Legendary ESPN anchor Linda Cohen has been singing the prizes of Caitlin Clark and bashing the WNBA, its leadership and players for not bowing down to “The Caitlin Clark Effect,” which has led to an explosion of brand visibility and financial gain for the league.
Angel Reese is the person Clark fans targeted to be considered an archenemy of their golden goose, often making comparisons between the two to show how superior Caitlin Clark is offensively as a player. Also discounting Reese’s enormous impact on helping the game grow.
Linda Cohen Says “Angel Reese Effect” Can’t Match “Caitlin Clark Effect”
Now that Angel Reese has elevated to her first WNBA Finals, people such as Cohen are still moving the goal posts and trying to find a way to discredit Reese’s accomplishments, while keeping Clark at the head of the conversation table. Cohen took to X to post a video of her opinion over all of the hoopla surrounding Reese driving WNBA finals ticket sales:
“Reese, we all know, has become one of the biggest names in the WNBA. She’s helping to bring attention to the Atlanta Dream, who have other outstanding players. She hasn’t done this alone,” Cohen said.
“But here’s where I think the conversation is getting ahead of itself. People are already trying to compare the ‘Angel Reese effect’ with the ‘Caitlin Clark effect.’ And my question is based on what exactly? A few ticket listings?” she asked.
“Caitlin Clark’s impact on women’s basketball has been extraordinary,” Cohen declared. “It’s well documented we have seen the crowds, the TV ratings, the national attention. The merchandise interest and the way her presence has changed the business conversation around the league. Now that’s not a knock on Angel Reese, it’s simply recognizing what Clark has accomplished. You can’t ignore it, and Angel Reese has her own following and impact on the sport.
Cohen claims that a better representation of Clark’s ability to drive ticket sales compared to Reese’s impact is across the 44 regular season games.
“But if we are going to make comparisons on who’s driving ticket sales, then, let’s compare actual ticket sales,” the former ESPN anchor continued. “Let’s compare attendance. Let’s measure consistent demand over an entire season, not just a couple of finals games. And let’s recognize the WNBA Finals is a major event in its own right.”
Not to burst Cohen’s bubble, but the WNBA set a record-breaking milestone for attendance and ticket sales during its 30th season in 2026, drawing 3.8 million fans across 330 regular season games. And according to the stats, the Fever (16,426) trailed the New York Liberty (16,543) and Golden State Valkyries (18,064) in average home attendance. There’s no debating Clark is the major draw in the league, but there’s also a disconnect between how many fans she’s directly driving to the arenas. And there’s no way to actually quantify that. Cohen used that same skepticism to discount reports of Reese’s high impact on ratings and ticket sales.
“If Atlanta sells 17,000 tickets (at State Farm Arena) that’s terrific, but it doesn’t mean every one of those people brought those tickets solely because of Angel Reese,” Cohen reasoned. “They also went to see the Dream as a team compete for their first championship. Also Ryan Howard, Jordin Canada and Allisha Gray and a team that’s given Atlanta something to celebrate.”
Reports Say WNBA Finals Ticket Sales Skyrocketing Because Of Angel Reese
Reese has gotten much of the credit for the Atlanta Dream’s first WNBA Finals appearance and an increase in ticket sales and popularity for the franchise.
Regular season ticket demand for the “Atlanta Dream rose by 200% with Angel Reese on the roster,” according to Yahoo! Sports.
According to Legions Hoops on X, “Angel Reese’s first home game of the Finals is the most expensive WNBA Finals on record at @TickPick. Game 3’s average purchase price is $494 (!!!) with the cheapest ticket going for $201.”
Indiana Fever Fans Strike Back Against “Angel Reese” Effect
Indiana Fever fans are questioning the accuracy of those numbers, and while they agree with Cohen on most things, they don’t think the entire State Farm Arena will be packed for Games 3 and 4.
“The difference is the playmaker that CC brings. The logo 3s are cool but it’s the unbelievable passing, playmaking and shooting that’s driving the hype. CC is the women’s Steph Curry. Just interesting,” one netizen said on X.
“This kinda sad to see from Linda lol nobody in the world even try to debate what Clark bring to the game the problem be Clark fans like you want to take credit from who Angel Reese is and Reese fans don’t even care about a popularity contest like this,” another fan quipped in response to Cohen’s video.
Many are also insisting that Clark would draw much bigger numbers than Reese if her team was playing.
“She has already proven herself. Caitlin fans like yourself are more focused on attendance and viewership numbers than actual real basketball,” one user pushed back against Fever fans discrediting Reese’s impact.
“ITS LIKE YOU CAITLIN CLARK FANS JUST CANT STFU,” another frustrated WNBA fan commented in caps.
Proof of the “Angel Reese Effect” will begin today when tickets go on sale to the general public for Games 2 and 4 of the WNBA Finals. Also watch the resale ticket prices leading up to the games next week.
