INDIANAPOLIS — Business has been booming since last April, when Caitlin Clark officially became a member of the Indiana Fever.
That's what 13News heard from people at spots around downtown during Wednesday's game with the L.A. Sparks.
"You can tell the difference with the WNBA impact on this city ever since Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and everyone came out of the draft," said Wild Beaver bartender Dave Luterman.
Luterman, who has worked downtown for more than a decade, said he's seen the fan base grow.
"Specifically for Indianapolis, you can tell it's the same crowd as a Pacers game would get," Luterman said.
Fans like Dianne Westerfeld and her niece, Robin. Westerfield traveled here all the way from Denver to see the Fever and Caitlin play.
"She's brought a lot of excitement to the city," said Westerfeld.
Her niece, Robin Ford, lives in Indianapolis and is also a big Fever fan.
"It's almost a full house every game. It's awesome to see. Obviously, restaurant and hotels around the city are getting revenue and stuff from coming to see them play. It's a great time," Ford said.
It's a time that business leaders don't want to end.
"During the normal WNBA season where you don't see as much as the last few years. This year, we picked up and now you got your June July and August," said Luterman.
Obviously this means more money for local businesses, but Luterman said it's about more than that.
"It's all about the experience for the WNBA fans that really might not have come out the last few years, but now all of a sudden they started coming out. They are really noticing places post-Covid that really can impact moving forward with future seasons," said Luterman.
The hype has fans urging people to come check it out for themselves.
If you want to see the Indiana Fever, there are 5 home games left in the regular season.
WNBA playoffs
While the Fever's spot in the playoffs is clinched, there is still plenty to play for.
The top four teams in the league, regardless of conference, will host a first-round playoff series. The best-of-3 series will start with two games at the team with the better record.
After Wednesday's games, the Fever sit in sixth place and would face the Minnesota Lynx in the first round. But Indiana is just 2 1/2 games behind fifth-place Seattle Storm and 3 1/2 games behind the Las Vegas Aces for fourth place, which would secure home-court advantage in the first round.
Indiana will host the Aces for two games on Sept. 11 and 13, which could have playoff-seeding implications for both teams.
The playoffs will begin Sept. 22.
Fever on WTHR/WALV
Five of the Fever's final seven games of the regular season can be seen on WTHR or MeTV.
- Wednesday, Sept. 4 — 7 p.m. Los Angeles — WALV
- Sunday, Sept. 8 — 4 p.m. Atlanta — WTHR
- Wednesday, Sept. 11 — 7 p.m. Las Vegas — WALV
- Sunday, Sept. 15 — 3 p.m. Dallas — WALV
- Thursday, Sept. 19 — 7 p.m. @ Washington — WTHR
How do I watch Indiana Fever games on WTHR?
There are a number of ways!
1. Using an HD antenna.
The 10 games on WTHR be broadcast on 13.1 and available for free over the air using an HD antenna connected to your TV.
You can find reviews for the best TV antennas on the market on The New York Times, CNET, Popular Mechanics and Consumer Product Testing.
Once attached to your television, setting it up is a simple, three-step process:
- Push the “menu” or “input” button on your remote.
- Go to the “channel” or “TV” or “setup” menu option.
- Select “scan” or “auto-scan.”
The video at the top of this article provides an additional, easy walkthrough on how you can rescan your television yourself to guarantee you're getting our crispiest broadcast possible.
2. Using a cable provider.
You can watch WTHR on channel 13 through several cable providers, including Charter/Spectrum, DirecTV, Dish, AT&T U-verse and others.
How do I watch MeTV on cable?
You can watch WALV (MeTV) on the following cable services in the Indianapolis metro area:
- AT&T U-verse — 50
- Charter/Spectrum — 93/176/358
- Comcast/Xfinity — 146/248/510/1189/1191/1193
For additional help locating WALV on other cable providers, click here.