Women’s basketball is experiencing an unprecedented hype boom, in no small part because of the 2024 WNBA recruiting class that was led by ubiquitous superstar Iowa University point guard Caitlin Clark.
Clark, who was selected first overall at the WNBA draft earlier this month by the Indiana Fever, is expected to make her professional debut in Arlington this Friday at the Dallas Wings’ game against the Fever. Similar to when soccer GOAT Lionel Messi visited Frisco last year, this is one of those sporting events that transcends typical fandom boundaries.
Here is everything you need to know about the anticipated preseason matchup.
Ticket Sales Are Through the Roof
Shortly after the WNBA draft, tickets sold out for the May 3 game between the Wings and the Fever, where Clark is expected to make her debut. Some tickets are being resold on StubHub, with upper level seats hovering around $100 a pop and lower level seats bidding for as much as $500 each.
The Dallas Wings, who play at UT Arlington’s College Park Center (for now), also announced the team had sold out of season tickets for the 2024 season, a first for the franchise. Individual ticket sales are up 1,170%, Bibb said, and they anticipate selling out more individual games as the season gets underway.
The game will be shown on Bally Sports Southwest Extra, which is sure to see record breaking viewership numbers if the Caitlin Clark trend continues.
Fifth-Overall Draft Pick Jacy Sheldon Could Also Make Her WNBA Debut
Former Ohio State point guard Jacy Sheldon is also expected to play her first WNBA game Friday, although she will be clad in green and blue. Sheldon was the Wings' fifth overall draft pick this year. In five seasons as a Buckeye, Sheldon posted 2,024 career points.
“Dallas, let’s get to work,” Sheldon posted on Instagram shortly after receiving her #24 Wings jersey.
Clocked in & ready to work 🤝 pic.twitter.com/uFEi14ovic
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) April 24, 2024
And It’ll Be A Reunion
Friday’s game will be two months to the day since Clark and Sheldon last faced off. Both women were point leaders for their respective teams during a March 3 matchup in the NCAA tournament between Iowa and Ohio State, in which the Hawkeyes ejected Ohio with a 93-83 win.
That happened to be the game where Clark’s 35 points made her the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader, and she took some heat on social media for a fourth quarter kerfuffle between herself and Sheldon.
“It stinks,” Sheldon said after the loss.
How ‘Bout Them Jersey Sales
Shortly after the WNBA draft, basketball writer Dick Weiss joked on social media that Clark sold more Indiana Fever jerseys in a day than all the Dallas Cowboys did last year. The only thing was, people didn’t realize he was joking.
The stat went viral, and while we wish it was true, it isn’t.
Caitlin Clark sold more Fever jerseys in one day than the Cowboys sold last year for the entire team.
— Dick Weiss (@HoopsWeiss) April 19, 2024
Jersey producer Fanatics confirmed to WFAA that Clark did not outsell the entire Cowboys team, but declined to get specific with numbers. They did, however, say that Clark’s jersey was the top seller for a WNBA draft pick. The WNBA Store is taking preorders for the next batch of Clark jerseys ($99.99) which will be available to ship in August. As in three months from now.
The Dallas Wings Are Coming to Dallas
Starting in 2026, the Wings will move to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium downtown thanks to a 15-year, $19 million deal announced by the Dallas City Council last week. The Wings have played in Arlington since 2016 in a university arena that can fit nearly 7,000. The move to Dallas will offer an additional 3,000 seats. "If we want to continue to grow, we need more seats. We need a bigger building. We need facilities for our athletes to train at the level that they need to train," Bibb told the council.
Bringing another major league team to Dallas has long been the goal of Mayor Eric Johnson, who said the Wings' homecoming unexpectedly aligned with the growing interest in women's sports.
“The Dallas Wings have experienced incredible growth over the past several years in this region already, but the excitement for women’s sports and particularly women’s basketball has never been higher than it is right now,” Johnson said. “We are at an amazing point in sports history, frankly.”
