Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have begun their preseason on a solid note. They won two of their three games, with the latest coming against the Nigerian National Team at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Fever recorded a blowout victory, winning 105-57 in the exhibition matchup.
However, the focus was on the significant number of empty seats in the arena. Considering Clark’s global impact, the expectation was a packed house, but it was not to be. This had analyst Jason Whitlock share his two cents as he lambasted the WNBA.
Jason Whitlock Calls Out WNBA
Speaking on his ‘Fearless with Jason Whitlock‘ podcast, “The Caitlin Clark phenomenon was so strong that even in an exhibition game against Nigeria, they had been selling out the arena, or the arena should have been packed,” the analyst said. “This is an ominous sign. I told you guys earlier about how they were struggling in comparison to last year and the year before to sell season tickets.”
“I think the Indiana Fever and the WNBA have diminished the star power of Caitlin Clark. You’ve probably seen the NBC commercials promoting their coverage of the WNBA, and they featured and centered around A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, and Paige Bueckers. No Caitlin Clark.”
“Caitlin Clark is the business,” Whitlock further added. “You’re undermining the business by destroying Caitlin Clark’s star power and trying to build around, ‘We’ve got a whole team, and everybody’s a part of this.’ It’s not the way men operate. It’s not the way the NBA has operated. When they discover a star, a Magic Johnson, a Larry Bird, an Isiah Thomas, a Michael Jordan, an Allen Iverson, a LeBron James… they lean into that star power to draw in the rest of the fan base.”
This comes on Whitlock previously weighing in on Fever’s ticket sale dip ahead of the upcoming season. He had called it a sign that the WNBA was “about to potentially crash and burn.” While the empty seats do raise questions, it is also worth noting that it is still a preseason game, possibly leading to fans waiting for the regular season to begin.
On the preseason front so far, Clark had a quiet start against the New York Liberty with seven points, three rebounds, and four assists. In the second game against the Dallas Wings, the guard poured in 21 points, two rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Against Nigeria, she has 12 points, two rebounds, and four assists.
All eyes will be on the Fever superstar to see if she can take the team to the distance this season. Clark’s injury-riddled 2025 season saw the Fever still make the postseason, but they will fancy their chances of winning it all if the mercurial guard can stay healthy.
