Caitlin Clark ‘brought us back to the WNBA' say fans packing Chase Center to see Valkyries

From Stockton to Oregon, fans flocked from across the West Coast to come to San Francisco and watch Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever play the Golden State Valkyries in Chase Center for the very first time. And making no apologies, many in attendance, while harboring enormous pride in the Bay Area's expansion team, came for Clark.
Mary Barker, who was a fan of the Sacramento Monarchs before that WNBA team ceased operations in 2009, was thrilled to cheer on the expansion team. Barker was dressed to the nines in Valkyries gear, beaming about the team to a group of tourists outside of Chase Center before the game.
'I'm definitely going for the Valkyries to win, but I love Caitlin Clark too,' Barker said. 'But of course, you want it to be good, wholesome basketball, no drama. Just everybody go out and compete and (have) good sportsmanship. But I'll be going Valkyries all the way.'
That sort of talk was music to head coach Natalie Nakase, who said before her team's 88-77 win over Indiana, 'Our fans are kind of like our superpower in way. They really know when to scream, when to holler, and as soon as that ball gets thrown up, they jump from the start. And they're always cheering until the very end. So I'm going to call them our superpower.'
One married Sacramento couple who, like Barker, are Monarchs-turned-Valkyries fans, were thrilled to be at Chase to support Clark. Both women watched Clark play basketball at Iowa and were proudly wearing Fever jerseys with Clark's No. 22.
'We have season tickets (for the Valkyries), but we're representing Clark because she's the one that brought us back to the WNBA, to be quite honest,' one of the women said. 'But we're obviously Valkyries fans as well. So excited to be here.'
Fans were not shy to compare Clark to NBA legends Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry, who often draws a lot of physical defense on the court. Many fans at Chase Center, here for Clark or not, had mixed reactions on the subject of what she faces on the court.
'I don't know how the WNBA lets it go on, how (players are) bullying her. She's done nothing but good for the league. They're all flying charter (planes) this year because of her,' said John Kosich of Stockton.
Kosich attended the game after his kids bought him a Clark jersey and a pair of tickets to the game for Father's Day. 'The league was worth $90 million last year, now it's $360 (million). I mean, come on, you got to protect her. That's the golden goose.'
But what some fans say is bullying, others are adamant that the physicality is intrinsic to competitive basketball, rather than detracting from it.
'Is she getting targeted? Who knows,' said Bridget C., a Clark fan who came to Chase Center to watch her first-ever WNBA game. 'But you deal with that as you go right, like, it's part of learning how to play in the pros.'
Questions surrounding Clark's treatment by opposing players, including the controversy over the audio-less clip captured by ESPN of Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner, came up repeatedly in conversations at Chase Center.
Some fans speculated Griner called Clark 'F—ing white girl,' while others said they believed that conclusion was a ploy for headlines. Griner herself says that she was making a comment about the referee's call, and didn't say anything about Clark at all.
'I don't know if it's a race thing, but Griner, well, she's lucky she's not in Russia. Let's just say that,' said Kosich. 'I mean, we all could read her lips … but it's like, why don't you just appreciate what she brought to the league and let it go?'
Barker had a less strong opinion on the matter, chalking it up to the legions of fans Clark brings to the league.
'I really don't see it as a race thing, I try not to look at it that way. But I think what it is, is you got a player that came in and made such a huge impact on the game,' Barker said.
Mostly, Barker said she was excited about the entertainment Clark brings to the court, and to be at a packed Chase Center for the game.
While many at Chase Center were thrilled to watch Clark in action, one Clark fan named Kyle S. said in jest that he was in attendance to 'make sure (Clark) wasn't AI.' And at least one pair of proud parents wasn't in attendance for Clark at all.
Lewis and Merteen Thornton, parents of Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton said about the team playing Indiana, '(It means) nothing, nothing at all. It means that we're going to support the Valks … playing (Clark) doesn't mean (anything) to us, because she's just another player.'

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