The Dream closed off the upper section of State Farm Arena for Game 1 of their second-round series against the New York Liberty. The franchise cited the short turnaround as a reason for that. Fans were quick to question the move. 

In late August, the Dream announced that they chose State Farm Arena, operated by the NBA's Hawks, over Gateway Center, where the team plays most of its home games. It normally seats about 17,000 for basketball games, but the Dream had to compromise.

"We just decided that with the short turnaround, we would only open the lower bowl and really concentrate on selling those tickets," the spokesperson said. 

Initially aimed to sell out tickets only for the lower bowl accommodations, the Dream sold out about 8,800 tickets, as reported by Front Office Sports' Colin Salao. 

The Dream later opened part of the upper deck for the first two playoff games, drawing 9,700+ fans.

Fans couldn't wrap their heads around the reason cited for not opening the upper deck fully.

Fans question the real reason

The Dream’s decision to curb ticket sales for a playoff series came under heavy criticism from the WNBA fans. A fan called out the management “lazy.”

“Limiting ticket sales? Sounds lazy. WNBA a joke, from the refs to the intern quality salespeople,” the fan wrote on Colin Salao's X post.

However, many fans believed that the short turnaround was just a cover-up for a bigger reason. 

“If the demand was there, the tickets would've sold out in seconds. If the demand was there, they would've opened the upper deck. This is supply and demand. Not not hard to understand,” a fan wrote.

The Hawks preseason game on Monday and Charlie XCX concert on Tuesday both used the upper deck. Fans questioned why the Dream didn't.

“Can we please cut the word salad horseshit? It’s not that deep. If they could’ve sold 17k they would’ve, they didn’t so they curtained off upper deck,” a fan commented.

The Dream had announced their decision to host first- and second-round playoff games at State Farm Arena in late August. The tickets were on sale from September 1. 

Fans noted the August announcement gave the Dream weeks to prepare, hardly a short turnaround.

“They announced it in August. BS. Not buying this for a second,” a fan wrote.

Dream sold out 5 of 6 regular-season games, twice facing Caitlin Clark's Fever and A'ja Wilson's Aces. Once, while playing against the Sky.

Fans noted those crowds came to see visiting teams.

“So they sold out when people came to see their opponents play, got it,” another fan wrote.

Tickets for Game 2 on Wednesday are also limited to the lower section. A similar 9k to 10k attendance is expected.

Written by

Avishek Sarkar