$3.6 billion franchise executives reportedly acknowledge Caitlin Clark's influence has driven Fever beyond NBA team's popularity

Caitlin Clark, it's safe to say, is the biggest hoops star in Indiana since Reggie Miller. Now, her immense popularity has the Pacers front office wanting to replicate the success of the Fever organization.

According to Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal (SBJ) — who wrote about Clark being named SBJ's Best Sports Business Athlete for 2024 — executives of the $3.6 million-worth franchise (according to Forbes) are looking up to their counterparts in the WNBA:

"The Indiana Fever are now a global brand that Indiana Pacers executives say they can only hope to someday replicate," 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."

While any comparison of an athlete to Michael Jordan sounds hyperbolic at first, the numbers do indicate that Clark has had a Jordanesque impact on the Indiana Fever's popularity. According to Friend, the Fever drew an average of 1.178 million viewers per televised game, a number that is "three times the average for everyone else [in the NBA]."

Friend also reported on Clark's cash flow over the past year:

"While her 2024 WNBA salary was a paltry $76,535, her net worth through endorsements was believed to be $3.8 million, and soon to be more than $4 million."

As Clark's popularity continues to rise in the foreseeable future, expect her net worth to expand even further.

Caitlin Clark named 2024 AP Female Athlete of the Year

With 2024 coming to a close, publications and organizations have been busy with their year-end lists. To no one's surprise, many of these lists have featured Clark front and center.

Case in point: The Associated Press (AP) named Clark its 2024 Female Athlete of the Year on Christmas Eve. According to AP's Doug Feinberg, Clark's impact on and off the court was a crucial factor that netted her this award.

Clark joins Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo and Candace Parker on the short list of women's basketball players to win this distinction from AP.

“I grew up a fan of Candace Parker and the people who came before me and to be honored in this way, is super special and I’m thankful,” Clark told AP. “It was a great year for women’s basketball and women’s sports.”