Black Culture And Fan Power Shape The Game

Fans, players and sponsors are preparing to descend on Indianapolis for the 21st WNBA All-Star weekend. The main event will take place on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and will feature 22 of the league’s brightest stars led by opposing team captains, Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier.

The league has witnessed explosive growth since 1999, when it hosted its first All-Star exhibition in New York.

For example, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces was the only player to garner more than 90,000 fan votes in 2023. Conversely, the top three fan favorites for this year’s matchup—Clark, Collier and Aliyah Boston—each received more than 1 million votes.

In addition to increased fan engagement, the league also landed new partnerships with a diverse slate of brands, including Coach and Ally Financial. Both companies signed multiyear deals in 2025.

With Black women making up more than 60% of WNBA players, including some of the league’s most beloved, All-Star weekend has become a platform for the culture.

Here are three markers that demonstrate how Black founders and creatives are contributing to the league’s growth at this year’s All-Star experience.

Black-Founded Brands In The Spotlight

While All-Star weekend boasts major sponsors such as AT&T, State Farm and Kia, this year’s festivities will shine a light on Black-founded brands as well – such as the sports apparel brand, Playa Society.

Fans will get a peek into founder Esther Wallace’s design process and have a chance to snag new merchandise. Wallace, a former pro baller, founded the brand in 2018 with the trademarked “Female Athlete T-Shirt.” The shirt displays the words “female athlete” with a line striking through “female” to counter the notion that women’s sports are inferior.

Mielle Organics, a haircare brand established by Monique Rodriguez, will also return to WNBA Live for the third time with an activation that highlights the intersection of beauty, sports, and culture. The company became the league’s Official Textured Haircare Partner in 2023, the same year it signed Angel Reese as a brand ambassador.

In addition to its brand activation, Mielle will also launch a new initiative, the HBCU Event Intern Program. A press release described the project as “a one-of-a-kind event internship experience that provides career development opportunities in the business of basketball for a select group of HBCU students.”

The student interns will include two players from the Lady Pirates, the Hampton University women’s basketball team. Mielle established a partnership with the HBCU team in 2024 through a $200,000 gift and a separate endowed scholarship fund for student athletes.

The program is a collaboration between Mielle and the WNBA and makes history as the league’s first project focused on students at historically Black colleges and universities.

Sydney Colson’s Stand-Up Comedy Debut

Fans will have the opportunity to witness Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson’s stand-up comedy debut at Fever Fest. The six-hour watch party will take place July 19 and will feature multiple headliners including Deon Cole, Cedric the Entertainer, and Leslie Jones.

It’s not uncommon for professional athletes to leverage their popularity on the court or field to launch careers in media and entertainment. From film and television, to the ubiquitous sports podcast, fans can interact with their favorite players now more than ever. Still, few pros (and former pros) have the talent to build a legitimate fanbase beyond their sport. Colson appears to be among the few.

Fever Fest offers the two-time WNBA champion a chance to translate the wit she typically shares with her hundreds of thousands of social media followers into a traditional comedy performance. If Colson can effectively repackage the humor that drives her digital content, she may be setting herself up for a new level of visibility off the court.

Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration Collaboration

As the host team, representatives from the Fever have worked to amplify Indiana Black Expo’s annual summer festivities, which will overlap with All-Star weekend. Founded in 1970, the IBE aims to support social and economic development among African American youth and families.

Pacers Sports and Entertainment CEO Mel Raines has been working with Alice Watson, president and CEO of IBE, for several months to coordinate schedules in the hopes of encouraging visitors to engage All-Star events as well as IBE’s programming. In fact, Pacers Sports and Entertainment is one of the sponsors for IBE’s Summer Celebration.

In an interview for WRTV Indianapolis, Raines expressed high hopes for the collaboration.

“We wanted to make sure this would be something that both events are better because of,” she said, “and I think we’re accomplishing that.”