Can the Perth Wildcats commercialise open air?

Have the Wildcats found a winner under the stars?

The Perth Wildcats’ first attempt at hosting an open air game was a massive success.

Perth Wildcats @PerthWildcats

The on-court result is easy to quantify; Perth dominated Adelaide from the tip and looked lethal until John Rillie emptied the bench midway through the fourth quarter. Perth has hosted many dominant performances inside RAC arena, so another triumph pales in significance to the off-court implications of their open air extravaganza.

Before continuing, there something I need to admit about myself. I’m not normally one for sentimentality and gimmicks when it comes to the world of professional sports. In a cutthroat industry, I believe too much time is wasted on external forces that float around the athletes and coaches who make it all happen. This is definitely a trend within the small Perth media ecosystem, where only one full-time writer follows the Wildcats throughout the season. So the occurrence of an open air game, in Perth especially, is something my sporting persona would normally run away from. Yet with all of that said… I have to admit it was pretty cool attending the open air game two weekends ago. This was one promotion I would support going forward.

There was energy in RAC Arena that exceeded everything I have experienced since returning to Perth in 2019.