Caitlin Clark’s popularity is jacking up ticket prices for the women’s NCAA basketball Final Four on Friday, making them even more expensive than the men’s.
The average ticket price sold for the women’s games is $726, slightly higher than the men’s matchups ($710) on Saturday, according to data from secondary ticket website StubHub.
Part of the reason is Clark, the superstar guard who is constantly breaking records for her team, the Iowa Hawkeyes. The 22-year-old, who is the all-time scoring leader in men’s and women’s NCAA Division I history, has sparked a surge in ticket prices that hasn’t fizzled as she nears the end of her college career.
Another reason for the sky-high prices is the disparity in arena sizes: The women are playing in Cleveland, Ohio at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, which has about 20,000 seats. Meanwhile, the men are playing at State Farm Stadium near Phoenix, home of Arizona’s NFL team, which has more than 63,000 seats.
With the women’s tournament having a lot fewer seats, plus the high demand, prices are going to be higher compared to the men’s. The higher average prices for Women’s Final Four games is a continuing trend from last year, according to StubHub.
“Ticket sales for the women’s semifinal has seen the biggest jump in sales for any ticket type among both the men’s and women’s games since Monday, more than doubling sales from last year, showing the continued momentum for women’s basketball,” said Adam Budelli, spokesperson for StubHub.
Since Clark helped secure Iowa’s spot in the Final Four on Monday, sales have surged even more — up 70% — compared to when the men’s Final Four teams were decided on Sunday night — up 48% — both tournaments showing strong growth.
Iowa’s Elite Eight win against LSU, a repeat of last year’s championship game, drew an audience of 12.3 million, according to ESPN, peaking at 16.1 million viewers and setting the all-time ratings record for a women’s college basketball game.
Clark and her top-seeded Hawkeyes play the No. 3 UConn Huskies on Friday at 9:30pm ET. Prior to that, NC State plays against South Carolina at 7:00pm. The men’s Final Four gets underway Saturday night.
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