If Year 1 was an epiphany, then Year 2 is a digitized business model.
While you were away, the Indiana Fever were analyzing their database, posting content roughly 14 times a day, adding their staggering 73rd partner, tastefully raising ticket prices and making sure Caitlin Clark was pumping iron.
Gifted a generational asset from Iowa who turned a last-place WNBA team into the Rolling Stones, the Fever have managed to shrink the world in just one calendar year. On paper, Indianapolis is only the 25th-largest media market in the U.S., but DMA means nothing in the 21st century age of Instagram, TikTok and X. With a prodigious in-house social media group that lurks behind every crevice of the Fever team office — and sometimes needs to be politely shooed away from top-secret meetings — the Fever are a can’t-get-enough global brand arguably on par with the Lakers.
(Quick ridiculous stat: The Lakers had 39 nationally televised games this season; the Fever will have 41).
Leveraging all of that Fever hubris is no minor undertaking, but the stated goal, according to Kelly Krauskopf, president of basketball and business operations, is “creating a sustainable business model that’s the first of its kind in women’s sports.” She doesn’t deny that Clark’s off-the-chart Q rating has been the entry point and revenue driver for new, curious, rubber-necking customers. But by also building, promoting, celebrating and Instagram-ing the roster around Clark — from Aliyah Boston to Kelsey Mitchell to Lexie Hull to Sophie Cunningham — the hope is to turn them all into household names.
“We don’t want this to be: ‘Remember those two great years we had?’” Krauskopf said. “Our goal is to create lifelong fans, generations of fans that grow up and go, ‘I started becoming a fan of the Indiana Fever in whatever year that was.’ Where tickets and ball caps are passed down through generations.”
The proof is in the metrics. For instance, just over 50% of ticket purchases for Fever home games last season came from outside of Indiana, while 33% of the fans who actually attended the games were also out of state (meaning some of the non-Indiana ticket buyers were flipping the tickets). Not only that, the average distance traveled to a Fever home game last season was about 150 miles, and it would be wrong to assume most of those came from Clark’s home state of Iowa.
“We don’t want this to be: ‘Remember those two great years we had?’ Our goal is to create lifelong fans, generations of fans that grow up and go ‘I started becoming a fan of the Indiana Fever in whatever year that was.’ Where tickets and ballcaps are passed down through generations.”
— Kelly Krauskopf, president of basketball and business operations, Indiana Fever
According to the Fever’s database, fans traveled to home games from all 50 states, not to mention 44 countries. But independent ticketing data shows most commuted in from Ohio and Illinois and that even a small percentage arrived from California — emphasizing the nationwide affinity for the team. The fact the games were in the summer months, the height of vacation season, was an obvious factor. “But,” Krauskopf said, “it shows no sign of letting up.”
Considering courtside prices for Fever road games have been listed as high as $23,370 (and six opposing teams have moved their Fever games to more cavernous venues), the franchise certainly was justified in raising its ticket prices at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season. A Fever courtside season seat as part of their exclusive “Hollywood Package” costs $690 this year, a 38% increase, but the lowest-range season tickets are still only $50 — and all season seats have sold out, price hike or not. Every night is an event.
“Here in Indianapolis, we have a supply and demand issue now,” Krauskopf said. “It’s gone to where we can be strategic about how tickets are priced, understanding certain nights that you can dynamically price and be very strategic about those types of drivers, because there’s a demand there.
“We would have [raised prices] anyway. We’ve had two No. 1 picks in a row. We’ve had two rookies of the year in a row. We have a product that we think is going to be pretty good. We’ll see where that plays out. But, you know, the market speaks for itself. There’s clearly an appetite to see this team in person or watch it on television.”
The Fever have sold merchandise in 38 countries outside the U.S.: Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom
The most overt sign of their popularity last season was an average TV viewership of 1.19 million per game, 199% higher than other WNBA teams. Another was that they sold merchandise online to fans from 38 countries. Still another was, at one point, a 1,193% increase in jersey sales. But the most prudent way to monetize it and convince prospective partners of ROI was the Fever’s transcendent social media presence — which, according to their data, included 8 million video views this offseason, nearly 1,400% more than the average leaguewide and in the top 5% of all U.S. sports teams.
The Pacers Sports & Entertainment executive behind the social media onslaught is Tyler Beadlescomb, formerly of TikTok, who was also once director of content operations at Fox Sports and senior manager of social media with the Raiders. As senior vice president of marketing and content for the Fever and Pacers, he spearheads a 20-plus person social media unit that, between Nov. 1, 2024 and April 2025, produced seven times the engagement of the average non-Fever WNBA team.
Whether it’s announcing Lexie Hull’s marriage engagement or Clark draining 50 out of 54 3-pointers on her birthday, the content is available a la carte on the Fever YouTube channel, X page, Instagram page, you name it. They are Indiana’s team, America’s team, South America’s team, etc. As a result, the franchise gained 20 partners this offseason, lifting their grand total to 73, which even includes a roofing company.
“We’ve gone all-hands-on-deck from the time the season ended, Nov. 1 to today,” Krauskopf said. “We took this offseason very serious. We had a robust social plan and plan to continue to engage with our fans and with those who showed interest last year for the first time. We’re committed to being a 365-day brand.”
The main goal is still to win a championship but, otherwise, the Fever think tank has recently struck deals to put all games this season on local radio, 18 others on local over-the-air TV and is building a direct-to-consumer streaming app. Krauskopf said it is also in the works to hire a brand consultant agency.
So no stone (or Fever Rolling Stone) is left unturned.
