INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark could bring more than just superstar basketball prowess to the state of Indiana, a Ball State University and Game Day study projects.

“Caitlin Clark is a media star, and we are so fortunate that Central Indiana will benefit from her popularity and her accessibility to fans and sponsors,” College of Communication, Information, and Media dean Paaige Turner said in a release.

Clark is expected to be picked No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft on Monday.

There will be a heavy national media presence on the Indiana Fever this season, something the franchise hasn’t seen before. The Fever had one game on national TV last season, but that number jumped to 36 (out of 40 games) across national networks for 2024.

Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes have been part of three of the most-watched women’s basketball games in history: the 2024 national title game between Iowa and South Carolina averaged 18.7 million viewers, which outdrew the men’s title game.

The Iowa-LSU matchup in the Elite Eight drew 12.3 million viewers, while the Iowa-UConn Final Four game had 14.2 million. Those games also came with sold out crowds in Albany, New York, and Cleveland, respectively.

“The media impact she will have will extend far beyond the court,” Turner said in the release, “as higher TV viewership and higher attendance means fans will be exposed to everything this area offers, including restaurants, education, tourism, and recreation.”

When it comes to economic impact in the state, the Miller College of Business’ Dr. Michael Hicks projects that Clark will bring in 26,000 fans throughout the course of the Fever season. That includes 10,000 from outside the region, according to the study, and those visitors will spend money on hotels and restaurants, among other things, in the Central Indiana region.

“This will bring a net increase of more than $2.4 million to the region, and will boost local employment by roughly 23 workers,” Hicks said in a release.

This study comes after the Common Sense Institute in Iowa projected Clark’s economic impact on her home state to be $82.5 million over her four-year college career at Iowa. Increased attendance at Iowa women’s basketball games added between $14.4 million and $52.3 million to the economy, according to the study, and other increased consumer spending in relation to Clark’s stardom in the state amounted to the $100 million.