Caitlin Clark, Fever’s exhibition sport in Iowa will get picked up by ESPN in WNBA first: Sources – The New York Instances

The Caitlin Clark impact has reached the preseason.
ESPN will broadcast what’s believed to be the WNBA’s first nationally televised exhibition sport when Clark returns to Iowa for the Indiana Fever’s sport towards Brazil’s nationwide staff on Might 4, sources briefed on the community’s scheduling mentioned.
The 5 p.m. CT tipoff shall be on ESPN until the community has a Sport 7 within the NBA playoffs. In that case, the Fever-Brazil sport would shift to ESPN2.
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ESPN declined remark.
Iowa retired Clark’s jersey in February, however her return with the Fever shall be her first sport in Carver-Hawkeye Area since graduating final spring. Tickets for the exhibition offered out inside 45 minutes of being listed.
“Numerous Hawkeye followers have change into Fever followers, and we take into account them household,” Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf mentioned in a press release when the sport was initially introduced. “That’s what’s going to make this preseason matchup so particular for us.”
The shortage of accessible preseason broadcasts has change into a ache level for followers in latest seasons, as many have clamored to have community companions air these video games. Final season, an exhibition between the Chicago Sky and the Minnesota Lynx was unavailable on a broadcast however totaled more than two million views via a fan’s telephone stream on X.
“The expansion is going on so quick,” Cheryl Reeve, the Minnesota coach and president of basketball operations, mentioned after that exhibition. “It’s so accelerated. And I’ve been saying this in our personal group, that enterprise as normal isn’t going to work anymore.”
Clark and the Fever start the common season Might 17. They are going to be featured on 41 nationally televised or streamed games within the upcoming WNBA season, essentially the most of any franchise. Of their 44 video games, 10 shall be on ABC/ESPN whereas eight will air on ION.
Final 12 months, as Clark received Rookie of the 12 months and was named to the All-WNBA first staff, six totally different WNBA tv companions set viewership information for his or her highest WNBA sport — all six concerned Fever telecasts.
Clark shouldn’t be the one WNBA star returning to her alma mater for a preseason sport. The Chicago Sky are returning to LSU, Angel Reese’s alma mater, for an exhibition. The Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings will play a preseason sport at Notre Dame, the alma mater of guards Jackie Younger, Jewell Loyd and Arike Ogunbowale. The New York Liberty are additionally taking part in on the College of Oregon in a homecoming sport for Nyara Sabally and Sabrina Ionescu.
(Photograph: Greg Fiume / Getty Photographs)

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