Unrivaled Basketball Breaks Attendance Record
The Unrivaled basketball season recently passed its halfway point, with every team having played nine of their 14 regular-season games. Unrivaled is a highly competitive 3v3 basketball league featuring 48 of the best women’s hoopers across 8 basketball clubs. Almost every game is played in their specialized arena in Miami, Florida, where the cheapest tickets go for over $150, but this past weekend, four games were played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the 76ers arena, where every game sold out all 21,490 seats. On top of this weekend being monumental for playing outside of Miami, it was also historical due to Marina Mabrey’s record-setting 47 points and 10 three-pointers made at 64% from the field in a game with just seven-minute quarters. This was objectively the greatest athletic performance ever.
If you haven’t tuned in yet, now is the time, as we are approaching their famous 1v1 tournament. This tournament includes thirty-two players in a March Madness-style bracket competing in short games to 11 points, like they’re playing at the park. This tournament is so special because it is the only time in a major American sports league that your question of ‘who is the best?’ is answered on the big stage. The winner of this tournament takes home a $500,000 prize, which is twice the WNBA’s maximum salary.
Speaking of money, the league was founded and is run by two of its greats, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, with funding from prominent investors, including Serena Williams, Steph Curry and Michael Phelps. The average salary for the players in this league is $220,000 across an eight-week season, whereas the WNBA average salary is only $120,000 across a twenty-two-week season. This leadership team is helping create gender equality in sports and is the perfect reason why you should choose a team to root for and become a die-hard fan.
Wondering where you can watch? Unrivaled has a consistent schedule broadcasting two games every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday on TNT or TruTV. Check it out and learn why the saying “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports” came to be.