Fans flock to State Farm Arena as Dream takes on Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark

ATLANTA — Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever whipped up a bunch of excitement at State Farm Arena Monday as the team prepared to take on the Atlanta Dream.

The Dream expected a record-breaking crowd for the matchup.

When the Fever last came to Atlanta in June, 17,575 fans packed the arena, a franchise record.

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Kim and Steve Gobeli of Melbourne, Florida, flew to Atlanta to watch Clark and the Fever in action.

“I looked at where they were playing closest to us, and it’s only about an hour flight from where we live, so we hopped on a plane,” Kim Gobeli told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims.

She’s become a die-hard fan of the WNBA since Clark, a rookie star, stormed onto the scene this year.

“I just saw her in action and just fell in love with her, and fell in love with the whole team,” she said. “Because it still takes the whole team and they work together so well, so we just love them as a whole team, too.”

Craig and Tina Jackson of Cumming had never been to a WNBA game before, but all the electricity around Clark sparked their interest.

So they bought tickets to Monday’s game.

“It’s just the atmosphere that’s building around all the games,” Craig Jackson said. “I never really watched WNBA games before this year.”

Tina Jackson said her granddaughter plays basketball, and Clark has been a powerful motivator.

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“It’s a lot of excitement,” she said. “Caitlin Clark and the whole WNBA now is buzzing.”

For Betsy Ballard of Atlanta, this is her second Atlanta Dream game. “I’m here for both,” she said of the Dream and the Fever. “I live in Atlanta, but I also love to watch Caitlin Clark and all her teammates. I’m here to see both the teams, Allisha Gray, all of them. It’s just amazing.”

Monday’s game also paid tribute to the 1996 Women’s Olympic Team, which won the gold in Atlanta.

Several members were on hand for the tribute.

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