WNBA analyst doesn't buy Dream owner's explanation for upgrading Caitlin Clark & Indiana Fever's season opener to larger venue

WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita cast doubt on Atlanta Dreams owner Larry Gottesdiener's explanation for moving the team's season opener from Gateway Center Arena to State Farm Arena, where the Atlanta Hawks play their home games. The first game of the season will be against the Indiana Fever team, which attracted over 17,000 fans to the arena last season.

Gottesdiener explained that the Dream made the decision based on a scheduling conflict. This explanation didn't sit well with many who questioned the real reasons behind this move.

DeMita shared her thoughts on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday with a short message.

"the way I just.... 'scheduling conflict' okay sir," the analyst tweeted.

The Indiana Fever played twice in Atlanta as part of their regular season series. Indiana won both games at the State Farm Arena and went on to sweep the series 4-0.

On June 21, the Fever secured a commanding 91-79 win over the Dream, with Caitlin Clark scoring 16 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing seven assists in front of 17.575 fans.

The second matchup was close, but the Fever snuck an 84-79 victory. Clark finished the game with 19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block, that time going off in front of a crowd of 17,608 fans.

The Atlanta Dream have their own reasons to celebrate the start of a new season. They signed Brittney Griner, Brionna Jones, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to improve their performance in the 2024 season (first-round elimination vs. New York Liberty).

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WNBA fans trolled Atlanta Dream over changing arena for Caitlin Clark's Fever game

WNBA fans mocked Atlanta's decision to move this game to a different arena. They joked on X (formerly Twitter) about the Caitlin Clark effect on this matchup.

"You moved it cause of the other team, LOL. CC fans everywhere," one fan said.

"Motion detected. That CC Effect is the real deal," another fan said.

"The other teams don't want to acknowledge the singular impact Clark is having on WNBA growth, to a level that is often somewhere between disrespectful & delusional. But when it comes time to bring in the $$$, suddenly these same folks want every $ Clark's fans can spend," another fan said.

Others trolled the Dream's owner for making excuses over this change.

"This can't be real 🤣. How embarrassing," one fan said.

"Caitlin is coming to town! be grateful!" another fan said.

The Fever vs. Dream game will tip off on Thursday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET.