Washington Mystics fans are getting hyped for a big season expected to be defined by the soaring popularity of women’s basketball. News4’s Juliana Valencia reports.
The WNBA season is tipping off as women's basketball booms in popularity, in part fueled by star rookies like college basketball’s all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark.
The Washington Mystics are one of eight teams that started their regular season on Tuesday and there's plenty of hype for Washington. Aaliyah Edwards was the number six overall pick in the draft. And just a year after the league hit a 13-year high for attendance, some Mystics games were moved to Capital One Arena to accommodate larger crowds. Then, there's the Olympics: We'll know in early June if any Mystics players are going to Paris.
The Mystics' Dana Campbell says D.C.'s team is building off the momentum and encourages people to come to games at the team's regular home, the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Southeast D.C.
"Getting bigger. We have a lot of great themes and promotions that will be available this season," Campbell said. "Come out to all of our games this season, we have 20 home games."
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Single-game tickets for the 2024 Washington Mystics season are currently on sale at washingtonmystics.com.
Mystics will host some games at Capital One Arena this season
The Washington Mystics play at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Southeast D.C., which seats 4,200 people. But as interest in women's basketball soars, the home of the Mystics might be too small for a few high-profile games.
Sports
Three games will be moved to Capital One Arena in downtown D.C., which seats 20,000 people.
Ahead of their home opener, the Mystics announced Capital One Arena would house the Thursday, June 6 game against the Chicago Sky. Maryland native Angel Reese is one of the Sky's new players and was a top 10 pick in the draft this year along with Kamila Cardoso.
Citing the unprecedented demand for tickets, the Mystics also moved their Friday, June 7 game against the Indiana Fever to the Capital One Arena, giving more fans hope to watch Clark play.
Brittney Griner's team, the Phoenix Mercury, will face the Mystics at Capital One Arena on Tuesday, July 16. You can find the Mystics schedule here.
The demand for a bigger capacity follows the women’s NCAA Tournament title game between South Carolina and Iowa, the most-watched basketball game since 2019.
You can likely expect more Mystics games at Capital One Arena in the future.
“That is why we specifically negotiated in our Term Sheet with D.C. that at least four regular season games and all post-season games should have the option to move to Capital One Arena to facilitate larger crowds. We fully anticipate that we could need to accommodate high demand for WNBA games,” Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment said in a release.
Tips for a fun and safe time at the games
Don't dribble with your head down! You'll want to brush up on entry policies before heading to any pro sports game. That’s why we have put together a list of items that are not allowed in the arena, as well as some tips to make your day a slam dunk.
The Entertainment and Sports Arena says it enforces a strict no bag policy, so leave backpacks, purses and luggage at home. There are no bag storage options at the arena.
"Wallet-size clutches no larger than 5” x 7”, medical bags or parenting/diaper bags no larger than 14″ x 14″ x 6″ are permitted. Any medical or parenting bags (child must be present) that are exempted are subject to security screening," the bag policy FAQ says.
The same bag policy applies to Capital One Arena.
Entertainment and Sports Arena says that prohibited items include, but are not limited to:
- Adhesive stickers
- Balloons
- Cans or coolers
- Cigarette lighters
- Confetti and streamers
- Fireworks
- Frisbees or inflated balls
- Illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia
- Large flags and banners
- Laser pointers
- Glass containers of any kind (Guests are allowed one empty, plastic or metallic bottle for use at Arena water fountains/bottle refilling stations)
- Missile or projectile-like objects
- Monopods, tripods or selfie sticks
- Noisemakers of any kind (such as can operated air horns, sirens, kazoos, whistles, etc.)
- Outside food and beverages
- Pets (with the exception of service animals)
- Poles and staffs (metal, plastic or wooden)
- Professional cameras with fixed or detachable zoom lenses longer than 6" and/or tripods. Please see the "Camera Policy" in the FAQ section for more information.
- Umbrellas larger than 15” when closed. (Under 15" are permitted)
- Vaping pens and any smoke/vapor emitting products
- Video camera and audio recording devices (including camcorders, GoPros, Contour cameras)
- Weapons of any kind (includes but not limited to guns, knives, mace, chains, spikes, projectiles, tasers, etc.)
- Wrapped gifts
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