Amid record audiences and surging ticket prices, Caitlin Clark brings ‘more visibility’ to women’s basketball

At the start of her college basketball career, right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Caitlin Clark grew accustomed to playing at empty venues.

At the start of her college basketball career, right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, Caitlin Clark grew accustomed to playing at empty venues. Back then, thousands of cardboard cutouts were brought in to fill the spare seats in stadiums during March Madness, including an oversized image of Clark’s dog, Bella. What a difference three years makes. Now, the superstar guard is playing in front of sold-out arenas at this year’s women’s NCAA tournament, and ticket prices have surged ever since her Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the LSU Tigers to book a spot in the Final Four. On Wednesday, the average listing price for the all-day session of the women’s Final Four in Cleveland was more than $2,650, according to TicketIQ, with the get-in price listed at $901. The most expensive ticket for Friday’s games is more than $11,100 and the cheapest tickets jumped 118% after Iowa beat LSU, though the high demand is partly driven by Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse having a capacity of 19,500. “Caitlin Clark is someone that has definitely made such a great impact on our game,” NC State head coach Wes Moore said on Tuesday. “I bet ticket prices for the Final Four doubled last night. If you had some at face value, they might be a lot more valuable.”