San Francisco the surprising center of sports universe with MLB, WNBA All-Star games
Your first reaction was probably something like, “Wow, cool!”Then, “Pft, of course.”And finally, “Another one?”Sports fans here in the Bay Area have been so blessed that we’re at risk of being burned out.The region made some history earlier this year, when Levi’s Stadium became the first venue to host a Super Bowl and World Cup matches in the same calendar year.You’ve gotta wonder if we achieved another first this week.Has a region ever been awarded two All-Star Games in the span of four days?First, on Friday, came the long-speculated news that Oracle Park would host MLB’s 2028 Midsummer Classic.
Then, on Tuesday, the WNBA announced that its All-Star festivities would be coming to Chase Center, just a mile down the San Francisco waterfront, in 2027.The announcements only cemented San Francisco’s status as the epicenter of the sports universe.A run of power that began with NBA All-Star weekend last February now won’t see the City by the Bay step out of the spotlight until at least 2028.Golden State rolled out the red — or, violet — carpet for the big news, with a VIP guest list for a press conference on the floor of the gleaming new arena that featured House Speaker emeritus Nancy Pelosi and league commissioner Cathy Engelbert, and it almost felt like deja vu.Just a few years earlier, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was on hand for an almost identical press conference in the same setting to award the 2025 All-Star Game to San Francisco.“We’re a city on the rise,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said on stage Tuesday.
“And the confidence of the WNBA and their commissioner allowing us to host their marquee event is something that we’re going to be ready for.”It would be hard to find a city in the country with as much practice playing host to marquee events in the post-pandemic world than the 49-square mile patch of pristine land that Lurie has managed since the heir to the Levi’s fortune won election in 2024.It’s a remarkable...