The WNBA season will start in May, with teams ready to take the floor following the CBA confirmation. The league fast-tracked processes, including the WNBA draft, free agency signings, and even a massive 125-player free agency. For Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever, it will be a massive season opener against the young and challenging Dallas Wings.
The Dallas Wings, with the first pick, added Azzi Fudd to the lineup, while the Fever team added Raven Johnson to the team, who defeated Fudd’s UConn. With Paige Bueckers, Aliyah Boston, and many other stars involved in the game, the season opener proves to be a thriller.
But, uncharacteristically, there has been little response from fans, as a recent report showed a number of empty seats. Fans reacted to the same on social media.
Fans React To ‘Empty’ Season Opener For Caitlin Clark
With four top picks in the game, three of whom already won the Rookie of the Year accolade, the game already has much hype. More than that, both teams made necessary adjustments to their 2025 rosters, ranking them among the top 5 starting lineups in the 2026 season.
Although this should interest fans in ‘jumping’ on the tickets, a recent stat showed that there are still many empty seats at the Gainbridge Arena.
The Fever Are Struggling To Sell Out A Home Opener For The First Time.. Even In The Nosebleeds
— VENOM 😈 (@BlameVenom) April 19, 2026
What Could Be The Reason For This Decline? 👀 pic.twitter.com/yl7G7kW7bh
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Fans speculated reasons for the same as they commented on the post.
A fan wrote, “Last Years Home Opener Allegedly Sold Out In Under An Hour. That Kind Of Discrepancy Is Loud.”
Last Years Home Opener Allegedly Sold Out In Under An Hour..
— VENOM 😈 (@BlameVenom) April 19, 2026
That Kind Of Discrepancy Is Loud
One fan added, “Good! Let them have a taste of their own medicine.”
Good! Let them have a taste of their own medicine
— Italian Rebel (@ItalianMafiasip) April 19, 2026
Another fan mentioned, “We have seen the Caitlin Clark effect in action, now you are seeing the Stefanie White effect…in action!”
Well…we have seen the Caitlin Clark effect in action, now you are seeing the Stefanie White effect…in action!
— Randy Miller (@randy49492) April 19, 2026
A fan commented, “Click on the sections, almost every seat is sold out.”
Click on the sections, almost every seat is sold out.
— Maxx (@MaxxZimonick) April 19, 2026
Another fan said, “Personally I wanna know who is on the final roster.”
Personally I wanna know who is on the final roster. I'm not wasting all my time and money with some bs guard heavy roster and caitlin as a small forward.
— 31 (@wtpineapple31) April 19, 2026
While a few dip in ticket sales with two weeks pending for the season opener should be a worry for the Fever, who enjoyed packed arenas in the last two seasons. But the side does have one concern for the 2026 season, which includes their 2024 rookie.
Indiana Fever Keeping Checks On Caitlin Clark’s Fitness For 2026 Season
Even though the team reached the 2025 semifinals and was five minutes away from the finals without CC, the franchise once again built a team around the star playmaker. Indiana needs better health this season in order to compete for a title, and that starts with their 2024 Rookie of the Year winner.
After the injury, when she was on the floor, the former Iowa star had by far the worst shooting percentages of her professional or collegiate career. Though the player showed great recovery during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, coach Stephanie White also shares insight on Clark’s training camp performance with the Indiana Fever.
The franchise already won the commissioner’s Cup title in the 2025 season and will now aim for the league title.