Amid a season of setbacks and hurdles, Unrivaled has finally found a flicker of hope. The Philadelphia tour last month didn’t just turn out to be the 3-on-3 league’s first road stop; it brought the appeal they’d been missing since last season’s success. While the tour boosted their finances by $2M, it has also opened the door for CEO Alex Bazzell to explore new opportunities, sparking a market push.

In the context of their present situation, where their viewership has hit rock bottom, the $2M revenue breakthrough gives the Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart co-founded league a much-needed breathing space. Thus, to follow the same roadmap and achieve on-road success, Bazzell and Co. have looked to add another stop to the league’s schedule for their upcoming games. According to reports from Front Office Sports, Unrivaled has moved its semifinals from Miami to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Bazzell further shed light on his league’s decision to have two road stops in the same season, from having none in its inaugural season. “We were looking at potential stops for next year, so we’re in active dialogue with numerous venues across the country,” Bazzell said. “This just so happened that the Nets were out of town. Coming off the heels of Philly, the excitement around it, we look at this as an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

The Brooklyn stop is just the lead-in to Bazzell’s framework for the league’s expansion. The Unrivaled CEO has revealed that the league is also planning to explore several more cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis, next year to tap into a larger audience nationwide and not restrict itself to just a league in Miami. It is a perfectly curated plan given the basketball culture prevalent in these cities, which will help them immensely in ticket sales and revenue generation.

Unrivaled’s ongoing scheme of things has also appealed to fans on social media, who didn’t hesitate to share their perspectives.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Opportunities, Challenges, and Profits: Fans dissect Unrivaled’s Major Expansion Stride

“That’s some serious momentum for Unrivaled! Expanding to major markets like NYC and LA is a smart move. Can’t wait to see how this unfolds in the semifinals!” a fan wrote.

“That Philly turnout clearly changed the conversation. Smart to lean into markets that are responding,” wrote another.

The Unrivaled’s Philadelphia stop on January 30 featured two matches: Breeze vs. Phantom and Rose vs. Lunar Owls, which eventually led to record ticket and merchandise sales. The games combined earned around $1 million in ticket sales, $40,000 in merchandise sales, and other revenue. Additionally, they attracted around 21,490 people to the Xfinity Mobile Arena, the highest ever for a women’s professional basketball game.

Thus, with this one stop, Alex Bazzell’s Unrivaled raised the ceiling for their second season, which saw a steady decline in viewership. Moreover, from a business perspective, shifting the semifinals to Brooklyn and adding more stops also seems quite appropriate. The Barclays Center is home to the WNBA team, the New York Liberty, and the NBA team, the Brooklyn Nets. The basketball audience already exists, and if the 3-on-3 league can appeal to them with better marketing, we could see a similar success to Philadelphia, but there are still some challenges for Bazzell and Co.

“Haha, $2M from a “record crowd” in Philly? At this rate, Unrivaled might finally afford to rival the price of arena nachos. Brooklyn next, hope they packed their egos for the traffic😏😏,” remarked another.

The $2M revenue boost is definitely a step forward for the 3-on-3 league. However, replicating the Philadelphia success again in Brooklyn might take an immense toll. For instance, the league announced the Philly tour back in October, a good couple of months before the commencement date in January. It provided a sustainable period for ticket sales. But at the Brooklyn stop, the announcement is made roughly two weeks before the semifinals, posing a challenge for selling out tickets in a limited time.

“Note Alex never, ever talks net revenue, just revenue. How much did they spend on the arena, travel, marketing, merch? Even if net, $2m split among these investors is a teeny, tiny amount after 2 years. TV ratings ****. But sure Alex, keep saying everything’s fine,” wrote a fan.

“What was the profit?” wrote another.

The actual profits from the Philadelphia stop aren’t public yet. But, according to CEO Alex Bazzell, the league is approaching $40M in revenue this season. It is slightly above the $27M mark that the league had last season. It suggests that the 3-on-3 league is improving despite the steady 31% decline in viewership ratings.

For now, the league focuses on its 1v1 season featuring the likes of Breanna Stewart, Veronica Burton, and Kelsey Mitchell. The event has brought a bit of attraction to the league, but their trump card for their season seems to be the Brooklyn stop on March 2. Do you think Unrivaled can repeat its success in Brooklyn, as it did in Philadelphia? Do let us know in the comments.