One of my favorite Detroit experiences happens when I’m out of town. Walk into any bar or restaurant, and if a Detroit team is playing – particularly during a playoff season – I will have no trouble getting the game on a screen, and a conversation will immediately strike up.
Sports and Detroit go hand in hand.
This city has always been one of (if not THE) greatest sports towns in the world. And we learned during the Detroit Lions’ playoff runs that we also have the most fans worldwide. We boast five professional sports teams — four within blocks of each other. The fifth, Le Rouge, Detroit City FC, is getting a new stadium. Each summer, we host the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, one of the country’s greatest race weekends right here on our own streets. The Rocket Classic will take over the Detroit Golf Club at the end of July. Add the terrific university rivalries, and we have round-the-clock excitement.
Can it get any better?
It just has.
If you missed the news: The Professional Women’s Hockey League is coming to Detroit and Little Caesars Arenda for the 2026-2027 season, led by Ilitch Sports and Entertainment. ”Hockeytown” times two.
The Women’s National Basketball Association will return by 2029. Bringing in the WNBA team is Tom Gores, and minority owners former Detroit Pistons players Grant Hill and Chris Webber, and Detroit Lions Quarterback Jared Goff. They will also play at the LCA and build a new training center on the former Uniroyal site.
To a sports fan, this is mind-blowing. To city leaders and planners, it’s Christmas. To everyone else, it’s a reason to sit up and take notice. The social and economic impact will resonate throughout the region, from the city to the suburbs.
Women’s sports are a high-growth industry that, according to the Bank of America Institute, is projected to exceed $3 billion in global revenue by 2026. Several factors are driving the dollars, including viewership, sponsorships, media coverage, and younger fan bases.
“Women’s sports viewership in the U.S. has nearly tripled since 2020. Younger, affluent, and highly digital consumers are driving greater live attendance, merchandise sales, and social‑media fandom.”
It’s worth noting that this demographic is one of the key target audiences we expect will drive population growth in Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods over the next five to 10 years, as cited in the Downtown Detroit Partnership’s recent Downtown Detroit Residential Market Potential Study. The study found that younger residents lead demand: Nearly 64% of the housing market is made up of younger singles and couples, reinforcing Downtown’s role as an entry point to city living.
And while both men and women watch women’s sports, according to a Boston Consulting Group study, women are projected to control “$32 trillion in discretionary spending globally by 2028.” This suggests that not only can women positively affect the sports industry, but also any number of industry sectors that will benefit from having additional women’s teams in our city.
In terms of fan base, here again women are scoring points. BoA reports that the WNBA “has seen one of the greatest audience expansions of any U.S. sports league ever over the past decade.” Additionally, women’s soccer “already counts over 500 million fans globally, and that figure is projected to rise to 800 million by 2030.”
We’re already solid in women’s soccer.
Finally, we can expect an increase in ancillary businesses that will sprout to meet the fan demand for specialized goods and services (including hospitality, food and drink), transit, and parking to support the high traffic of customers attending the games.
This is a win/win for the home team. A home run. A power play. The Greatest City for Women’s Sports. Whatever you call it, it’s one more reason to be bullish on the future of Detroit.
