On Monday's episode of "The Craig Carton Show," host Craig Carton addressed the scheduling and venue issues surrounding the WNBA Finals, particularly affecting the Atlanta Dream. He criticized the WNBA office for allowing State Farm Arena executives to book events over the finals dates, which has resulted in the championship games being moved to a smaller venue.
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Carton stated, "The WNBA Finals, when it goes to Atlanta for the two or three games that'll be played there, will not be in State Farm Arena." He noted that the arena opted to prioritize other events instead of reserving dates for the Dream's potential games. Carton pointed out that the arena had a choice between saving dates for the finals or maximizing revenue with other events, and they chose the latter.
He highlighted a particularly embarrassing detail: the Dream are being displaced for a concert by an act named "SOMBR." Carton remarked, "Raise your hand if you've heard of SOMBR. I haven't. SOMBR averages about 10 to 12,000 people per concert, which is awesome. So congratulations to SOMBR. That still means the arena is gonna be empty, but it'll have a few more people than it would have had if the Atlanta Dream were playing."
Carton further criticized the situation by explaining that the finals will take place at Gateway Center Arena, which has a maximum basketball capacity of only 3,500 people. He noted that larger venues exist within 30 miles that could accommodate more fans.
Drawing attention to the WNBA's focus on narratives over star players, Carton argued that this approach has negatively impacted viewer interest and attendance. He remarked, "They want someone other than Caitlin [Clark] or Sophie [Cunningham] to be the face of the league," referencing a recent matchup that garnered only about half a million viewers.
The WNBA Finals are set to begin on Saturday, October 17.