Caitlin Clark Breaks Records, Sparks Ticket Sales

Just days after Iowa women’s basketball player Caitlin Clark declared for the WNBA draft, she became the NCAA’s Division I all-time leading scorer – in both women’s and men’s basketball.

Surpassing Pete Maravich, Clark broke the record on Sunday against Ohio State during her final collegiate regular season game. She’ll have more chances to grow her lead during the Big Ten tournament this week and potentially another six games for the NCAA tournament.

There’s no doubt that Clark’s four-year run at Iowa has made a mark on not only women’s basketball, but collegiate sports in general.

Even before Sunday, it was a big week for Clark. She became Fanatics’ top-selling NIL athlete – surpassing Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders – just hours after passing Kelsey Plum’s record as the NCAA women’s basketball all-time leading scorer last week.

On Tuesday, it was announced that she added insurtech company Gainbridge to her long list of partnerships that includes Gatorade, State Farm and Nike, among others.

Ticket Trends

Clark declared for the draft on the last day of February, forgoing a fifth year as a Hawkeye. During the month, as people wondered how many more opportunities they’d be able to see Clark play in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, ticket sales for Iowa women’s home games were 120% higher than they had been previously at an average of more than $280.

Clark has been a driving force in college, and she’s already become one in the WNBA.

The Indiana Fever, who haven’t reached the playoffs since 2016, have the No. 1 pick and are presumed to pick Clark.

“We’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm online and on social media,” Pacers Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Fever, said in a statement to The Associated Press. “The organization has also seen the enthusiasm lead to a spike in ticket inquiries.”

TFL found the average ticket price for the Fever has increased by 140% to more than $129, on average, since the day Clark declared for the draft.

Set for April 15 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Draft hasn’t had fans in attendance since 2016 when four-time NCAA champion Breanna Stewart was selected by the Seattle Storm.

There are still a few chances to see Clark in a Hawkeyes uniform. Her team plays Friday at Target Center in Minneapolis for the Big Ten tournament.

Photo credit: Iowa Women’s Basketball