WNBA teams began taking steps to capitalize on Caitlin Clark’s popularity.
Some are reserving larger venues for when Clark and the Indiana Fever come to town.
The Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics moved their games against the Fever to larger arenas. The numbers Clark generated in college indicate it’s a smart move.
While at Iowa, when the No. 1 draft pick and the Hawkeyes went on the road last season, they played in front of sold-out crowds or set attendance records.
“It helps with ticket sales, so I think it’s a great time to have eyes. She’s going to be an elite player,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “She’s in college. She did things in college that no one else did. She will be a great player at W. There is no doubt about that.
“So the more people we can get in the building to root against her, we’ll take it, although I don’t know if they’ll be rooting against her,” Hammon joked. “I think they might be rooting for her.”
The two-time WNBA champion Aces moved their game on May 25 from the 12,000-seat Michelob Ultra Arena to the 18,000-seat T-Mobile Arena.
Aces players give Clark credit, but they also know that their own team, which has won the last two WNBA championships, has done a great job increasing game attendance in recent seasons.
“We are not going to roll out any red carpet. We are here to be a business and sell a lot of tickets. Congratulations to her (Clark), but we’ve also done this in previous years in big games,” Las Vegas guard Kelsey Plum said. “There are a lot of people who play basketball. People are coming to watch A’ja Wilson. People will watch Chelsea Gray.
“That’s not a slight to anyone, but I’m saying it’s not to her. We played in Chicago last year.
Clark will make his preseason debut Friday night in Dallas — a game that is already sold out.
The Mystics’ game against Indiana on June 7 will be played at Capital One Arena – Washington’s former home. Its normal home, the Entertainment and Sports Arena, can accommodate up to 4,200 fans, but the Capital One Arena has a maximum basketball capacity of over 20,000.
Nearly half of WNBA teams play in NBA arenas, so there is no need to move those games.
Still, some others who don’t are feeling pressure to move games to larger arenas, including the Chicago Sky. The Sky and Angel Reese play their home games at the 10,000-seat Wintrust Arena. Fans started a petition to move their home opener against Indiana to the larger United Center. There’s a show scheduled at that arena on June 23rd, when Fever come to town – so that won’t happen.
The Los Angeles Sparks are another team that could move the game against Indiana.
The Sparks are playing their first five home games in Long Beach because of arena conflicts due to construction and the NBA and NHL playoffs. They will host the Fever on May 24th, which is scheduled to be played in Long Beach. The team’s first five games will be played in a 4,000-seat arena.
The Sparks have already played games at USC and there’s always a chance they could move the Indiana game there. The Sparks said they had nothing official to report when asked about moving the game.
The Atlanta Dream, who also play in a smaller venue with a capacity of just 3,500, host Clark and the Fever on June 21st. The team has not yet said whether it is exploring trying to move to a larger arena.
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AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this story
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