The discussion regarding the WNBA’s reliance on commercial flights has resurfaced following the recent journey of former collegiate basketball standout Caitlin Clark, who traveled for the first time with the Indiana Fever to Texas in preparation for their preseason match against the Dallas Wings.

Caitlin Clark after practice

Footage circulating on social platforms Thursday depicted the WNBA’s top draft pick and her fellow players disembarking at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Social media users promptly questioned why the league hadn’t arranged a charter flight for the team, a practice Clark experienced during her tenure with the Iowa program as a Hawkeye.

“It’ll definitely be an adjustment, but it is what it is,” Clark said of the issue while speaking to the media on Thursday.

 

“At this point of my career and across the WNBA, it is what it is. I’m sure, certainly, everybody would say that they would love to be flying charter all the time – that definitely would help a lot of problems. But I think the fever organization has done a really good job of getting out ahead of things. There’s going to be a lot of security traveling with us, there will be certain plans of how we’re going to navigate going throughout airports and things like that.”

Caitlin Clark signs autographs

Becoming the NCAA Division 1 all-time leading scorer, Clark helped the NCAA reach its best viewership in history for women’s basketball, with nearly 19 million fans watching the title game.

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The hope is that it will translate to the WNBA, and if it does, it could present a safety issue at airports.

“It’s not like we’re the odd man out here. Everybody has to navigate, it and I think it’s going to cause some problems, maybe, because the popularity of our league is continuing to grow and having to navigate travel with that,” Clark continued Thursday.

“But at the same time, that’s a positive thing, too. You want people to be excited about our game. Hopefully, it changes in the near future, but for now that’s just what it is, and everybody’s dealing with the same thing. You can’t use it as an excuse.”

Caitlin Clark talks to the media
Fever general manager Lin Dunn told reporters Thursday that the team has security measures in place, but declined to disclose the details.

“We’re certainly aware of what took place at Iowa when she traveled to away arenas, and certainly we’re aware of what happened at Ohio State, and we’re going to take all the precautions we can to make sure that not only is she safe, but that I’m safe – that we’re all safe, that all the players are prepared to be safe and secure.”

Last year, the WNBA spent $4 million on charter flights for the entire playoffs as well as for any back-to-back games during the regular season. Ahead of the draft last month, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert confirmed that the league would do the same this season.

“No one wants (charters) more than I do for these players. We need to be in the right financial position,” Engelbert said. “Just a few years ago, we were surviving. Now we’re going from survive to thrive. We want to do it at the appropriate time.“