A few years back, suburban Philadelphia resident Alexandra Niedbalski-Sykes felt like she was always on a plane.
She and her wife, comedian Wanda Sykes, are huge women’s sports fans. But, because Philly doesn’t have a single major women’s professional sports team, the couple was always traveling — to L.A., New York, or Washington, D.C. — to catch games in-person.
Which was ironic, because part of the reason the Sykeses love living in Delaware County is Philly’s proudly rabid sports fandom. It made no sense: In a city that loves sports so much, “how do you explain that there’s not one woman’s team?” Niedbalski-Sykes says.
So, the Sykeses set out to solve that problem. In 2019, they founded Philadelphia Sisters, a “proof-of-concept for how cities can transform their women’s sports presence from the ground up,” according to their website. The group rallied investors and City officials, including Mayor Cherelle Parker. This January, when Parker, 76ers owners Josh Harris and Mark Adeleman, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Philly will finally have a WNBA team in 2030, Alex and Wanda stood beside the podium. The couple didn’t stop there. They’ve continued working to bring women’s sports to Philly, including lobbying to secure a tour stop for Unrivaled, the professional women’s basketball 3-on-3 summer league, who’ll make Philly their first-ever out-of-town stop in 2026.
Such news isn’t just good for sports enthusiasts (and, let’s be honest, Philly does have the best fans). Professional women’s sports — especially the super hot WNBA — have major financial and civic upsides, bringing money and activity into a city. McKinsey estimates that women’s sports will become a $2.5 billion industry by 2030. Athletes can also shine a light on local causes and affect civic change. Just look at what “Citizen of the Year” Jalen Hurts has done for Philly, the impact Eagles owner Jeff Lurie has had on the local and international autism community, and even just how the region feels when our teams are winning.
Niedbalski-Sykes wants to bring more of those benefits to Philly. On Friday, November 14, she’ll join Jason Wright, former Washington Commanders President and Managing Director of Project Level, a women’s sports investment portfolio, in conversation with Dalila Wilson-Scott, Executive Vice President and Chief Impact & Inclusion Officer of Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, at The Philadelphia Citizen’s 8th annual Ideas We Should Steal Festival.
How can we expect the WNBA and other pro women’s sports teams to transform cities? And what other women’s leagues should Philly look toward next? It’s not a pie-in-the-sky question, says Niedbalski-Sykes, who wants to see five women’s teams to match our five professional men’s teams.
“It’s only going to grow because the demand is so high and women’s sports is so untapped. It’s a huge untapped investment,” she says. “I want Philadelphia to be the capital of women’s sports in the next five years.”
Listen to Niedbalski-Sykes talk about her work below and secure your seats for the Festival here.
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