They did not limit tickets. There was not demand for them so they didn’t sell them. This narrative is idiotic.
Not sure why everyone feels the need to bring Angel up every time Clark is mentioned. They have nothing to do with each other. Most people would have no idea who Angel is if not for Caitlin.
And don’t even start with “but she has more followers” 90% of those are bots.
A few entries back,
Volfaninfl2 posted some WNBA attendance figures which, at the time appeared harmless enough. But, numbers can be so cruel; they can make, or literally break you, and this attendance report must have hit a nerve.
Anyhow, here's what I'm seeing:
Last season the Sky averaged 7,000-something fans.
Last season the Fever averaged 4,000-something fans.
Of course, it's relatively early, but:
This season, the Sky are upwards of 8,000 fans. So, more fans. Growth! That's good!
This season, the Fever are upwards of 16,000 fans. So, more fans. Growth. That is also good!
Can we logically extrapolate that Angel Reese is the primary reason for the increase in attendance in Chicago?
And that Miss Clark is the primary reason for such new-found interest, in Indiana?
Are we leaving anything out?
The game is growing in general, but exploding in growth in Indiana ...where Caitlin Clark plays.
The Sky were also around 7,000 in 2022, so a thousand-plus this season, over the past two seasons.
And, in Indiana, the Fever drew 1,700-plus in 2022; then in 2023, 4,000-plus; and now the mind-blowing 16,000-plus. So, let's stipulate that Aliyah Boston, whom appears to be a fantastic player and person, helped jumpstart Indiana's upward trajectory, because the 2023 fever ratioed more than 2-to-one over 2022.
But, however this is spun, the Caitlin Clark effect is, to now at least, undeniable.
There's simply nothing else, or no one else, to reasonably contrast or compare.
Those attendance figures, for Indiana, are staggering!
Meanwhile, there's a disturbing pattern. Whenever somebody, somewhere has the audacity to say something good about Miss Caitlin Clark, without fail, there's a response that suggests ...something? Maybe that Caitlin is receiving uwarrented praise, while Angel Reese is unfairly receiving less praise?
Where this relates to your post,
VolBall09, is that, based on what I've seen - and common sense - I agree with you that the thought of intentionally holding back ticket sales is counterintuitive. It's just bad business logic. And why? So Clark will look better on paper, all the while the team, and in fact, the League as a whole are still in some danger of sinking? Besides, would the sugar daddy - NBA - actually tolerate such a scheme? It just makes no sense.
In full disclosure, I've seen only parts of the WNBA games of either of the two "attractions" - Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark; actually just some highlights, and particularly in Clark's case, several lowlights, all those flops and other antics; some of them, her drama, others the result of poor sportsmanship. Regardless, somebody needs to put this embarrassment to bed, and hurry up with it.
Of course, Clark's behavior does little to help her cause, but, after what happened to our Candace a couple seasons back, and, more recently with A'ja Wilson, it's astounding that this kind of play is still being tolerated. From my limited point-of-view, some of them are behaving like pre-teen brats. Be that as it may, this "teach her a lesson" thing should have, by now, run it's course. My fear, however, is that Clark will continue to fail to see how utterly ridiculous she looks.
If this were a beauty contest, Angel probably wins in a landslide. And that's it. She is a very good basketball player known primarily for her rebounding. Regardless of her good looks, her wardrobe, etc., there's simply little to suggest that she is having a significant, positive effect on attendance. Yes, LSU won a title, and, in so doing they beat Clark and Iowa.
Caitlin's team obviously didn't. In fact, they lost the title game, twice. But Clark carried an average team to two consecutive championship games; the first of which included a semi-final win over South Carolina, the team that had just weeks previous whipped LSU. And, this season, they beat uconn. This two-year Iowa story, to most fans, is much more impressive, but takes nothing away from Angel's accomplishments.