For the first time in nearly three decades, professional women’s basketball returned to Philadelphia. On Friday night, fans packed into Xfinity Mobile Arena, typically home to the Philadelphia 76ers, for Unrivaled’s first ever game on the road.
Founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, the league typically calls Miami home. But for one night, Unrivaled brought four of its clubs north for two matchups: Breeze vs. Phantom and Rose vs. Lunar Owls.
Dubbed Philly Is Unrivaled, the event completely sold out, setting the all-time attendance record for a regular-season professional women’s basketball game and marking the largest event ever held at the arena.
But the night felt bigger than a record. From the moment doors opened, it was clear this was a city responding to an opportunity it had been waiting a long time for.
Philadelphia wasn’t a random stop for Unrivaled’s first out of town matchup. The city hasn’t had a women’s professional basketball team since the Philadelphia Rage last played in 1998, leaving nearly three decades of absence in a place defined by its basketball culture. For fans, the opportunity to show up for women’s pro basketball at this scale felt long overdue.
Philadelphia has been quietly building momentum around women’s sports. The Philadelphia Sisters, led in part by comedian Wanda Sykes’ and her wife, Alex Niedbalski-Sykes, have been campaigning for increased visibility, investment, and opportunity in women’s basketball in the city since 2019.
Their efforts, alongside broader community support, helped position the city as an ideal partner for Unrivaled’s first tour stop. The group also played a key role in bringing the WNBA back to the city, with an expansion team set to arrive in 2030. Both Wanda and Alex were in attendance Friday night, along with additional celebrity supporters — from Robin Roberts to Leslie Jones.
Add in the presence of hometown stars like Kahleah Copper and Natasha Cloud, who took the court during the series, and the choice felt less like a test market and more like a homecoming. Both players expressed excitement about the very rare opportunity to play professionally at home, in front of their friends and family, in an arena they grew up watching games at.
I’ll admit, I committed to making the trip up to Philly and booked my hotel before I had even had a ticket. I was having such a fun time watching the games on television, and I wanted to be able to experience it in person.
When the game sold out and resale prices surged, it felt like a long shot. But instead of being shut out, a fellow fan offered to sell me her ticket at face value a few weeks before the game — a small gesture that set the tone for the entire weekend, because before I even walked into the arena, the community was already showing up.
It quickly became clear that I wasn’t the only one who had gone out of my way to be there. Based on the cheers, the crowd definitely was filled with Philly natives, but plenty of fans had traveled in from near and far — some even flying in so they wouldn’t miss the night.
For some, showing up to the game was a special community experience. That sense of togetherness was especially visible through groups like Women’s Sports Rally, which organizes social events, watch parties and group outings for women sports fans, primarily in New York City.
The Unrivaled Philly weekend marked a first for the group: their first event outside the New York–New Jersey area, and their first full travel weekend built around a women’s basketball game.
“Having a full travel weekend together created opportunities for us to connect as a community in more ways outside the live game experience,” Caroline FitzGerald, founder of Women’s Sports Rally said. “During the Philly Unrivaled weekend we had time together on the train, on our private bus, at brunch, and at the various social events throughout the weekend. We’re all about building fan friendships, so for us, the more opportunities to connect, the better.”
The group also used the weekend to support local businesses near their hotel, partnering with women-, queer-, and POC-owned spots in the area.
“Our fan community loves to express our values through what we support,” FitzGerald added. “It felt great to be able to do that as part of this trip.”
Once inside the arena, it didn’t take long to tell who the crowd had come for. Philly showed up loudly for its hometown stars, but the jerseys and merch I kept clocking most often belonged to Breeze and Rose — two teams whose rosters span both rising stars and established veterans.
All night, two fans held a massive Paige Bueckers flag above their heads, never lowering. By the end of the second game, they were crowned “Most Unrivaled,” which just felt so right.
That passion mirrored what I was seeing everywhere, with fans finding different ways to show up creatively.
Brooke, another fan of Bueckers, spent three days crocheting a custom jersey for the star and was actually able to gift it to her on the court.
“It meant everything to give Paige the jersey I made for her,” Brooke said. “It was a historical night for women’s sports and the vibes were incredible. To be able to go down on the court, speak with Paige and gift her the jersey was something so special and a moment I will cherish forever.”
For others, fandom showed up through personal style. Amari, a longtime women’s basketball fan, spent time carefully planning her outfit for the night — ultimately landing on a Rose look that reflected her loyalty.
“As a fan of women’s basketball, it was amazing to be in a full stadium of women’s basketball lovers,” she said. “Choosing a fit was so hard, but as an Aces and Mystics fan, I’m a Rose girly, so I had to do a dedicated Rose fit.”
And if fans didn’t arrive in their team’s colors, they quickly found a way to fix that. Merch lines wrapped around corners throughout the arena, with some fans waiting for hours — even missing portions of the game — just to get to the front. Many said it was worth it, as there were items exclusive to the city and they were selling out rapidly in the building.
