WNBA Sponsors Piling In

TV viewership and attendance soar as 25 brands set up shop at All-Star weekend

- 

INDIANAPOLIS — An onslaught of brands has descended on Indianapolis to take advantage of the WNBA's growing popularity, with new sponsors setting up shop for the 2025 All-Star weekend to meet a crush of fans.

TV viewership and attendance have soared across the Women's National Basketball Association in recent years, buoyed by rising stars like the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese.

Fans waited more than two hours on July 18 for a meet-and-greet with the first overall draft pick Paige Bueckers at a booth by sponsor DoorDash at WNBA Live, an event where 25 brands hoped to capture fans' attention and dollars.

"It's about time, it's amazing," said Gabby Mendoza, 37, a fan since the league was launched in 1997. "Probably the backing of the brands coming through is probably what's helping the exposure."

The sprawling ticketed event at the Indiana Convention Centre was a far cry from the inaugural WNBA Live in 2022, when only a handful of vendors were to be found, according to fans who spoke to Reuters.