Ticket resale values for the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis went into freefall after hometown superstar and fanvote leader Caitlin Clark confirmed she would not suit up because of a groin injury.
Listings that had been tripledigit hot commodities earlier in the week abruptly softened, with the low (“get-in”) price sliding into the mid$60s range, a roughly 48% drop that rippled across major secondary platforms within hours of her announcement.
Before the downturn, this year’s All-Star had been tracking toward the most expensive in league history.
TickPick data showed an average purchase price of $262 and a getin around $121 midweek, both record highs for the event and a massive jump over recent seasons (up ~84% from 2024 Phoenix and far above 2023 Las Vegas).
Those lofty numbers held even as Clark‘s injury status was uncertain, illustrating just how much speculative demand her presence generates.
Once Clark made it official that she’d miss both the All-Star Game and the Starry 3-Point Contest, resale markets recalibrated fast. TickPick’s floor price plunged to roughly $64-$65, and StubHub likewise showed entry numbers in the mid$60s in the final runup to tip.
That ~48% haircut is unusually steep for a lastminute adjustment and tracks closely with similar drops previously observed when Clark was unavailable.
Economic whiplash on the resale market
This is not the first time the “Clark effect” has shown up in ticket economics.
In late May, when the Indiana Fever announced Clark would miss a stretch with a quadriceps strain, resale prices for certain Fever road games cratered, down 47% for a Washington date moved to a larger arena and an even steeper 71% slide for a high demand game in Chicago.
That history helps explain why All-Star sellers rushed to reprice when her latest injury ruled her out.
Indianapolis had every reason to expect a windfall. The league and local organizers built a weekend festival around Clark‘s star turn on her home court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and event packages through WNBA Experiences sold out in advance.
Axios reported that the building sold out within hours when seats were first released, reflecting the outsized pull Clark wields in markets newly energized around women’s basketball.
Clark‘s injury timeline added drama. She tweaked a lingering groin issue during the Fever‘s July 15 win over the Connecticut Sun and subsequently sat out, leading to escalating questions about her All-Star availability.
Reporting through the week documented her evaluation process; by July 17, she told fans she had to rest and would not participate in oncourt events, shifting her role to a sideline presence.
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