Tsunami: tickets for the mysterious game of Caitlin Clark as well as a terrible whirlwind
The Washington Mystics’ June 7 game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever at Capital One Arena sold out its first run of tickets in under three hours after they went on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The Mystics had already moved the highly-anticipated matchup from their usual arena — Southeast’s 4,200-seat Entertainment and Sports Arena — to the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena downtown. The Mystics didn’t say how many seats sold Tuesday, but confirmed that more tickets would be made available in coming weeks.
Teams around the WNBA are adjusting to the increased demand that accompanies Clark — college basketball’s all-time leading scorer — and the highly-touted draft class entering the league alongside the Iowa star.
This year’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament shattered viewership records and interest in the sport has continued as the WNBA season approaches.
“Demand this season has really been unprecedented,” Alycen McAuley, the Mystics’ chief business officer, told WTOP. “The interest, especially after [the] draft, has really been extraordinary. I think we’re seeing double-digit interest increases for us right now.”
This year’s draft was the most-watched for the WNBA since 2004. More than 2.4 million viewers tuned in to see where Clark and fellow rookies Angel Reese and Cameron Brink would begin their professional careers.
Unsurprisingly, interest in Fever games skyrocketed after the team selected Clark with the No. 1 pick. Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes sold out every away game in her final collegiate season, bringing flocks of basketball fans to college campuses around the country.
