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By Cassandra Cousineau of LVSportsBiz.com
Well, it’s been a while.
You have to go back to those pre-COVID pandemic times to Sept. 24, 2019 to find fans who were not Las Vegas Aces season ticket holders who were allowed to attend an Aces home game.
But they returned Thursday night, when an announced attendance of 5,150 watched the Aces defeat the Chicago Sky, 90-83.
It was the first game in 709 days where any fan who was not one of the 2,000 season ticket holders could purchase a ticket to an Aces game at the arena at Mandalay Bay on the Strip.
It was a wild night of basketball in Las Vegas for the team’s important win as the Aces’ regular season winds down. Las Vegas played without its All-Star center Liz Cambage, who is out with COVID-19, and two-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby. “We know we’re short handed. So, we have to focus and really concentrate,” Aces coach Bill Laimbeer said.
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Fans in Michelob Ultra Arena still wore masks to comply with the county’s indoor mask mandate, but they did sit closer to the action on the court than at any time since the Aces bowed out of the championship series against the Washington Mystics in 2019.
Coronavirus-related restrictions have limited the number of fans allowed to attend Aces home games and where they could sit. As the season opened during the fog of the coronavirus, fans were arranged in socially distant pods of two to four people seated together. None were allowed courtside –not even Aces team owner Mark Davis who was back to sitting front and center Thursday evening.
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It’s an important time for the WNBA. In its 25th season, the WNBA is battling for ticket buyer dollars even as viewership climbs. The league’s 12 teams have frequently struggled with attendance, viewership, and, subsequently, revenue.
The good news is, earlier this season, ESPN announced its ratings were up 45 percent compared to those in 2019 and 74 percent compared to the ratings during coronavirus-affected 2020 season. Across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 platforms, the WNBA is averaging 357,000 viewers, a 74 percent jump. Even more remarkable, the season’s opener also saw a 25 percent increase in ratings from the previous season, as well as two of the three highest viewership numbers in the last nine years.
The arena fan experience is still affected by the lingering pandemic. Since July 30, all fans have been required to wear a mask indoors again in Clark County where the Aces play, whether they’re vaccinated or not. According to team representatives, the WNBA defaults to which ever has the most strict rule regarding masks — the league or the particular county where the team plays in.
The crowds are meaningful for the Aces as they try to garner the top playoff seed. With just two home games remaining until the playoffs, Laimbeer doesn’t need bulletin board material. It’s all about winning. “We’re a professional basketball team. Everybody just needs to do their job. If we do that we’ll be OK, we’ll get our fair chance to win games. If we don’t concentrate and we don’t focus on our assignments then we’re gonna lose some basketball games we could’ve won. It’s as simple as that,” the candid-speaking coach said
Led by A’ja Wilson, Riquna Williams and Kelsey Plum, who each had 21 points, the Aces took care of business against the Sky Thursday. Wilson also had 10 rebounds, while Plum finished with five steals. Kia Stokes tenaciously attended to the glass with 13 rebounds, filling in nicely for Cambage.
Williams noted the energy in the building. “I’m having fun. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do that.”
Cambage sat out the 2020 bubble season played at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. At the time, her agent stated that a pre-existing health condition put her at “high-risk for severe illness” if she were to contract the COVID virus. “She is fully vaccinated, experiencing mild symptoms, and will continue to isolate until she is cleared to return to play pursuant to the protocols,” the club said in a statement. The WNBA has one of the highest vaccination rates in all of professional sports with the league reporting 99 percent of its roster as fully vaccinated in June.
The Aces’ two home games are Sept. 8, vs the Minnesota Lynx and Sept. 13, a 12 Noon start vs the Dallas Wings. The Sept. 13 game starts at 12 noon so that fans can avoid a log jam with the Raiders opening their season vs the Baltimore Ravens at 5:15 PM on Monday Night Football at nearby Allegiant Stadium. The Aces have won seven of their last 10 games and sit atop the Western Conference standings.
ADD: Las Vegas vs. Minnesota game, originally scheduled for a 7:00 pm PT tip on Wednesday, September 8, will now tip at 6:00 pm PT and be televised on ESPN2