Weekend seen as ‘huge catalyst’ in larger effort to make Indy women’s sports capital

Indianapolis sports-business officials say if they achieve their goal of becoming an epicenter of women’s sports by 2050, they’ll likely look back at this WNBA All-Star Weekend as the spark.

All-Star activities will take over a large portion of the Mile Square Friday and Saturday as interest in women’s basketball surges, driven largely by Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. The unprecedented fan and media attention presents opportunities for both the city and the WNBA to benefit.

As Indianapolis continues to bet a large share of its economy on the business of sports, this weekend is key in the Indiana Sports Corp.’s push to increase women’s athletics in its event slate.

Sarah Myer, chief of staff for the nonprofit sports tourism group, said Indianapolis’ hosting expertise has paid off post-pandemic, with mega-events that include the NBA All-Star Game in 2024, the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2022 and even the entire 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. This year—thanks to the prowess of the Indiana Pacers—the city also hosted three NBA Finals games.

But the WNBA All-Star Game Weekend, Myer said, will be “a huge catalyst” for the women’s sports element of the organization’s long-term strategy, called the 2050 Vision, which it unveiled last year. The plan—which also emphasizes new events, sports business, technology and academics—is the first comprehensive update to the organization’s strategy since its founding in 1979.

“I think we’ll all probably reference back to this weekend when talking about how the strategy was implemented,” Myer told IBJ. She said the WNBA All-Star Game could broaden the city’s sports ecosystem the same way the Pan Am Games did in 1987 or the Super Bowl did in 2012.

Myer said the Sports Corp. recognized the opportunity offered by the All-Star Game when Indianapolis agreed just a year ago to host it, after another unnamed WNBA city encountered a scheduling conflict. As a result, the Sports Corp. has been “more intentional” about how to use this weekend to further women’s sports as a cornerstone of Indianapolis’ sports economy.

That cornerstone could take the form of hosting additional major sporting events, becoming home to new franchises—including, potentially, a National Women’s Soccer League club—and luring more sports-focused business ventures to the state.

“It’s exciting to know we’re evolving our thinking, because we’ve done these events so well for so long,” Myer said. “I think now we’re thinking a little bit differently, in how these events are part of a larger thing that we’ve got going on here, and that’s the overall sports ecosystem.”

Hosting the hosts

As with most events, the Indiana Sports Corp. has invited sports and business executives nationwide to be its guests this weekend, offering tours of facilities, dinners at upscale restaurants, and meetings with local officials and business leaders.

Julie Roe Lach, Sports Corp. board chair and commissioner of the Indianapolis-based Horizon League collegiate sports conference, is set to host more than two dozen women’s sports executives, owners and advocates for discussions, meetings and behind-the-scenes experiences focused on furthering the growth and popularity of women’s athletics.

“There are a lot of really great opportunities ahead that we don’t even know are a possibility, because of what’s going to happen for All-Star Weekend,” Myer said. “That’s really special, because [with] all the work that’s been put into this and everything coming together around women’s sports, it’s all a huge recipe for success for the future.”

The Indiana Sports Corp. isn’t the only organization looking to use the weekend as a springboard for Indianapolis. Groups that include Indy Chamber, Visit Indy and even Salesforce plan to host clients, event planners and prospective businesses.

Chris Gahl, executive vice president of Visit Indy, said the city’s tourism agency plans to entertain leaders from 18 groups considering Indianapolis for their convention or meeting. Those decision makers will walk past several downtown spaces, including Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Indiana Convention Center and construction sites along Georgia Street—the Signia hotel, Circle Centre Mall redevelopment and Shinola hotel.

Visit Indy will also host dinners and other activities that mix visiting groups with leaders of organizations either based in Indianapolis or familiar with hosting events here, he said.

“Getting that exposure and that inside track helps them think about Indy in a different way—it’s more powerful and more experiential than simply staying in a hotel or an Airbnb and sauntering over for the game,” Gahl said. “It’s strong peer-to-peer networking and peer pressure, really, focused on ‘Why Indy,’ and we’re OK with that. We know that that is beneficial. It’s a more moving, memorable weekend for them to go back and think deeply about Indianapolis from a different perspective.”

