The Indiana Fever clinched their spot in the 2025 WNBA playoffs after their dominant 94-65 win over the Washington Mystics.
Despite there being no stakes for the Mystics (who are already out of playoff contention), this September 7 game had an attendance of 11,183, which is quite close to the 14,000-person capacity that CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore can hold.
The Mystics don’t usually play their home games in Baltimore. Instead, they typically compete in Washington D.C.’s CareFirst Arena, which holds 4,200 people. However, the franchise decided to move its home games against the Fever to the larger CFG Bank Arena this season to atone for the influx Indiana fans who flock to all of their team’s games, regardless of where in the country they are.
Sep 7, 2025; Washington, Baltimore, MD, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) signs autographs for fans before a game between the Washington Mystics and the Indiana Fever at CFG Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images
Indiana’s huge fanbase is largely owed to superstar guard Caitlin Clark, who is the biggest star in women’s basketball by far. Clark is out for the rest of this WNBA season because she ran out of time to rehab from a groin injury she suffered back in mid-July. But Clark not being active didn’t keep fans from showing up to support her, which is shown by the aforementioned attendance of Sunday’s game.
Clark deserves a ton of credit for always taking the time to interact with her fans before games, whether that comes through signing autographs, taking photos, or just being on the court for them to look at. And this is why she and the Fever still draw such large crowds, despite her being relegated to the bench once the game begins.
Caitlin Clark may be out, but her fans are still out here strong in Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/kFir1FrkYA
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) September 7, 2025Mystics Star Shakira Austin Expresses Anger With Caitlin Clark, Fever Support
It seems that not everybody was happy to see so many Fever fans present at Sunday’s game, which is conveyed by comments that Washington Mystics standout forward Shakira Austin shared when speaking with the media after the game.
“I’m hoping we can get some real support from our own fans and what we have building up,” Austin said, per an article from Edward Lee of The Baltimore Sun.
She then added, “We had ‘MVP’ chants for A’ja [Wilson] a couple games ago, which I understand. But it’s, like, we’re in DC, so support us. So I’m hoping Baltimore can be an arena where we can consistently play in to get those fans. But if they’re not going to cheer for us, then I don’t want to play here.”
Austin also said, “If the fans were to support us and it felt like a home game, I wouldn’t mind coming out here [to Baltimore]. But if they’re going to be wishy-washy, then keep it in DC.”
“If they’re not going to cheer for us, then I don’t want to play here,” Mystics forward Shakira Austin said of playing in Baltimore. https://t.co/Fhiv1fOWEj
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) September 7, 2025
Austin is within her rights to have an opinion on who fans are coming to cheer for. Yet, her sentiment isn’t going to keep Clark fans from coming to games, nor stop the Mystics from returning to Baltimore when they play Indiana if they can sell multitudes more tickets.
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