The Abridged version:
Thousands of people filled Downtown Sacramento this weekend for the women’s March Madness basketball tournament, a welcome sight for local fans who often have to travel out of town to catch women’s sports.
Momentum is also growing for professional women’s volleyball and indoor soccer leagues, which have sights on Sacramento.
The tournament brought in a boost of $10 million to the local economy and 13,000 extra hotel room nights booked.
Thousands of people rooted for women’s basketball teams this weekend at the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games hosted at Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento hosted six tournament games between Friday and Monday, drawing visitors from out of town and providing a seldom-seen opportunity to see high-profile women’s sports in town. Women’s sports have been scarce in Sacramento for more than 15 years, since its former WNBA team, the Monarchs, folded in 2009. The last time the city hosted the women’s basketball NCAA tournament was in 2010.
Tournament provides economic boost
March Madness also brought an economic boost to the city, with an estimated $10 million generated for the local economy and 13,000 hotel room nights booked over the course of the tournament, according to Visit Sacramento.
Jodie Gioia, who lives in Sacramento, donned her University of Connecticut sweater and a well-coifed mohawk before showing up for the Elite Eight game between Duke and UCLA on Sunday. She said she was touched to see the volume of people who arrived to cheer for the tournament.
Gioia played as a forward on the UConn women’s team until 1984, in the years “before we were good,” she joked. Today, the UConn Huskies are one of the most competitive women’s basketball teams in NCAA Division I history.
“It was different when I started,” Gioia said. “There was no future for us.”
‘Shouldn’t matter who’s playing’
The WNBA wouldn’t have its inaugural season until 1997. Even today, with a league of 15 teams, spots for players remain competitive. Many women’s careers end after their college years.
“Little boys, little girls, men, women, all generations are here to support,” Gioia said. “It shouldn’t matter who’s playing. We just want to see a good game.”
Megan Glaze and Rocky Glaze described themselves as relative newcomers to women’s basketball fandom. Megan Glaze said NBA star Caitlin Clark initially captured her interest during Clark’s breakout seasons in 2023 and 2024. That opened the door to WNBA fandom as well, she said.
When they heard the tournament would be in Sacramento this year, the two were eager to travel from their home in Medford, Ore., to watch the games.
“It’s electric, with all the fans getting into it,” Rocky Glaze said.
Crowds fill Golden 1 Center during women’s March Madness tournament on March 29, 2026. (Felicia Alvarez)
What happened to the Sacramento Monarchs?
Three banners for the Sacramento Monarchs line the ceiling of the Golden 1 Center, despite the reality that the team folded before construction of the arena. The Monarchs, a highly competitive WNBA franchise, were the most recent team to bring home a league championship trophy, with their crowning win in 2005.
The Maloof family, former owners of the Sacramento Kings, pulled the plug on the Monarchs franchise in 2009. At the time, the Maloofs said they were putting all of their resources into bringing “championship caliber form” to the Kings, the Associated Press reported.
Katie Thornton and Fran Louis are used to flying from Sacramento to catch a Las Vegas Aces game or sitting through Bay Area traffic to see the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco. When the March Madness tournament arrived in Sacramento, they knew they were going to sign up for a full weekend of games.
“We’re rooting for everyone, because everyone watches women’s sports,” Thornton said during halftime at Sunday’s game.
Former WNBA stars shine
The high point of the weekend was seeing stars they once watched on the WNBA court return to Sacramento as head coaches of the NCAA teams.
“It’s really cool to see coaches that we used to watch on the court leading these teams,” Thornton said. “It’s really cool to see this type of following and money in it. I hope it happens every year.”
“I love Dawn Stanley,” Louis added, referring to the head coach of the University of South Carolina. “She looks like she could kick anyone’s ass.”
The games also marked a homecoming for Kara Lawson, a star on the former Sacramento Monarchs for seven seasons. Lawson returned as head coach of Duke’s team, leading them to a buzzer-beating finish against LSU on Friday and a heated loss against UCLA for the Elite Eight game Sunday.
Duke head coach Kara Lawson celebrates after a shot-clock violation against UCLA during the NCAA college basketball tournament March 29, 2026, at Golden 1 Center. Lawson previously played for the Sacramento Monarchs, winning a WNBA championship with the team in 2005. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
Professional women’s volleyball, indoor soccer in the works
At least two new women’s professional leagues are poised to have a presence in the Sacramento region.
In Rancho Cordova, construction is underway for a new 7,500-seat arena that is set to host professional indoor soccer for both men’s and women’s teams. The new Major Arena Soccer League teams are expected to debut in fall 2027.
Major League Volleyball, which hosts women’s teams, is also coming to Northern California under a team co-owned by Vivek Ranadivé, the owner of the Kings.
The new team is anticipated to cover a territory that spans San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento, according to a press release. The Northern California volleyball team, which hasn’t been named yet, is slated to play its first season in 2027.
Women’s soccer expansion a question mark
While momentum is growing around professional soccer in Sacramento, with construction of a new 20,000-seat stadium in the Railyards, prospects for a women’s team remain hazy.
Back in 2019, the National Women’s Soccer League was in talks with Sacramento Republic FC about adding an expansion team in Sacramento. After a series of leadership shifts, the expansion team eventually landed in San Diego.
Representatives from the Sacramento Republic FC declined to comment directly on the possibility of professional women’s soccer coming and indicated that it was not currently courting an NWSL expansion team.
Kings owner Ranadivé has long-hinted at WNBA prospects
Former Monarchs players rallied alongside Ranadivé to keep the Kings in Sacramento in early 2013, with hopes that a WNBA franchise could be revived in Sacramento.
Over the years, the owner of the Kings has alluded to the possibility of bringing back the WNBA franchise.
In 2022, Ranadivé told Comstock’s Magazine “we’re thinking hard about how to expand the platform,” referring to the Sacramento Monarchs.
Momentum has arrived from the upper ranks of the WNBA as well. Sacramento has been floated as a possible location for an expansion team, alongside the likes of Portland, Denver, Toronto, Philadelphia and Charlotte. In 2024, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert confirmed that Sacramento remained of interest, after announcing that San Francisco would host a new team.
Representatives from the Kings did not respond to requests for comment.
Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.