OutKick’s Craig Carton did not hold back on the WNBA during Monday’s “The Craig Carton Show.”
Carton broke down the WNBA Finals scheduling and venue fiasco surrounding the Atlanta Dream. He lit up the WNBA office after State Farm Arena execs booked over potential Finals dates, forcing championship games into a minor-league venue while the league sat on its hands.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated. This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.
THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!
“The WNBA Finals, when it goes to Atlanta for the two or three games that’ll be played in Atlanta, will not be playing in the State Farm Arena,” Carton said.
Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard looks to shoot over New York Liberty guard Marine Fauthoux during the second half of Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
WNBA FINALS: ANGEL REESE HEADLINES CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN AS LEAGUE SEEKS TO DRAW VIEWERS WITHOUT CAITLIN CLARK
“And not just because they can’t sell it out, which they proved last week they can, but because the folks that own and run the arena had to make a decision: Do we save the date months and months and month ago for the possibility that the Dream are going to be playing there, or do we actually use those open dates and sell for events that bring in more people? They chose the latter.”
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) and guard Rhyne Howard (10) react after their team defeated the New York Liberty in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Carton zeroed in on the single most embarrassing detail: the Dream were ousted from their own home floor to make room for a concert by “Sombr.”
ANGEL REESE’S ‘MANIFESTING’ ONE YEAR AGO ACTUALLY WORKED – SHE’S HEADING TO THE WNBA FINALS
Yes, somber without the “e.”
“The first event that’ll be the State Farm Arena instead of the Atlanta basketball game is a performer I’ve never heard of, his name or the band’s name is SOMBR, S-O-M-B-R,” Carton noted.
“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.”
Allisha Gray #15 of the Atlanta Dream and Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries look on during the fourth quarter at Gateway Center Arena on July 29, 2025 in College Park, Georgia. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Two Hawks games and an indie concert shoved a WNBA title run out of its home building. Given that the NBA owns the league, a single phone call could have cleared the floor … proving league suits were completely asleep at the wheel.
“Not only are they not playing in the State Farm Arena, they are playing in Gateway Center Arena,” Carton explained.
“The Gateway Center Arena is a glorified high school gymnasium. Max capacity for a basketball game is 3,500 people. Now I did the research. There are two other arenas within 30 miles of State Farm Arena that fit 10 to 12,000 people.”
JOURNALIST HILARIOUSLY FAILS CLAIMING WNBA’S POPULARITY ISN’T AFFECTED BY CAITLIN CLARK’S PLAYOFF EXIT
Carton added, “My gut is they will sell those games out, whether they give the tickets out for free or actually sell them. It’ll look great. Small high school gymnasium, rabid fans watching the WNBA Finals. But that’s what you get when you ask for that.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Preach to your fans instead of promoting your actual stars, and you get what you pay for … Carton made it clear that the WNBA’s narrative-first obsession tanked their numbers and lost them their home floor.
Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream prepares to shoot a free throw against the Indiana Fever during the second quarter at State Farm Arena on Aug. 16, 2026, in Atlanta, Ga. (Getty Images)
“They want someone other than Caitlin [Clark] or Sophie [Cunningham] to be the face of the league,” Carton argued.
“Last week, only about a half a million people watched the Atlanta Dream play in their series against, I think it was the New York Liberty, right? Half a million watched; nobody cares. Why is it that nobody cares? Because the most popular players aren’t in it.”
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals tips off Saturday, Oct. 17.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela