Unrivaled is no stranger to new ideas, but taking the show on the road was one of their more intriguing sophomore season initiatives. Philadelphia, one of the most sports-crazed cities in the United States, was a safe first choice for their destination double-header.
And the Philly is Unrivaled turnout was nothing short of amazing.
A sold-out crowd of 21,490 fans packed Xfinity Mobile Arena, shattering the record for most-attended
women’s basketball game of all time. The game also set the attendance record for Xfinity Mobile Arena itself, which was last set in Michael Jordan’s final game in Philadelphia in 1998. That’s no easy competition!
Fans got to witness a third record that night, as well. Marina Mabrey, a South Jersey native, hit 10 threes on her way to 47 points for Lunar Owls. That’s the new single game scoring record in Unrivaled. With nothing to dampen the first away trip for the country’s hottest new league, the door is open for future cities to host their own Unrivaled stint—something Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier has already hinted at.
So, which cities should be next in line?
Houston
Looking at the former (and maybe future?) WNBA cities with no current team, it’s hard not to put Houston at the front of the line for an Unrivaled weekend.
The Comets, an original WNBA franchise that debuted in 1997 and folded in 2008, are still tied for most WNBA championships, despite being disbanded for nearly 20 years. They struggled with attendance in their waning seasons, especially when the team moved to Reliant Arena from the Toyota Center in 2008.
Stripped of their WNBA team and forced to rely on the painfully mediocre (and right now outright bad) Houston women’s basketball program, it’s hard to say that the market has been truly tested. But with almost 8 million people, Houston is the fifth-largest metro area in the US. It’s hard to believe that a return to Houston wouldn’t be good for women’s basketball as a whole. The Toyota Center only seats 18,000 for basketball games, so no attendance records would be broken, but Unrivaled might be the women’s basketball stimulus that H-Town needs.
Boston
The WNBA has held games in Boston in each of the past two seasons, capitalizing on New England fandom-overlap for the Connecticut Sun. Both games sold out, drawing in over 19,000 fans to TD Garden on each occasion.
The market has been tested, and it’s easy to see why such a fanatical and progressive city would die for their own Unrivaled games. Ironically, Beantown joins Houston as the two cities continuously referenced in hypothetical moves for the Sun. Whether or not they’re on the short list for their own pro team, Boston deserves a night of Unrivaled.
Paris & Melbourne
One of the biggest storylines of Philly is Unrivaled was the league’s Philly natives: Natasha Cloud and Kahleah Copper. Cloud and Copper carry their hometown pride with them wherever they go, and they were featured prominently throughout the broadcast.
If player connections are factored into future locations, and thinking about the potential of an overseas expedition (without worrying about the overwhelming logistical nightmare), Paris and Melbourne would be games to remember.
France has been well-documented as the fastest-growing basketball culture over the past five or so years. Women’s basketball has been no exception, with names like Dominique Malonga and Leïla Lacan leading the charge amongst the Parisian youth. While Malonga is the only current French player in Unrivaled, the country has seen enough success in women’s basketball to pick up what Unrivaled is putting down. After the most recent Olympic final, which came down to Gabby Williams’ foot being on the line on her potential game-tying 3-point shot at the buzzer, the French-American connection should be hungry for more. Malonga’s return to her home country would undoubtedly be enough of a storyline to fill seats.
Melbourne fits a similar bill. Ezi Magbegor, Rebecca Allen and Alanna Smith form Unrivaled’s Australian contingent, and each grew up in Melbourne (although none were born there, ironically). Australia has been home to some of the best international women’s hoopers, and has proven itself as a legitimate arm in the global basketball ecosystem. While WNBL games only average a little over 2,000 fans per game, the spectacle of Unrivaled, in tandem with the return of some of the country’s greatest athletes, should build quick excitement.
If Unrivaled really wants to continue to shock the world, international games should be seriously considered.
