“This didn’t use to be the case, where fans were trying to project who was going to be drafted and have all these conversations about who’s the right one… that’s amazing to look back at where we came from and it’s an amazing place to be in now,” Gulley said. “We can be playful and allow the fans to continue the conversation.”
Home-court advantage
There are also more voices willing to take part in that conversation. Last year, the Storm drew an average of 11,184 fans per game, their highest average attendance since moving to Climate Pledge Arena in 2022 and fourth-highest in the league behind only the New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces, and Indiana Fever. The site of their draft party is part of a bar league of pubs committed to showing Storm games, including the pioneering Rough & Tumble women’s sports bar in Ballard.
So when the Storm decide to host a draft event, the overlap of resources with the city’s other major sports teams isn’t accidental. The NHL’s Kraken shares a building with the Storm, with Gulley noting that they work closely on marketing initiatives. The facility surrounding Climate Pledge Arena—the Seattle Center that once hosted the 1969 World’s Fair—brought Magbegor, Ogwumike, and Ogwumike’s sister and fellow WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike out to DJ Blast’s Blastfest last year.
