Six WNBA Teams Move Fever Games to Larger Venues

The Caitlin Clark effect continues to reshape the WNBA, as six teams have now opted to move their games against the Indiana Fever to larger venues. 

Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has already proven to be a game-changer for women’s basketball, drawing national attention and increased ticket demand. Her influence is not only visible on the court but also in the stands, as teams across the league adjust to accommodate the interest in her games.

The Wings are just the latest franchise to take advantage of the heightened demand. They join the Atlanta Dream, who moved a game to State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Hawks. While the Chicago Sky relocated two games to United Center, which is shared by the NBA’s Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks. 

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Additionally, the Dallas Wings announced that their June 27 matchup with the Fever will be relocated from College Park Center to the American Airlines Center, a significantly bigger venue.

The Connecticut Sun will host a Fever matchup at TD Garden, where the NBA’s Boston Celtics play. The Las Vegas Aces transferred one game to T-Mobile Arena, which hosts the NHL’s Golden Knights. The Washington Mystics also moved two games against Indiana to CFG Bank Arena.

This trend isn’t limited to Fever matchups alone. The Mystics and Aces have relocated other high-demand games as well. Washington has shifted one game against both Las Vegas and Chicago to EagleBank Arena, which seats 10,000 fans. Meanwhile, Las Vegas has scheduled two games against the Sky and one against the Minnesota Lynx at T-Mobile Arena.

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This isn’t the first time WNBA teams have experimented with larger venues to accommodate increased interest. Last season, the Dream, Mystics, Sun, and Aces all relocated select games, setting franchise attendance records in the process. The move proved to be a successful one, as data from Across The Timeline showed Washington averaging 6,541 fans per game, while Atlanta averaged 4,743—both exceeding the capacities of their regular home arenas.

Last September, the Mystics and Fever set a new single-game WNBA attendance record when 20,711 fans packed Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., for their matchup. However, with the venue undergoing renovations this summer, no WNBA games will be played there this season.

Notably, the WNBA as a whole has experienced a surge in popularity, with last year’s average attendance climbing to 9,807 fans per game. That figure marks a 48% increase from the previous season, when the league averaged 6,615.