Chicago will be the center of the women's sports world this weekend as the WNBA All-Star game returns to the city after being held here back in 2022. and those 4 years have made quite a difference.

Player, salaries, TV ratings, even the number of teams in the league are all up and excitement seems to be at an all-time high.

The All-Star game will take place Saturday, but events happening all weekend long are set to show what the league has grown into.

Joining us with more on what to expect our Maggie Hendricks reporter at the 9 sports Alyssa Hearst Chicago Sky Beat reporter Beat writer at the Chicago Sun-Times and Carissa Flores, founder and CEO of Level Sporting Club and a former college basketball player at Northwestern Ladies, thanks for joining us.

Happy to be here.

So Maggie, remind us what 2022 All-Star Weekend was like.

>> It nowhere near what we're having this weekend.

It was only announced to be in Chicago.

couple months before the event.

It was a lot smaller.

The game was at Wintrust as opposed to this year.

It's at the United Center, the three-point and Skills contest.

We're at McCormick Place and it basically felt like it was on a sound stage.

The public wasn't invited.

There are maybe 5, 6, 100 people there watching.

And Allie Quigley like broke a 3 point contests record that that time and it's still like.

>> It looked cool on TV, I think.

But it did not look cool when you are there because it just it literally felt like they had a sound stage, OK?

What a difference.

4 years makes clear us of what is the atmosphere like around the city this year?

I mean, the city is absolutely buzzing.

>> It started on Monday.

You know, we did a WNBA all-star, a golf tournament.

The sky put on and it's everything the restaurants are busy.

Hotels are busy.

Everything about the city.

You could feel the energy versus 2022.

And I couldn't be more excited for that.

I'm not sure some folks even knew what was happening in 2022.

Let alone this weekend.

Folks are like this is going on and there's lots to do with it.

Besides the game itself, what else is happening this weekend?

Oh, my goodness.

We have so much going on on level sporting Club along.

You know, we have a trivia night tonight.

We have a watch party on Saturday with you know, several brands that we're doing this amazing watch party.

And we've got an amazing brunch party that we're doing on Sunday.

But aside from that, there are events going on.

There's about 20 by today going on.

You know, I've already made about 4, 5, stops before I got here.

there's so much to look forward to.

And the game itself at the United Center is definitely the highlight, obviously, A list of the sky.

They don't have any All-Stars this year.

Instead, fans will have to watch several players that the team missed out on.

Tell us what went down there.

>> Yeah, disappointed that sky don't have any of their own players, but fans will get to see some favorites from the past.

So Kaliyah copper, Marina Mabry Angel Reese, the most recent and these are all players that the sky have had.

And unfortunately, let go.

>> more but they let them go.

I'm Maggie.

Then there's also the skies practice facility wasn't ready in time for the weekend.

And you've written about how that's a missed opportunity for the sky.

Yeah, I mean, this really could have been an opportunity to show some of the league's best players.

>> Hey, look at this board or just practice facility.

We have look at all that we have done to grow and change.

Our reputation is not perhaps the best team in the league and they missed it.

And we know, obviously it's construction in Chicago.

We know how that's going to go, but that they made it's a promise that they made it what they we're going.

They're going to have so many events at the practice facility.

And now I mean, the Obama center.

Fantastic.

Don't get me wrong.

excited to go there tomorrow.

But they are definitely just missing out on some chances.

Yeah.

How important is, you know, good shining, you know, practice facility to to the the organization, but also to the city.

>> I mean, it's a huge deal in attracting the best players because the salaries you can only do so much winds.

I mean, that's changed a little bit with the last CBA.

But still there's only so much you can do with the salaries, but in showing how a player will be treated like a professional, how they'll get to recover.

Well, how they'll get to just have a great place to hang around hang out with their teammates.

That's what a lot of the other best teams are offering.

So if the sky right to compete, they have to offer that as well.

>> Clear.

So how does the growth of the WNBA has that sort of changed the landscape for players at the college level?

Even high school?

I mean, just from when I played, you know, I mentioned earlier, you know, I played in 97 my city championship game against Marshall High School.

I went to a neon.

>> And I played in front of 7,000 people.

You know, at that time the phantom was there has it grown?

It's grown exponentially.

But the difference now I believe is like, you know, when I played, I knew I could not make a career out of basketball.

So I had to pivot and I got him tossed You know, the younger generation now can look at the game, say, hey, I can make a career out of basketball.

I can do that.

I can make a profession like my life can be sustained from women's sports.

And I think that's the biggest difference, right?

And we're looking at a few pictures from an event that the sky did where they were at painting from 3 point line, I think on basketball court for for younger players.

I'm Alyssa for Sky fans.

What are some of the bright spots this season to look So as usual, the sky actually do have some really great players.

Their record is not necessarily reflect that.

And I think fans have had to >> suffered the disappointment of seeing great players walk away.

we do have right now, Ricky Jackson, Sydney, Taylor and Camilla Cardoso 3 very exciting young players that could potentially foundation for this team for the future.

Okay.

So this this isn't the big year for the something we're doing.

team building clear.

So what is behind the growing interest in the WNBA?

Yeah, I mean, I think the latest.

>> And the Chicago sky are finally starting to invest in the players.

And that's a big if biggest thing they're investing, their players as we know, visibilities equity.

So with that think the game is growing and also received experiencing a cultural shift in women's sports.

And Chicago's at the heart of that, you know, not only Chicago known as a sports mecca of the world, in my opinion, but now we're going to be known as a sports.

The women's sports mecca of the world.

You know it all starting here with WNBA All-Star.

We're highlighting the city.

You know, I had a chat with the matter on son who's one of the co-owners of the Chicago Sky.

And I asked what's next for you and what what is next is aside from the practice facility is building their own stadium.

And I believe that that is something that she wants to do, not only for the league, but for the city and for the Chicago sky.

>> So one of those investments, Maggie, is, you know, it's another change since 2022.

And that's the collective bargaining agreement between the players and the league signed this spring.

>> Tell us about that and what it does.

I mean, the biggest thing is that it allowed for much bigger salaries.

The players, salaries, I believe, quadrupled the highest amount of players who are millionaires.

Now and they couldn't they could not become millionaires from playing in the WNBA in the past.

So I mean, obviously that's a big change.

But also things like investment into teams.

Players wanted that codified things like having a massage therapist having good recovery items having nutritionist, all sorts of chiropractor, all kinds of things that make them healthier and better players unable to have longer careers.

>> Alyssa, the team also has several new teams.

How has that growth, you know, change the league?

I think it's added to the culture you teams and temp disco, Toronto in Portland.

Those cities are so excited to have women's basketball like I think it I somewhat clear, so is talking about like there's always been this interest and desire to watch women play.

And now you've added 3 new teams that are just putting an amazing product on the floor and have like the support that has always been there from their cities.

All right.

Alyssa, what are you gonna be watching for this weekend?

This weekend?

The point guards page backers, Caitlin Clark, Olivia Miles, are like the new generation of point guards in this league.

I also played Bass was a point guard.

So that's for me watching, right?

10 seconds.

watching for Crescent all the 3 point contest.

We're talking about that before we got on.

I think that's gonna be an exciting one.

I think we've got a few bets going on as to who's going to win.

But definitely, I'm just kind excited to see the goofiness and the camaraderie that you have been an All-Star game that you can't have a real game.

So, you know, T for merchant about her son, Alan apartment units, the by are, you know, that's my favorite part of All-Star