Caitlin Clark was must-watch television during her rookie season with the Indiana Fever. After her first season of professional basketball, Clark was named the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year and earned an All-WNBA First Team selection.
Following her first season in the WNBA, the league announced in March that the Fever would have 41 nationally televised games during the 2025 season.
The league and individual teams are noticing the "Caitlin Clark Effect," and they are moving their games to bigger areas to accommodate more fans. One of those teams is the Chicago Sky.
The budding rivalry between Clark and Angel Reese makes headlines and Clark puts fans in the seats. At the end of February, the Sky announced that two home games against the Fever (June 7, July 27) would be moved to the United Center in Chicago.
After Clark suffered a left quad injury in a May 24 game against the New York Liberty, it was announced she would miss at least two weeks. Her injury is a major cause for concern for the Indiana Fever and the league, and ticket prices in those games are rapidly falling.
For the Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky matchup on June 7 at the United Center (home of the Chicago Bulls), ticket prices have dropped 71 percent, from 86 to 21.
Front Office Sports also reports that the May 28 matchup against the Washington Mystics is taking a hit. Ticket prices for the Fever-Mystics matchup have dropped from 41 to 22, down 47 percent.
The Mystics initially moved this game from their regular home arena, the CareFirst Arena in DC, to CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore. CFG holds 14,000 fans compared to 4,000 fans at CareFirst Arena.
The average price for a ticket to an Indiana Fever game is also down from 137 to 80.
The league is seeing a significant decline in ticket prices after Clark's injury announcement. If she misses more than the projected two weeks, her absence could have long-term financial repercussions for the Fever and the WNBA.