Caitlin Clark has been arguably the face of women’s basketball before she ever joined the WNBA. Since her time at Iowa, Clark’s incredible play and competitive nature have drawn unmatched crowds, so much so that even the Indiana Fever‘s preseason games are getting nationally televised now.
According to reports, the Fever’s upcoming exhibition game against Brazil’s national team on May 4 will be televised on ESPN, which would make it the first nationally televised WNBA exhibition game in history.
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The hype surrounding this game is monumental. Tickets sold out in 45 minutes, with resales going for more than $200 on Ticketmaster. The Fever were already slated for 41 nationally televised games throughout the regular season, the most ever for a WNBA team.
With fans having clamored for preseason broadcasts for years at this point, this matchup against Brazil should be a solid measuring stick to determine fan interest in exhibition contests.
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When and where is Fever vs. Brazil?
The Fever’s exhibition game against Brazil’s national team is scheduled for a 6 p.m. ET tipoff on Sunday, May 4. While the game will likely air on ESPN, should the NBA Finals reach Game 7, the exhibition contest would be pushed to ESPN2.
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The game will take place at the University of Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, a homecoming for Clark, who is a little more than a year removed from her legendary career with the school. Clark also had her jersey number 22 retired by the university on February 2 this year.
Caitlin Clark/Fever viewership numbers 2024
It should be no surprise, considering how much viewership Clark drew to the WNBA during her rookie season. Per ESPN, the league saw a 170% jump in viewership during her inaugural season, with games averaging 1.2 million viewers. The most-watched game of the season was also an Indiana Fever game against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on June 23, averaging 2.3 million viewers.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark to get ESPN broadcast for preseason game
