The WNBA’s biggest star’s outsized influence on the league’s popularity, as well as profitability, is about to take a hit.
Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever’s phenom who’s already breaking WNBA records, will sit out for at least two weeks due to a left quad strain. While Clark is sidelined, the Fever’s performance on the court won’t be the only metric that the organization will be keeping an eye on.
The injury news comes as Clark continues boosting the WNBA’s popularity to new heights, and that of women’s basketball as a whole. Her sensational play has led to a significant increase in both television viewership and ticket sales, the latter of which has prompted teams to make special accommodations for Clark’s soaring popularity. At least six Fever away games have been moved to larger arenas to accommodate more fans.
- May 22 | Atlanta: From Gateway Center Arena at College Park (5,000) to State Farm Arena (17,057)
- May 28, Sept. 7 | Washington: From CareFirst Arena (4,200) to CFG Bank Arena (14,000)
- June 7, July 27 | Chicago: From Wintrust Arena (10,000) to United Center (20,923)
- June 22 | Las Vegas: From Michelob ULTRA Arena (10,399) to T-Mobile Arena (20,366)
- June 27 | Dallas: College Park Center (6,251) to American Airlines Center (19,825)
- July 15 | Connecticut: From Mohegan Sun Arena (8,910) to Boston’s TD Garden (19,156)
What this means for fans
The “Caitlin Clark effect” as it’s been called, has also significantly driven up ticket prices. With her absence over at least the next two weeks, those prices will surely dip. Already, tickets to some Fever road games have seen a sizable drop in get-in prices. Ticket prices to Indiana’s game at Chicago on June 7 dropped over 70% since Clark’s injury news broke on Monday. The Fever-Sky matchup is one of the games that was moved to a larger arena– in this case, Chicago’s United Center. The average get-in price for several more games in June during Clark’s anticipated absence also saw similar dips.
Although fans can now attend Fever games for a cheaper price, they’ll be missing out on one of the best stories in sports at the moment. And similar to what happened the last two years with Lionel Messi, who missed multiple games after fans shelled out hundreds of dollars to see him play, there could be some fan backlash and hesitation to purchase similar tickets too far in advance in the future.
Clark will miss at least the following games:
| Date | Opponent | Time | Get-in Price on Stubhub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, May 28 | @ Washington | 7:30pm ET | N/A |
| Friday, May 30 | Connecticut | 7:30pm ET | $15 |
| Tuesday, June 3 | Washington | 7:00pm ET | $14 |
| Saturday, June 7 | @ Chicago | 8:00pm CT | $25 |
Bottom line
Fans will miss out on seeing the Caitlin Clark effect for themselves and will similarly be left paying more money for tickets that will now be worth much less. And yet, the WNBA continues to grow and wants to feature players beyond Clark, so hopefully fans will still turn out to check it out.
