TORONTO — Before Caitlin Clark’s name was called first overall in 2024, the WNBA didn’t have million-dollar contracts or 15 active teams. A league jersey in the wild was a rare sighting and accessing game broadcasts took considerable sleuthing. There was no team in Golden State, and no plan for five expansion teams in five years.
There was no team in Canada.
But in the three seasons since, the league has erupted as both a sport and cultural phenomenon — in part due to the eyeballs and dollar signs the league’s once-in-a-lifetime star helped harness.
Let’s face it, most of the fans that will crowd into Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday for the Indiana Fever’s first game against the Tempo in Toronto probably didn’t watch the league before Clark was drafted. But Clark and the other young stars who have joined since have reinvigorated the league, helping change the way the WNBA is recognized and followed in many markets.
“I think everyone's a part of that journey now even though Caitlin (Clark) and Angel (Reese) probably propelled it to that next level, and that's exciting. So we've got to build on momentum,” Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello said after Monday’s practice.
“I know more eyes are on us. More people are going to start, you know, clickbaiting and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, we're special because of our players and the product that we have.”
The Fever are the most-watched team in the league by a long shot, and with them playing in Toronto, there’s an opportunity for the Tempo to reintroduce themselves to a new batch of fans.
“Obviously Indiana is a great team. They bring a lot of fans, blah blah. We know, we know what happens in Indiana. But I just think, like for women's sports in general, it's awesome to see Scotiabank Arena filled out, regardless of who we are playing,” Marina Mabrey said at practice ahead of the game.
Ahead of Tuesday’s game, Clark recognized the support she's received in Toronto and shared about the legacy she hopes to leave after she retires.
“A lot of my favorite players growing up, I don't know how many points they ever ended up scoring, or I don't know how many three-pointers they made,” Clark said.
“I hope, you know, when I'm done playing one day, that's what people remember the most about me is the way I've been able to unite people to cheer on basketball and love a game, or bring people together to love a sport in a way that they maybe never have before.”
The Caitlin Clark Effect
There’s a pretty clear reason as to why Tuesday’s game is being played at Scotiabank Arena instead of the usual Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Even before the Fever called Clark’s name on draft night, teams had started relocating future games against the Fever to accommodate greater fan attendance — a process that’s continued the three seasons since.
"Even when we were driving up on the bus, there was already people like waiting outside in my jersey," Clark said. "So, like those are kind of pinch-me moments. Like those are moments you never take for granted. Like it's really cool that people are waiting two and a half hours before (the game)."
Clark decimated records in her first season in the league. She set the single-season assists record with 337 and the single-game assists record with 19. She also broke the rookie scoring record with 769 points, while totalling eight games with at least 20 points and 10 assists.
“Caitlin's amazing. She does a lot of great things for Indiana. She leads the team. She's a great scorer, great passer, great playmaker. So we'll try to slow her down as much as we can. Try to slow (Kelsey) Mitchell and (Aliyah) Boston down as well,” Mabrey said.
After a sophomore season plagued with injury, she has rebounded in 2026. This year, she is third in the league with 22 points per game and first in assists with 8.3.
“(The WNBA) has got amazing players, and Caitlin's driven that, and we're not lying about that. I mean, it's going to be a full house tomorrow, and Caitlin's going to get a lot of cheers. I love it. Even as a Tempo coach here, I love it. It's great,” Brondello said.
No team in the league draws more eyes than the Fever — they're in six of the top ten most-viewed games since 2000 — but those eyes don’t leave after the final whistle. They show up in social media rants and in comments under Instagram posts, on national news and in protests outside of arenas.
With so many fans following the Fever, every decision, opinion and action their players make is amplified, scrutinized and usually steeped in controversy.
“I actually have some compassion and empathy for Caitlin because how hard's that? Be in her shoes. You know these great players, there's so much expectation on them, but she just handles herself brilliantly, and I know it's not easy at all,” Brondello said.
Clark's seven technical fouls on the season haven’t helped; she’s one away from an automatic one-game suspension. But, in the last month, she hasn’t reigned over media headlines alone — she's shared the clickbait space with teammate Sophie Cunningham and head coach Stephanie White.
What to know about Tuesday’s matchup
The Tempo still need a win at Scotiabank Arena. Both their matchups there this season — against the Mercury and Lynx — did not go their way.
“Last time we played at Scotiabank (Arena) was terrible,” Brondello said. “We're in front of our home fans, but now we've got all eyes on us, being a national televised game, so we have to just — that's not why we play hard — but still go out to represent the Tempo in Toronto well,” Brondello said.
But someone was missing from both the previous Scotiabank games: Brittney Sykes.
The last time the star defender played was also the last time the Tempo faced the Fever, June 16. Sykes left that game early with a left plantar fascia injury, which sidelined her for eight weeks. Now, she makes her return from injury against the very same team she was injured against.
The Tempo could use their best defender back on the court. Defence has been a season-long struggle for the expansion team, and with the likes of Boston, Mitchell and Clark on the other end of the floor, the Fever won’t be an easy task.
In their last meeting with Indiana, the Tempo struggled to keep the score close with only eight available bodies after Sykes and Julie Allemand both left mid-game. The 22-point loss came as Clark scored 21 and added 14 assists. In Tuesday's game, injuries remain a factor for the Tempo with Allemand, Maria Conde, and Nyara Sabally all listed as out.
To reverse the outcome on Tuesday, Toronto needs to clog Clark's passing lanes and pick things up on defence. The home team may also choose to activate development players to add extra bodies.
