Longtime ESPN reporter Holly Rowe openly weeps before WNBA game and Caitlin Clark is to blame

Longtime ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe couldn't contain herself during Tuesday's Indiana Fever-Toronto Tempo game in Canada.

And it had nothing to do with the game itself. In fact, it all went down before the game tipped off.

Rowe, a fierce advocate for women's sports and the WNBA, filmed her emotional reaction to the sold-out arena before the game started. The nearly minute-long video featured crowd shots and a crying Rowe as she soaked it all in.

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"I'm trying to work a basketball game tonight," she started before covering her mouth as she was overcome with emotion. "But I keep crying because look at what they have built. I literally cannot quit crying to do my job right now. I mean, we have 19,000 people coming tonight to watch women's basketball and I'm just so proud.

"I'm just really proud."

What a moment for Holly Rowe! Was it a little odd that her first instinct during this groundbreaking moment was to hit record and turn the camera to herself for 30 seconds while she cried? Sure. No argument there. It certainly wouldn't have been my first move.

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But this is 2026, folks. This is how the world operates.

Look, it's fine. Holly Rowe has been around forever, and she's very clearly passionate about women's basketball and the WNBA. She did leave out a pretty important detail though ...

Caitlin Clark was in town for the first time. Sophie Cunningham was in town for the first time. The Indiana Fever are basically the Harlem Globetrotters at this point in terms of fan interest. If ESPN could, they'd put them on TV every single night.

They basically do.

Tuesday's game against the Fever was moved to the larger Scotiabank Arena to accommodate demand for tickets. That's called the Caitlin Clark effect, and it's been happening for years now in the WNBA. It happened with six teams last year alone, and Clark missed a good portion of the season.

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So, no, this wasn't an unusual occurrence. Add in all the drama surrounding Sophie Cunningham right now, and it's only heightened.

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Does it take away from the scene? No. Cunningham herself said Tuesday's crowd was awesome, despite all the booing.

But does the scene deserve a little context? Probably.