Caitlin Clark Effect: Atlanta Dream moves matchups against Indiana Fever to larger arena

The Atlanta Dream announced that two of their upcoming matchups against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on June 21 and August 26 will be moved to State Farm Stadium to accommodate a larger crowd.

“SAME ENERGY. BIGGER ARENA,” the Dream said in a statement Thursday. “We heard you! Both Atlanta Dream games against the Indiana Fever will be moved to State Farm Arena.”

The Dream’s home court at Gateway Center Arena has a capacity of 5,000, while the capacity of State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, is just under 17,000.

The Dream isn’t the only team to benefit from the Caitlin Clark effect. The Washington Mystics have moved their upcoming games against the Fever to larger arenas “due to unprecedented demand,” Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced. The defending champion Las Vegas Aces did it as well.

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Clark had 20 points (5-15 FG, 4-11 3PT), three assists, two steals and 10 turnovers in her WNBA regular-season debut Tuesday in the Fever’s 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun. The season opener was the most-watched WNBA game in nearly 23 years, drawing an average audience of 2.13 million viewers, according to ESPN.

Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and the Fever’s first draft selection, said she understood the importance of the hype surrounding her and vowed to continue introducing herself to fans of the whole league.

“People sacrifice a lot to spend money to come here or to travel or to pay for their young daughter or young son to come and watch over us and support us…I understand it because I was that young girl,” he said. Clark said. said THURSDAY. “I’m very aware of that and that’s why I haven’t missed a game in college.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta Dream moves games against Indiana Fever to larger arena