Los Angeles Arena Taking Drastic Measures for Caitlin Clark’s First Game Against Sparks

When Caitlin Clark comes to town, you have to be prepared.

That’s been the overarching theme in the first month of her WNBA career.

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Clark, who was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft in April, is single-handedly changing the sport. Since her arrival, popularity has skyrocketed across the league, and that’s been demonstrated in jersey sales, viewership, and even how the teams travel and practice.

Opposing teams have also prepared for her arrival by moving to stadiums with larger capacities, and that will be on display Friday night in Los Angeles.

The Indiana Fever are heading to the City of Angels Friday night to take on the Sparks, who play their home games at Crypto.com Arena. The Sparks’ first two games of the season were at Walter Pyramid at Long Beach State, but their remaining home games are set for the venue they share with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, starting with Friday night’s showdown.

That’s not the whole of the “Caitlin Clark effect.”

Fans attending Sparks games at Crypto.com Arena usually only have the option of buying tickets in the stadium’s lower bowl. Friday night, things will be different.

The Sparks have long been planning for Clark’s arrival, and are doing something they rarely do for a home game, opening both the 200 and 300 levels — an unprecedented move for a normal regular season game. The 300 levels are usually only open once a year for the Sparks’ annual Kids Day Game, a special themed-game. On Friday night, however, the seats will be open for the Sparks’ fourth game of the season.

The Sparks are opening around half of the 300 level seats, so capacity for the game will be somewhere around 15,000. And a team source told Newsweek Sports that the Sparks are expecting a sellout crowd, or at least close it. The Sparks will be opening doors much earlier than usual, at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time, to allow ample time for fans to get in their seats ahead of the 7 p.m. tip-off.

Tickets for Friday night’s game remain available on the Sparks’ website, with the least expensive seats selling for $45 in the 300-level. For reference, tickets for the Sparks’ next home game on Sunday night can be purchased for as little as $5 on the team’s website — and that’s with the 200 and 300 levels being closed off.

The Sparks are opening the 200 level two more times this season when the Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky come to town. The 300 level, however, won’t be open again until their Kids Day Game.

That’s just the Clark effect.