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.
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.
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.
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. And although her participation on Tuesday has yet to be confirmed as she awaits a final decision from her doctors, she has been listed as probable on the team’s injury report, and many signs point to this game as her first one back.
“(I’m) just coming to the tail end of it, and you know, still got to talk with the doctors, see how they feel about things, you know, ask questions about how I feel about things, and then go from there. Obviously, we have a game tomorrow, but obviously, I’m a present-tense person,” Sykes said on Monday.
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, Toronto suffered injury hurdles with both Sykes and Julie Allemand leaving mid-game. As a result, the Tempo struggled to keep the score close with only eight available bodies remaining. 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.
