The Indiana Fever dismantled the Portland Fire on Wednesday night to improve to 3-2 on the season, but unfortunately they didn't receive a ton of support from their fans at home.
Just hours before tipoff on Wednesday, the Fever announced that Caitlin Clark was ruled out due to back soreness. Fever coach Stephanie White suggested that it wouldn't be a long-term issue for the No. 1 overall pick.
"She's healthy," White told reporters. "We're not managing anything. This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the time to be ready."
While it's unclear if Clark being a late scratch affected ticket sales, it was pretty evident that fans didn't circle Wednesday's game on their calendars. There were several videos that showed countless empty seats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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Does the WNBA have a problem?
Some fans are convinced the Fever have lost the spark that Clark brought to them in 2024.
"Caitlin Clark has played in front of sold out crowds since she was 16 years old. Within 3 years the WNBA and the Fever have completely squandered their golden goose moment," one fan said. "The worst thing is, people predicted this exact thing would happen 2 years ago."
"Good I hope they all decided not to go after the stunt they pulled," a second fan declared.
"Nobody wants to see Stephanie White's system," a third fan wrote. "We want to see Caitlin play the way that brought attention to the game in the first place."
"That’s bad news, the owners must concerned," another fan said.
We can't blame Clark's fans for being frustrated right now. They had no idea their favorite player was going to be ruled out for Wednesday's game.
The Fever will return to action Friday against the Golden State Valkyries.
As of this moment, Indiana's coaching staff hasn't said anything about Clark's injury status.
