The success of the Minnesota Lynx seems to come with a price tag for season ticket holders. While the Minnesota fanbase enjoys their team’s success this season, they are also feeling the pinch that comes with this limelight, as they are hit by a nearly 29% hike in season-ticket prices for next season. Fans who once called Lynx tickets a bargain now face a choice: upgrade seats or skip games.

According to a report by the Minnesota Star Tribune by Shelby Swanson, the price of attending Minnesota Lynx games has risen significantly for the upcoming season. Fifteen season-ticket holders for the 2027 season reported that the price has gone up by 28.7%. This rampant increase could be attributed to the growing popularity of the league and players like Olivia Miles.

With the price increase, the Minnesota faithful are feeling hard done by, as some of them indicate that they might be looking to compromise on the seating positions or reallocate savings to adjust to these new prices, per the report.

Swanson noted that the Lynx season tickets “felt like a bargain for decades,” but now, the same cannot be said. According to the report, the price hike translates to an increase in the range of hundreds to thousands of dollars per year. No wonder Lynx’s season-ticket holders are not pleased.

As per the Lynx’s official website, the season tickets start as low as $20 per game for the 2027 season, with the option of being a member for the full season or half season, with a range of hospitality benefits to go with it. But the Swanson report tells a story of a significant increase in prices. The franchise has not won a WNBA title since 2017, but this season, they are the top-ranked team drawing an unprecedented number of eyes, which would explain the hike.

For some fans, this increase was expected, given the team’s recent profile rise, on and off the court. For example, one fan, according to Swanson, harbored an intuition that the prices would rise significantly in the near future. As it turns out, they were right.

This honest admission comes even as Carley Knox, who is the President of Business Operations for the Lynx, said that they reported a record 33% growth in ticket revenue, along with a 15% growth in average attendance. Knox also revealed that Target Center, the Lynx’s home arena, has opened up the upper level of the stadium for every single game played there this season.

The impact of this price hike is more nuanced than it appears on first glance. Teams with smaller arenas, like the Atlanta Dream, usually shift to bigger stadiums for major games, such as Gateway Center Arena in College Park. Gateway Center has a seating capacity of approximately 3,500. A price hike here would perhaps have been more understandable.

But the Lynx have the largest arena in the entire WNBA, with a seating capacity of 19,356, per the Target Center’s official website. So the impact of a price hike here would echo far into the WNBA’s economy. Only time will tell how this changes the ecosystem around the league.

With a 31-8 record, the Lynx have already locked the number one seed. They will now look to focus on the playoffs and will look to avoid last season’s early exit. The Lynx have Olivia Miles leading the charge, a favorite to win the Rookie of the Year for many, and a healthy and fit Napheesa Collier back in the fold.

Miles is the leading playmaker of this team, averaging 19.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game this season. She leads the Lynx in points and assists. Collier, who finished second in the MVP ranking last season, has picked up where she left off and has now averaged 18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, featuring in 11 games this season.

The Lynx will hope that the duo can function in tandem in the postseason, as the Lynx HC reflects on aspects of the team as we approach the international break.

Minnesota Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve Reflects On Injuries And New Ownership As The FIBA Break Approaches

From August 31 to September 16, the WNBA will break for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin, Germany. The Lynx have somewhat of a favorable schedule here, as only Napheesa Collier will be away on international duties with Team USA.

For the rest, it is a vital chance to rest and recover. Especially for Courtney Williams, who suffered a right foot injury during the win against the Washington Mystics last week. HC coach Cheryl Reeve has indicated that her status is being monitored closely.

“We’re going to try to make sure that if she’s on the court Sunday, it’s the right thing,” Reeve said in the media availability after practice on Friday.

“We’ll learn a little bit more tomorrow.”

The Lynx are in a state of flux as the FIBA break approaches, as major ownership of the team is changing hands. Reeve spoke on this as well, expressing optimism about the new ownership dynamics of the Lynx, as the Stad family takes a majority stake.

“The confidence and the resources and the way the teams are going to be supported, that was the biggest message,” Reeve said.

The Stad family previously had a minority stake in the Lynx and has now taken a controlling stake in a deal valued at $4.5 billion, per ESPN. Marc Stad has now become the largest stakeholder in the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx.

For now, coach Reeve and the Minnesota Lynx will focus on resting players and looking forward to their next matchup against the Atlanta Dream on August 30.