:

“The Indiana Fever are now a global brand that Indiana Pacers executives say they can only hope to replicate someday,” wrote Friend. “She has unlocked the power of women’s athletics with a following that has drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan in his Chicago Bulls heyday.”

It is for this very reason that SBJ named Caitlin Clark their 2024 Best Sports Business Athlete. As Clark entered her sophomore season, more accolades — not to mention more criticism, deserved or undeserved — are sure to come her way.