At one point, I looked around and realized I was surrounded almost entirely by women. It truly created a sense of ease I don’t always feel in sports spaces, and I just had an overall feeling to be grateful to be in a place that felt genuinely open.
One of the reasons I believe Unrivaled is succeeding so well, is simply how clearly this space was intentionally designed with women — and women’s fandom — at the center.
That showed up right away when players made their entrances. Instead of running out from the court, they walked through the stands, passing fans in the lower bowl sections and stopping for high fives on their way to the floor. It caught people off guard, and fans online shared their excitement upon realizing how close they were to the players in the spin on a typical game entrance.
That focus carried on throughout the night. Between games, the arena felt busy and alive. There were the usual in-game activities you’d expect at an indoor sporting event, like trivia contests, shooting challenges, and dance-offs. But one brand activation definitely won the night.
Sephora’s presence stood out in particular — gift cards parachuted into the crowd, a branded “Sephora Tunnel” doubled as a pregame runway for player outfits, and fans lined up along a Sephora carpet outfitted with Unrivaled backdrops in the concourse to take photos. It was hard not to notice how naturally a women’s beauty brand fit into the night, especially for a league whose audience is overwhelmingly women.
Unrivaled also introduced its own rituals. As the final minutes approached, fans were asked to stand together, heightening the energy in the building as we waited to see who would hit the game winner shot. Later in the night, the lights dimmed and the entire arena joined in for some “Swag Surfin,” keeping the energy high even as the games wrapped up.
Then the number flashed on the big screen: 21,490 fans in attendance — the most ever for a regular-season professional women’s basketball game. The crowd went absolutely insane at the announcement.
And of course, the basketball itself matched the moment.
The opening game between the Phantom and the Breeze set the tone for the night, and Philly native Natasha Cloud brought a win home after a high energy matchup.
But by the time the second game tipped off, there was a quiet assumption floating through the arena. The Lunar Owls’ record had definitely preceded them and many were wondering how they would match up against the Rose.
Marina Mabrey answered that question almost immediately.
She couldn’t miss. She scored 27 points in the first quarter alone, turning what some expected to be a slower matchup into the most electric stretch of gameplay all night.
Each time she scored, the cheers got louder than the last, and after her fourth three-pointer, the ball went in the hoop and it seemed like the entire arena leapt out of their seats without thinking. Fans screamed so loud I felt like I was at a concert, and my Apple Watch did too — notifying me of the loud noise and begging me to protect my hearing.
It was cathartic. I was at the edge of my seat the entire game. Mabrey went on to break the Unrivaled single-game scoring record, finishing with 47 points and 10 three-pointers. By the time the night wound down, I didn’t want to leave. I was having way too much fun.
Unrivaled has already made clear that Philadelphia won’t be its last stop on the road, and the city made an equally clear case for why. This night didn’t feel like a pop-up or a one-night-only special event. It felt like a glimpse of what’s possible when women’s professional basketball is given real space and real investment.
For Courtney Humphrey, a manager at Monumental Sports and Entertainment, the night reinforced something she sees firsthand working in sports.
“As a woman working in sports, moments like this reinforce why expansion, intentional investment, and authentic representation in women’s sports are not just important — they are essential to sustained growth,” Humphrey said. “The energy in Xfinity Mobile Arena was undeniable, and the fact that the game broke multiple records speaks volumes.”
What stood out to her just as much as the basketball was the crowd itself.
“Families, longtime basketball fans, first-timers, young girls seeing what’s possible, and people simply there for a great experience,” she said. “It was a powerful reminder that when you invest in women’s sports, you are investing in community.”
Part of that response comes from what Unrivaled is offering fans that hasn’t always existed elsewhere.
“Unrivaled is appealing on many fronts,” Fitzgerald said. “It solved a problem fans had with following their favorite players during the WNBA offseason, and it brings together best-in-class professional hoopers in new team formations and a 3x3 format that is so fun and entertaining.”
She also pointed to the league’s ability to solve real frustrations fans have had for years — from the long WNBA offseason to inequities around player treatment.
“Unrivaled removes many of the ‘ick’ factors the WNBA has around work conditions and compensation. It’s so nice to enjoy the games knowing the players are getting paid well, that their housing and childcare needs are addressed, and that merch revenue is shared with them. The WNBA still seems to favor a ‘right kind’ of player for publicity and media whereas Unrivaled embraces players authentic selves, which makes the content more interesting and appealing.”
And that matters, especially at a moment when women’s professional basketball is at an inflection point. As players continue negotiating the future of the WNBA through ongoing CBA discussions, one question comes up again and again: is the demand really there?
On Friday night in Philadelphia, the answer was very obvious.
As a postcard left on every seat read, “This league was founded by the players, but built by you, the fans.” After a sold-out night that broke attendance records, that line felt like a statement of fact — one that reflected both the stars on the court and the dedicated fans who showed up for them.
From the Crowd is Fangirl Forward’s first-person fan reporting series, documenting what it feels like to experience pop culture in real time — from concerts and festivals to premieres, theme parks, and other fan spaces.
Unrivaled is so damn fun. It’s a stroke of genius for pro women’s hoops.