Growing the game

Liz Wanless, director of the Sports Innovation Institute at Indiana University Indianapolis, said one of Indianapolis’ specialties is the way it presents events, whether through out-of-the-box thinking on execution, customized signage, hordes of volunteers, or the implementation of legacy projects and community service initiatives.

All of it, she said, can leave a lasting impression—particularly on people who oversee events that are still looking for ways to build exposure and interest. Those events tend to include women’s sports programming, since that market hasn’t been nearly as saturated—or supported—as its male counterpart.

“Indianapolis just has an incredible event-hosting reputation,” she said. “Those moments and memories last. … While I think it remains to be seen from the actual weekend what people will be able to take away and showcase, Indianapolis does it better—they do it better than anybody else.”

Damien Kostick, operating partner for sports-focused Tom’s Watch Bar, 140 S. Illinois St., said he expects the downtown bar will experience celebrity appearances this weekend: Former NBA star Charles Barkley stopped by during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, and Ric Flair visited during World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.’s Royal Rumble event in February.

“There’s a good chance we’ll probably see a WNBA player come in there, and who knows what else will happen?” he said. “People are starting to grow with the WNBA, and Caitlin Clark is a huge draw for that. I think that there’s a lot of people who rally behind her, not only for what she’s doing for the city but what she’s also doing for the sport. So I hope people get fired up.”

Mel Raines, CEO of Fever parent organization Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said hosting events like the WNBA All-Star Game and the NCAA Women’s Final Four, which will next be in Indianapolis in 2028, adds great value in building the city’s reputation as a women’s sports city. But there’s more work to be done.

“I’d like to be there faster than 2050,” she said of the Indiana Sports Corp.’s goal. She said while a strong Fever franchise and attracting big events are important, so, too, are cultivating female-focused sports leadership programs, girls youth athletics and women’s sports research.

“I think there’s a lot of cities that will have teams and will host events—we won’t get all of them, obviously,” she said. “But I think [those are] … areas where we can really set ourselves apart, and we’re trying to dig in and see where we can be more helpful than just having the Fever here in town. We need to be more actively involved in that.”

Counting on Clark

Just as Indianapolis is betting on All-Star Weekend to showcase its women’s sports strengths, the WNBA is using the event to promote its full roster of talent.

For all the attention Clark has brought the Fever, the city and the WNBA, the league continues to struggle to connect fans with players league-wide. In games where Clark was out with injuries during the first half of the season, viewership dropped drastically, although numbers were still generally higher than before she joined the league.

So WNBA executives had to decide how much of Clark to highlight this weekend. While many fans might have been drawn to the All-Star Game by Clark, the event features 22 players, not just one wearing a No. 22 jersey.

“We have to strike this perfect balance between what is our league-wide celebration and this moment to celebrate the WNBA, but also the local storytelling,” said Colie Edison, the WNBA’s chief growth officer.

Throughout downtown, numerous WNBA stars—past and present—are plastered on signage on the sides of buildings and skywalks, and several players will have pop-up spaces and fan engagement areas at WNBA Live and through partnership activations near Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

But some of Clark’s sponsors, including Nike and Wilson Sporting Goods, will have spaces centered on merchandise associated with her.

Edison said the local and national talent on display, both on the court and around the arena, will let basketball fans “feel like they’re part of a historic moment that this happened in 2025 here in Indiana.”

Wanless, the IU Indianapolis sports business professor, said striking a balance will be difficult for the WNBA given the way Clark’s playing style and persona have permeated the league and its fan base. But she added that, oftentimes, fans drawn in by a big-name player can find themselves just as enamored with other athletes on the court.

“There’s going to be the opportunity to identify … how well [spectators] highlight other players and highlight the WNBA as a whole,” she said. “It’s a challenge because you want to promote Caitlin Clark, but you also want to show people there’s an amazing array of players they can identify [with] and attach to based on their play styles, based on their personalities.”

That’s exactly what the WNBA aims to do with its All-Star Game in Indianapolis, Edison said.

“We can utilize big names like Caitlin to attract new fans—it’s all about keeping those fans, and they’re going to stay because it’s really good basketball by the best athletes in the world, and I am not worried about that going anywhere,” she said. “The Caitlin Clark effect really turns into the WNBA effect, [so] how does that serve as a catalyst to grow the league? It’s all about introducing fans and widening the aperture of what it means to be a fan of the WNBA.”•