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By Cassandra Cousineau and Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The Las Vegas Aces — off to a sizzling 13-1 start after winning the WNBA championship last year — have experienced a big jump in attendance this season over 2022.
The Aces are averaging 8,708 fans a game this season after averaging 5,607 fans a game at Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Ultra Arena last year. That’s an improvement of 3,101 fans a game over last year.
The Aces are coming off a win over a very-improved Indiana Fever last night, winning 88-80 before 8,143 fans Monday when 5,000 free bobbleheads depicting point guard Chelsea Gray were given away.
The Aces’ big spike in attendance is typical for a team in the season following winning a league title in the prior season. As you can see by this graphic, the Aces were in the middle of the 12-team WNBA last season.
But this season, after seven home games this season, the Aces are averaging 8,708/game, ranking third in the WNBA behind the Phoenix Mercury (9,507/game) and the Seattle Storm (9,019/game).
A big crowd is expected Thursday night when the Aces play the New York Liberty in a matchup of WNBA super teams. The Liberty squad is led by star Breanna Stewart and has won nine of their 12 games this season.
When it comes to sports marketing, you can count on two things to generate the increased fan support — the Aces’ winning ways and free collectibles.
The WNBA’s hottest team has ripped through the league, with six wins in a row.
With the exception of a 94-77 loss in Connecticut on June 8, the Aces have won every game this season so far.
The league’s defending champions checked another box in the victory column Monday by defeating a persistent and much-improved Indiana Fever team in the second of back-to-back games at home.
With the Las Vegas region continuing to expand its sports landscape, the Aces front office is capitalizing on as many marketing opportunities as possible to grow its share of the local fan base.
The team kicked off the season with a tour of its state-of-the-art first practice facility and team headquarters built solely for a WNBA team.
Monday’s bobblehead night featured Finals MVP Gray who joined A’ja Wilson and former Aces center Liz Cambage to be enshrined as handheld replicas. The first 5,000 fans through the door received the limited-edition gifts.
Gray scored eight of the Las Vegas Aces’ final 11 points Monday night as the team ended on an 11-2 run to defeat the Fever.
WNBA All-Star Game captain Wilson poured in 22 first-half points. “We love Chelesea’s bobblehead. We were all happy to see her featured,” Wilson said during the post game press conference.
“I remember the day I found out. I was just enjoying the whole process. The bun is fire, too,” added Gray.
The collectibles are officially licensed by the WNBA and manufactured by FOCO. Gray’s doll is part of an Aces collection available for purchase in their FOCO online store. Kelsey Plum, Wilson, and Gray’s 2022 WNBA Champions bobbleheads are each $55 and have an edition size of 222.
As the Aces attempt to run back their WNBA championship, the first in Las Vegas professional sports history, it’s clear bobblehead night isn’t just about the dolls. It’s an immersive experience for fans, and Las Vegas Aces fans have been responding.
The team has experienced a bump of almost 36% increase in attendance over its 2022 season. Not even at the halfway mark of its 40 game season, the Las Vegas Aces have given the fans exactly what they were expecting from the defending WNBA Champions.
Next up is the most anticipated super team matchup of the season.
The equally-loaded New York Liberty visits Michelob Ultra Arena Thursday night in the first of four regular season meetings.
Former MVP and two-time WNBA Finals MVP, Breanna Stewart joined Olympian and 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones, and All-Star Sabrina Ionescu in New York.
The new team lineup was revealed days after Candace Parker signed with Las Vegas joining Wilson, Gray, Plum, and Jackie Young.
The Aces and Liberty were co-favorites to win it all before the season.
The Aces have now pulled ahead as front runners after the strong 13-1 strong start.
The Aces are first in points per game, offensive rating, and net rating. There are also second in defensive rating, which was one of the rare areas of weakness on last year’s title team.
The Liberty are third in the WNBA’s standings. After dealing with early season injuries to Jones and Ionescu, the team is playing much better. A win over Las Vegas on Thursday could thrust New York back into championship contention as well as boost Stewart’s MVP campaign.
A preseason matchup won by Las Vegas didn’t provide much of an early preview of Thursday’s game, when the defending champions rolled to a 84-77 victory. Wilson and Stewart will captain their respective All-Star teams when the game makes its way back to Las Vegas July 15.
On paper, this is the game of the season.