POV: Indiana Fever ticket prices following Caitlin Clark’s injury
Indiana Fever ticket prices nosedived after Caitlin Clark was sidelined with a quad strain, with some resale prices dropping over 80%. As the WNBA's biggest draw, Clark’s absence could have league-wide economic ripple effects—unless she returns quickly.
The Indiana Fever announced Monday that star guard Caitlin Clark would miss at least two weeks due to a quad strain. And, similar to your friends in the example used by moms everywhere in response to “but everyone’s doing it”, the team’s ticket prices subsequently jumped off a cliff.
Since the announcement:
- The get-in price for yesterday’s matchup against the Washington Mystics at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore fell 83% (as of gametime) to reach $7, according to TickPick.
- Get-in tickets for the Fever’s June 7 game against the Chicago Sky at the United Center are down 74%, from $86 to $22.
- Overall, the average purchase price for the five Fever games until June 10—including two Indiana home dates—is down 42%.
The team and WNBA aren’t yet sweating it, however, since prices from the injury window-onward are still holding strong. The cheapest ticket for the first game Clark might be available to return is $147, while the Fever’s next four road games after that all have get-in prices of $100+.
But if she’s out longer than two weeks…
The league may start to feel some pain, given the very real and measurable Caitlin Clark Effect.
- CC was responsible for 26.5% of all WNBA revenue last year, according to an estimate from a financial expert at Indiana University Columbus that accounted for ticket sales, merch, and TV ratings.
- This year, with the expanded schedule, she’s projected to have an economic impact of ~$875M. And was off to a good start, with the season-opening showdown between the Fever and Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky turning in the most-watched WNBA regular season game in 25 years.
But…While the uplift provided by Clark may be stronger than that of a day-drinking bathroom Adderall bump, she’s not the only reason fans are paying attention. Six teams recorded an average attendance of 10,000+/game in 2024, something that hadn’t been done since 1998, the WNBA’s second season—while this year’s pro debut of #1-draft pick Paige Bueckers saw a TV viewership increase of 121% over 2024’s comparable matchup.
Looking ahead: The WNBA last year signed an 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal that’s slated to kick off in 2026. But a battle over this increased media moolah is brewing. The players union opted out of its collective bargaining agreement with the league last October, and will spend the upcoming months negotiating a new deal that could translate to higher pay. The WNBA has a current salary cap of ~$1.5M, translating into average player salaries of ~$100k/year.
