Country star Tim McGraw showed support for WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark by wearing her Indiana Fever jersey during a concert in Indianapolis.
Clark was drafted first overall by the Fever out of Iowa.
“We like it, we love it,” the Indiana Fever wrote on X.
McGraw had previously worn an Iowa jersey with Clark’s number at a concert in Iowa.
His actions garnered attention on social media from the Fever and Clark herself.
“From the NCAA to the WNBA… with a pit stop on SNL in between!! Couldn’t be a bigger fan. Congrats @CaitlinClark22! The @IndianaFever are lucky to have you on the team,” McGraw wrote online.
Even before playing a game in the WNBA, Clark is already having an impact – the Washington Mystics moved their upcoming game against the Fever to the much larger Capital One Arena due to the sold out usual venue.
An economics professor analyzed Clark’s “fiscal ripple effect,” noting ticket and expected attendance increases exceed any male player in decades.
He wrote that Clark will influence the game for generations and that her jersey is already in high demand in girls’ sizes.
“It is a safe bet that almost no one in Indiana knows less about basketball than me, but only a recluse could miss the hype over the Indianapolis Fever’s draft of Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark,” economics professor Michael Hicks said, adding, “By almost any measure, she’s the most dominant player, male or female, to ever enter a professional draft. This makes the economics of Caitlin Clark interesting.”
“Right now, the Caitlin Clark effect on ticket sales and likely game attendance appears to exceed that of any male superstar basketball player of the past four decades. However, the real money, and the real benefit to the WNBA, comes from TV,” he wrote.
“The typical WNBA game receives about a half-million viewers. But, out of a 40-game regular season, only four or five games will likely be televised. For the 2024 season, 36 out of 40 Fever games will be televised across seven networks,” he wrote.
“Clark benefits from those who went before her, and her presence is already influencing the game for a generation to come. If you doubt me on that issue, try ordering a Clark jersey in girls’ sized small,” he wrote.
