A few ticket brokers hoping to make a quick buck off of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s name got themselves severely burned.
Clark made her WNBA home debut Thursday against the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
The positive effect Clark has had on WNBA ticket sales across the league has been very real.
But some scalpers may have overestimated Clark’s drawing power — particularly in her home arena. The entire upper balcony for the Fever’s home opener was said to have sold out in a matter of minutes.
However, tickets from the upper deck were seen selling for as low as $4 on the secondary market just hours before tipoff.
Brokers got absolutely wrecked by buying up the upper deck on Caitlin Clark’s home opener.
This is the current get-in — INCLUDING FEES. pic.twitter.com/OUGaUM5gcE
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 16, 2024
Tickets for Clark’s WNBA debut against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday sold for exponentially higher prices. Ticket brokers may have mistakenly expected a similar amount of interest for Clark’s home debut.
Caitlin Clark is making her WNBA debut tonight against the Connecticut Sun.
The game is completely sold out — the Sun's first sell-out in 20+ years.
The game will also be on ESPN2 and the cheapest ticket is 6x more expensive than the Sun's next home game — $110 vs. $17.
Crazy! pic.twitter.com/0iQ2cXkp8R
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 14, 2024
There may be a few reasons for the ticket price disparity. One is that tickets for a player’s first-ever game eventually turn into valuable memorabilia. Preserved tickets from LeBron James’ NBA debut against the Sacramento Kings in October 2003 sell for thousands of dollars on eBay. The tickets for Clark’s WNBA debut may pay for themselves down the line if she lives up to the hype.
Another reason is that fans on the road only get a few chances to watch Clark in person. Fever supporters, on the other hand, get 18 regular season home games to catch Clark swishing threes in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
