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Caitlin Clark, high demand cause Iowa to pause season ticket sales

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•04/07/23
Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes guard
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark and her teammates celebrate a win that allowed them to advance to the NCAA Final Four on March 26, 2023. (C. Morgan Engel / Getty Images)

If you build it, they will come. Iowa is taking a page out of Field of Dreams courtesy of one Caitlin Clark, the superstar women’s basketball player that helped guide the Hawkeyes to the national championship game over the last month.

And they are coming.

According to a report from The Des Moines Register, Iowa has had to pause season ticket sales after receiving 6,700 new requests following the national championship game.

The Register notes that last season the base for the program was 6,500 tickets.

But Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena has a listed capacity just north of 15,000. The women were a big draw last season, averaging 11,143 fans per game as Clark and her teammates proved one of the Big Ten’s best.

Iowa could be in for a nice windfall as a result of the renewed interest.

On top of the run to the national championship game, Caitlin Clark became a central figure in the aftermath of the game when LSU star Angel Reese very publicly got in Clark’s face using a John Cena-like hand wave gesture that Clark had previously debuted.

Reese also repeatedly pointed to her ring finger at Clark in the waning moments of the game.

Those taunting incidents from Reese sparked a national discussion about the sportsmanship of such a move and whether it was appropriate, with many rising to defend Clark in the back-and-forth debate.

Caitlin Clark, for her part, was nonplussed and said she didn’t care about the celebration.

“I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all,” Clark said.

“No matter which way it goes, she should never be criticized for what she did. I’m just one that competes and she competed. I think everybody knew there was going to be a little trash talking the entire tournament. It’s not just me and Angel. So I don’t think she should be criticized, like I said. LSU deserves it. They played so well. Like I said, I’m a big fan of hers.”

But the interest will certainly please Iowa.

As a report from Front Office Sports notes, Iowa’s season ticket package last year for women’s hoops ran $125 for adults, $90 for senior citizens and $30 for youths aged 18 and under.

Given the volume of requests, Iowa may up those prices. The university has not yet set pricing for the 2023-24 season.