Caitlin Clark playing Lynx at Target Center is a $1M game

Each seat in the center of the target is complete. Everyone knows why. Kaidlin Clark and Indiana fever came to the city to play Bobcats. Some people may crumble. Yes, it calls people’s memories when Madison Square Garden Marquis is in Madison Square Garden in 1950. \ Geo. McCann against the Knicks.

Caitlin Clark playing Lynx at Target Center is a $1M game

But is this an exaggeration? It has been more than half of this season.

How much eagle gold will we see on Sunday afternoon? Good luck with your ticket purchase.

In the week leading up to the game, Lynx President of Business Operations Carly Knox was excited to wake up every day and see the numbers, look at the reports, see ticket sales almost go through the roof at Target Center. “It’s amazing,” Knox said.

As of Friday afternoon, fewer than 1,000 tickets remained. By game time there will be an expected sellout of 18,978, the biggest regular-season crowd in franchise history. The team drew 19,423 to Game 5 of the 2016 WNBA finals, back before renovation when the arena\’s capacity was a bit bigger. But Sunday will mark the highest-grossing day in Lynx history, with ticket sales topping $1 million for the first time.

“I understand,” Bobcats coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve said. “I was excited about her fans across the country for her. Now it’s just Caitlin, the whole rookie class.

The Clarke effect is well documented. According to a report from SportsCasting.com in mid-June, the average attendance for WNBA games when the Fever is in town is 15,591, while the average attendance for WNBA games when she is out of town is 7,645. In a season that continues to break league records, nine of the ten most watched games involved insanity. The opening game in July in Las Vegas drew 20,366, the fifth-largest crowd in league history and the largest since 1999. Now we want to see it in the Target Center. But we’ve seen it before. If Iowa City was her college home and she now works in Indianapolis, then the Target Center needs to be as close to her home games as possible for Clark, a 6-foot-0 point guard. Ball was selected with the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.

Caitlin Clark playing Lynx at Target Center is a $1M game

Clark’s father, a Des Moines native, often took her up north to watch Bobcats games. Clark’s favorite player growing up was Maya Moore. During Clark’s formative years, the Bobcats won four WNBA championships. “I grew up loving the Minnesota Lynx,” Clark said during his introductory press conference in Indiana. “I probably won’t say that again.”

Of course, the Target Center is also where the Hawkeyes won the last two Big Ten Conference Championships. Do you remember that when the minds invaded the people of Iowa, they waited a few hours to enter the sky?

Clark said: “Last year I won the top ten championship last year is one of the most memorable games in my college career.” Clark could not fill in -to -a -interviews and answer some questions about the upcoming games using e e -pasts. “When I look back, Iowa fans are watching waiting to enter the arena, proving how much our fan base is. It turned out to be one of the best environments we experienced away from Iowa City.

Did all the attention ruffle any feathers for the league’s top rookie?

At least some perceive it that way. They pointed to former longtime star Diana Taurasi talking about Clark’s learning curve since arriving in the WNBA. “Reality sets in,” she said. As the preseason progressed, Reeve made several posts on X, pointing out that there were other teams in the league and criticizing the league for promoting Clark’s debut.

Reeve would not comment on the post or the reaction. But anyone who’s followed Reeves online for a while knows she likes to blame the league for a lot of things. The post was clearly more of a league-wide accolade than a disparagement of Clark. In fact, Reeves said she believes the 12-team WNBA welcomes Clark and the rookie class and whatever they bring to the league from college.

Caitlin Clark playing Lynx at Target Center is a $1M game

Lif said she had never heard of the players’ derogatory words to Clark.

\”I can\’t tell you how many players I\’ve talked to, the way they talk about her,\” Reeve said. \”The smile on their faces. They say, “Damn, she’s great.” it is great. Not just Caitlin, but the entire rookie class.

There is no doubt that interest in the league has risen to a new level. More attention to the games will lead to more lucrative television contracts and therefore higher salaries. Connecting the dots is easy: On May 2, security concerns about Clarke and a fever at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport followed WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s announcement that the league would offer charter flights.

Bobcats guard Kayla McBride was just selected to her fourth All-Star game, making it her 11th season. She spent ten years flying. Do you think she doesn’t like the alliance’s goal? “This whole narrative is weird,” McBride said of the idea that freshmen are hated. “It was never a problem. It was never us versus them. They came in with their personalities, personalities. They came in with more eyes than anyone else. It carries weight. But what we have already been able to do also has weight.\”

That may be the point. Knox spoke this week, and Reeves has consistently said that while this season is a turning point, the movement has begun. Alliance building momentum is already underway. Did Clark, Angel Reese and other first-year players help fuel that momentum?

“It gives us more eyes to see what we’re doing and have accomplished,” McBride said. “That’s the point of all this. This is not us versus the Earth. They, we are against everyone. It’s about continuing to grow the women’s game.

This means there is competition. There are only 144 positions in the WNBA, and every veteran wants to check out every rookie. There may be pushing, physical altercations and talking.

“But as veterans, we’ve always been here,” McBride said. “We understand what it was like when there was no charter. When I started in this league [in San Antonio], we played where the rodeo was. “This new wave is going to change everything for everyone. It will never go back. McBride said she is impressed with how the rookies handle the attention and pressure.

Clarke? She overcame a rocky start to her schedule and became the Rookie of the Year by performing in the hottest limelight.

Sometimes it’s hard. At the beginning of this season, Clark asked people not to use him to guide their causes.

“I’m just trying to give myself as much grace as possible, and I trust my teammates and family, she said. “It’s been a tough start this year because we’ve played so many games in such a short time, but now our teams have had time to get to know each other … and I think everyone is seeing the results since we’ve started winning a lot recently.”

On the court, Clark’s game has steadily improved. She is averaging 16.7 points and is second in the league in assists (7.6) to go along with 5.9 rebounds. She recently recorded the first rookie triple-double in league history.

As Reeves said, her players root for Clark except when they’re playing against him. McBride is one of them, and she is looking forward to the atmosphere on Sunday and hopes that every game will be what she expects.

“We’re just going to play basketball in front of a lot of fans,” she said. \ “And perform. Play a good game. to compete. Sometimes it becomes more important to others. We just want to play.

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