Caitlin Clark Is Already a Boon to WNBA Attendance in the Preseason

The ball is pictured entering the basket during the women's first round 3x3 basketball match between France and Romania at the Aomi Urban Sports Park in Tokyo, on July 27, 2021 during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP) (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever sold out their first preseason game against the Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas.

That’s just a preview of what’s coming for the WNBA with Clark as the main attraction.

The Fever lost to Dallas 79–76, but the excitement for Clark is already palpable.

“Just a great atmosphere for women’s basketball,” said Clark, who finished with a team-high 21 points in her pro debut. “I think it’s a good kickoff to the WNBA season. There were some things we could have executed a little better. I thought we could have gotten into our offense a little better, but the pace was amazing. That’s fun basketball that people like to watch. But overall, definitely what I expected.”

Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft from the University of Iowa, has emerged as the most dynamic player in men’s and women’s basketball. Fans have flocked to her games in person and on TV because of her charisma.

The National Championship game between the Hawkeyes and South Carolina had 24 million combined viewers on ESPN and ABC—the first time in history that a women’s final drew a larger TV audience than the men’s, according to ESPN.

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Now, expectations are that Clark will have the same impact on the WNBA and it’s already trending in that direction.

Last season, the Fever of the WNBA averaged 4,067 fans per game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which can hold as many as 20,000 spectators. This year, the average resale ticket price to see the Fever play at home is $182, a 136 percent increase from the 2023 season, according to SeatGeek.

Clark finished her college career as the top scorer in the history of men’s and women’s college basketball with 3,951 points and was a two-time NCAA women’s basketball Player of the Year. She finished with the highest career scoring average (28.42) in Division I history, passing Patricia Hoskins of Mississippi Valley State.

Last season as a senior, Clark averaged 31.6 points, 8.9 assists, and 7.4 rebounds per game, leading Division I in scoring and assists. The Hawkeyes retired her No. 22 jersey number, making her the third player in program history to receive the honor.

There will inevitably be some growing pains in the WNBA. The speed and physicality of the pro game are more intense than at the college level. However, Clark still shined in her debut and much of the sold-out crowd in Texas were at the game to cheer for her, rather than the home team.

“The crowd was great all night,” Clark said. “That’s what you expect with a sellout. Those are going to be the same for the crowds all year long. So whether they’re cheering for you or cheering against you, you’d better get used to it.”

Attendance and television ratings for the WNBA were already trending upward even before Clark was selected by Indiana. The league has its most-watched season in 21 years, averaging 462,000 viewers per game across its affiliates, ABC, ESPN, and CBS.

Teams are already preparing for the Clark effect when they host Indiana. For example, the Las Vegas Aces, the two-time reigning WNBA champions, relocated their game on May 25 from the 12,000-seat Michelob Ultra Arena to the 18,000-seat T-Mobile Arena to meet demand. In addition, the Washington Mystics moved their June 7 game against Indiana to Capital One Arena, which has a capacity of 20,356, from their normal home, the Entertainment and Sports Arena, which can host 4,200 fans.

For Clark, she is just focused on playing basketball. She is looking for continued improvement before the regular-season opener against Connecticut on May 14.

“Knowing when to push in transition, knowing when to slow up, and run our offense a little bit better,” Clark said about the necessary adjustments the team has to make before the regular-season opener. “Overall, I thought our defense was pretty good. We could have gotten better in some areas. We could have passed the ball a little bit better. Overall, there was a lot to learn from. These are good learning experiences for us.