Sports
Report: Caitlin Clark, Fever set WNBA single-game ticket revenue record in loss to Liberty
Caitlin Clark didn’t win on Saturday afternoon, but her outing at the Barclays Center set a new WNBA revenue record.
The New York Liberty earned more than $2 million in ticket revenue for their 91-80 win over the Indiana Fever on Saturday, according to The Associated Press. That’s an all-time record for the league for a single game.
The game was sold out, which means more than 17,000 fans packed in to watch the contest. It was the third sold out game that Clark has played in so far this season, after they sold out their home opener and then played in front of a sold-out crowd in Connecticut for their season opener.
“That’s incredible,” Liberty star Breanna Stewart said about the ticket revenue, via The Associated Press. “I think the buzz and eyes that Caitlin has brought from Iowa now to the WNBA is a collective win for all … When I first started in the league, teams weren’t making revenue … It’s a long time coming. I’m happy to be at this point, but not satisfied.”
Several big names were in attendance for the game, too, including Billie Jean King, Michell Wie West, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.
Clark, who went No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft earlier this month, has been shattering viewership records almost constantly. She set three straight during the Hawkeyes’ run to the national championship game, where they drew more than 18.7 million viewers in their loss to South Carolina. That was the most-watched basketball game at any level, men’s or women’s, since 2019. The WNBA Draft then drew almost 2.5 million viewers, which shattered its previous record of about 600,000.
Then, Clark’s WNBA debut drew about 2.1 million viewers earlier this month — which made it the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN and ABC in history and the most-watched WNBA game anywhere since 2001.
Though the Fever dropped their third straight game on Saturday, Clark had her best game yet. She put up 22 points and had eight assists and six rebounds in Brooklyn while shooting 9-of-17 from the field. She’s now one of just four players to record at least 50 points and 15 assists in their first three career WNBA games, alongside other league greats like Candace Parker, Sue Bird and Nikki McCray.
Clark and the Fever will host the Sun next on Monday night, where they’ll have a chance to pick up their first win of the year. Based on how things have gone so far, expect another sell-out crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
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