Featured image credit: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is taking its All-Star event to Indianapolis for the first time, with the home town Indiana Fever at the forefront of a huge rise in fan engagement for the league.
All-Star 2025 will take place on July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Fever. In addition to All-Star Game, players will showcase their skills in the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge on July 18. Fans also will be able to enjoy the fourth year of WNBA Live, a two-day event combining sport, fashion, music and culture.
ABC’s broadcast of the 2024 All-Star Game, played in front of a sold-out crowd of 16,407 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, delivered 3.44 million viewers, making it the most-watched All-Star Game. In addition, WNBA Live, held at the Phoenix Convention Center, included activations from a record 24 corporate partners, up from nine in 2022 and 13 in 2023, as well as an increase in the number of those attending the fan activations of 21% over 2023.
WNBA commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, said: “The city of Indianapolis and the entire state of Indiana have such an incredible and enduring passion for the game of basketball, making the region the perfect host to celebrate the WNBA and the game’s greatest stars.”
The Fever have seen a surge in interest on the back of the team featuring players such as 2024 No. 1 draft pick Caitlin Clark and 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston. On Wednesday, the Fever outlined how it is experiencing significant growth across several business metrics, including leading the WNBA in attendance for both home and away games so far this season.
Eight of the team’s 11 home games this season have been sellouts, and the team maximised its season ticket sales for the 2024 season. In all, more than 186,000 fans have attended a home game so far in 2024, the most in franchise history and already a 265% jump from last season.
The enthusiasm has carried over to road games, as well, with more than 230,000 fans attending Fever games in opposing arenas and multiple road games moving to larger venues to accommodate the big crowds.
“We are in the middle of a pivotal, transformational moment in the history of the WNBA and women’s basketball, and we are thrilled Indiana will be the centre of it all with the game’s biggest stars on display during next season’s All-Star Game,” said Mel Raines, CEO of the Fever’s ownership group, Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
“Leaders across our community are going to do what we do best: welcome fans from around the nation and the globe to Indiana, raise the bar for future host cities, and leave a lasting legacy for our city and state.”
This year’s NBA All-Star Game also took place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on February 18.
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