The Caitlin Clark hype is certainly real. The much-anticipated professional debut for the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer is sold out.
Indiana Fever fans must wait until Thursday to see Caitlin Clark play in Indianapolis. However, the Connecticut Sun will host her first WNBA contest on Tuesday night. The team announced Monday that the game has sold out. It is the first time that the Sun have sold out a home opener since the team’s inaugural game in 2003.
The Sun made it official Monday as the team proclaimed that all 8,910 seats in the Mohegan Sun Arena have been sold as fans clamor to see the WNBA Draft’s No. 1 pick take the court for the first time in an official game.
Caitlin Clark Rookie Tour a Hot Ticket League-Wide
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It’s no secret that Caitlin Clark’s collegiate efforts for the Iowa Hawkeyes helped spark an all-time peak in interest levels for women’s basketball. Her first home game, a preseason matchup against the Atlanta Dream last week drew 13,028 people to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. That total was more than three times the average fans that the Fever drew over 20 regular-season contests last season.
Fans from around the league are storming the gates to see Caitlin Clark, even in exhibition games. Her first preseason matchup at Dallas against the Wings was played in front of a sellout crowd as well. The former collegiate, now professional, phenom told reporters:
“I think that just shows you what it’s going to be like for us all season. It’s going to help us.”
The WNBA brought in a total of 1,587,488 fans among its 12 teams, the highest in 13 years. However, the league was larger back then — as it may again be soon. WNBA attendance was up 16 percent over 2022, but it is likely that the league will set new attendance records again this coming season.
Teams from around the league are jacking up their normal ticket prices for when Caitlin Clark and the Fever come to town. Single-game tickets that normally can be purchased for a few sawbucks through the box office are now going for several times the usual price if they are still available.
On the secondary market, tickets to catch a glimpse of Clark are already fetching hundreds of dollars for games that are still weeks or even months away.
WNBA Squads are Moving on Account of Clark
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Earlier this offseason, the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces announced that their July 2 home game against Caitlin Clark and the Fever will move from Las Vegas’ 12,000-seat standard residence at Michelob Ultra Arena to the 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena — where the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights play. The Aces led the WNBA in attendance last season with an average of 9,551.
The Washington Mystics followed Las Vegas’ example. Washington, which averaged just 4,391 fans last year — just 250 more per game than the Fever — also announced a relocation. The Mystics were initially slated to play the game at the 4,200-seat Entertainment & Sports Arena, but will now host Indiana in a 20,000-seat Capital One Arena that hosts the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Tom is the WNBA Content Manager for Total Apex Sports. He is also well versed in covering MLB, NFL, NHL, as well as MLS and EPL.
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