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The Unrivaled three-on-three basketball league drew 21,490 fans at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, which was the highest attendance for any women’s professional basketball regular season game.
Key details:
- Unrivaled also becomes the most attended event ever at Xfinity Mobile Arena
- Previous record for sport had been set by Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) game between the Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics in 2024
- Doubleheader in Philadelphia was Unrivaled’s first set of games outside of home base in Miami
Context:
Having played all of its games in Miami, Unrivaled took the opportunity to take games elsewhere in its second season. Prior to Unrivaled, Philadelphia had not hosted a professional women’s basketball game since 1998. The city is set to welcome a WNBA expansion team in 2030.
Though TV viewership is down on its first year, Unrivaled has now demonstrated itself as a major draw for fans, even in cities that don’t regularly host professional women’s basketball games.
Its success comes as talks between the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) continue over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Several WNBA players, who are competing in Unrivaled, have indicated they would be willing to go on strike if an agreement cannot be reached.
Having completed its stop in Philadelphia, the league is already open to adding more tour dates next season. Touring would open up a new revenue source for Unrivaled, which earned more than US$27 million in income in its inaugural campaign and almost broke even.
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