What the Dallas Wings' possible relocation to Downtown Dallas could mean for the team
DALLAS - The Dallas Wings could be a step closer to playing games in the city of Dallas.
Wednesday, Dallas city leaders could vote on a resolution to bring the WNBA team to Dallas. The team currently plays in Arlington at UTA.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 26: Satou Sabally #0 of the Dallas Wings drives against Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces in the first quarter of Game Two of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs semifinals at Michelob ULTRA Arena on September 26, 2023 in Las Veg
With Caitlin Clark and other big names joining the WNBA, women’s basketball is at its peak in popularity.
Now, the city of Dallas is trying to make the Wings call Dallas its home in a newly renovated arena.
Women’s basketball has been talked about nonstop this year.
More than 18 million people watched the college national championship game between South Carolina and Iowa, topping viewership for the men’s final.
Dorothy Gentry is a WNBA writer. Her stories are published in The Athletic, Slam and D Magazine.
"These women are balling from high school to college and then into the league. So the product is awesome," she said. "And then of course the accessibility. They're on television now; not just locally, national outlets."
This week, the Dallas Wings announced for the first time in franchise history a sellout of season tickets. Other WNBA teams did the same.
The latest draft class has a lot to do with that. Players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have become household names.
Clark was the first pick overall for the Indiana Fever, a team the Wings host next week for a preseason game.
On Tuesday, the team announced tickets were sold out for the game against the Fever.
"The Wings selling out for the first time in their history. That is amazing. I think it's just part of the growth that we're seeing," Gentry said. "It's like, again, the accessibility, the fans, the followers. And the natural progression is to start selling out these arenas and getting that revenue that these women deserve."
The city of Dallas wants a piece of the action.
City Council has a vote scheduled Wednesday to bring a professional sports team to Dallas Memorial Auditorium next to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
Dallas Memorial Auditorium
The resolution does not name the Wings, but the team announced over the weekend it is in talks with the Dallas mayor.
The Wings currently play on the UT Arlington campus.
If approved, the Wings would move to a newly renovated arena, part of the new convention center master plan.
Voters already approved the funding for the project.
Featured
WNBA signs partnership with Opill
The WNBA’s partnership with Opill, the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the U.S., debuted this week at the draft.
In a statement, the Wings president and CEO said, "The city of Arlington, the University of Texas at Arlington and College Park Center continue to be wonderful partners, and we look forward to continuing that relationship during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The city of Dallas’s proposal offers a fitting, world-class stage for our remarkable athletes and devoted fans, and we look forward to commenting further at the appropriate time."
"The fans are still coming to Arlington to see the Dallas Wings," Gentry said. "But you have to say that being Dallas downtown, same area as The Star, same area as the Mavs, same area, you know, there. And that centralized location could only be a good thing for them as well."
The terms of the contract the team would agree to obtain occupancy on March 1, 2026.