Caitlin Clark effect: Atlanta Dream moves matchups against Indiana Fever to bigger 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 on 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 the State Farm Arena, home of the NBA‘s Atlanta Hawks, is just under 17,000.

The Dream is not the only team cashing in on the Caitlin Clark effect. The Washington Mystics moved their upcoming games against the Fever to bigger arenas “due to unprecedented demand,” Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser announced. The reigning champion Las Vegas Aces did too.

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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 on Tuesday in the Fever’s 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun. The season-opening game was the most watched WNBA game in almost 23 years, drawing in average audience of 2.13 million viewers, according to ESPN.

Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and the Fever’s No. 1 overall draft pick, said she understands the significance of the hype surrounding her and vowed to continue to show up for fans across the league.

“People are sacrificing a lot to spend money to get here or travel or to pay for their young daughter or son to come and watch us and support us… I understand it because I was that young girl,” Clark said on Thursday. “I’m very aware of it and that’s why I didn’t miss a single game in college.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta Dream moves games vs. Indiana Fever to bigger arena