In a year defined by the meteoric rise of women’s athletics, Indianapolis has officially cemented its status as a premier hub for the movement.
According to a comprehensive new index released in December by Covers, the Circle City has surged to the No. 3 spot in the “10 Best Cities for Women’s Sports,” trailing only the massive media markets of Los Angeles and New York City.
The study, which evaluated 50 U.S. cities based on attendance, venue quality, collegiate output and media visibility, identified Indianapolis as the “biggest riser in the Top 10.” Driven by a historic wave of “best-in-class” attendance growth over the past two seasons, the city outperformed traditional sports hubs such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Portland.
The “Caitlin Clark Effect” and beyond
While the city’s rich basketball heritage is no secret, the recent surge is anchored by the Indiana Fever. The arrival of superstar Caitlin Clark — who was noted alongside teammates Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell as key figures in the city’s ecosystem — has transformed Gainbridge Fieldhouse into a focal nexus of the national sports conversation.
The Covers data highlights Indianapolis for its “elite capacity demand,” a metric that reflects how consistently fans fill seats relative to arena size. This momentum isn’t limited to the hardwood; the city’s professional footprint is expanding with the addition of the Indy Ignite volleyball team, which joins the Fever and the IU Indy Jaguars as pillars of the local women’s sports scene.
Fever fan and Indy resident Mariah Harris believes the data and ‘eye test’ both say similar things.
“Indy being behind cities (in the rankings) like L.A. and New York makes sense,” Harris said. “I am at nearly every (Fever) home game and it is always sold out and full of passionate fans. It is only up from here.”
A tale of two tiers
Despite the city’s No. 3 overall ranking and a “Women’s Sports Index” score of 45.19, the study suggests there is still room for growth at the grassroots and collegiate levels. While the professional scene is thriving, Indianapolis showed “limited NCAA appearances and titles” and a “mid-tier” draw for collegiate women’s basketball compared to powerhouse markets.
By contrast, the top-ranked city, Los Angeles (61.71), maintains its lead through a combination of elite collegiate output from UCLA and USC, as well as market-leading media visibility. New York City followed at No. 2 (54.03), bolstered by the championship pedigree of Gotham FC and the New York Liberty, as well as the nation’s highest search interest in women’s sports.
National trends and local impact
The rise of support in Indianapolis coincides with a “historic surge” in women’s sports nationwide. However, the report warns that the strength of this momentum is highly regional. While cities like Portland boast the nation’s strongest pro attendance profile, others are struggling to find cultural traction.
At the bottom of the rankings, Arlington, Texas was named the “worst major city in the U.S. for women’s athletics,” citing a lack of professional teams and minimal youth participation pipelines.
For Indianapolis, the high ranking is more than just a badge of honor; it is a reflection of a fan base that has historically supported basketball but is now diversifying its interests. The city’s strong online activity and growing media presence suggest that the digital conversation is finally catching up to the live atmosphere in the stands.
As the city prepares for the 2026 seasons of the Fever and the Ignite, the data confirms what local fans have felt for months: Indianapolis is no longer just a “racing town” — it is a women’s sports town.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him @HorsemenSportsMedia. For more news, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
