ATLANTA — Morgan Shaw Parker knows with every basket, every win and every sellout comes momentum. Parker is the the president and COO of the Atlanta Dream, a team with plenty of momentum.
"There is never a better time to be involved in women's sports," Parker said. "Every time you walk into our arena, you'll feel like you're at home, like you're part of Atlanta, and you're going to feel like Atlanta is reflected in every aspect of that game."
Fresh off a sellout of its season ticket allotment, the Atlanta Dream, the team named for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream, is looking up. The Dream recently put geo-restrictions on single-game tickets at Gateway Arena before they went on sale to the general public in order to prevent scalpers and brokers from overbuying and selling them at a higher cost.
"We've been busting at the seams for the better part of two years, so we really wanted to make sure season ticket members, people who had attended a Dream game, were able come out and buy the games they wanted," Parker said. "We really wanted to make sure that our most loyal fans had access to our games first.”
The Dream made the playoffs for the first time in five years last season, led by head coach Tanisha Wright and 2023's number one pick and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard. The emergence of super teams and superstars like Caitlyn Clark only add to the momentum that's growing across women's basketball.
"Finally, we’re seeing a culmination of all the momentum, all the women that came before us who really put the sport on the map," Parker said. "You’ve got a new crop of talent coming in. You’ve got increased levels of competition. What's happening this year is not just about one person, one team, or one season. We've seen this growth trajectory and we're poised to meet it."
Parker predicts a historic, record-setting season this year in women's basketball. Off the court, community matters, too. Parker said the Dream has teamed up with Atlanta Public Schools, other public and private schools, The Center for Civil and Human Rights and The King Center.
"We really want to make sure that we're listening to the community, understanding what these young girls need and understand how we can give back to the community is put first and foremost," Parker said. "We're coming together to really understand what it takes to empower women’s sports, what it takes to make an impact in the community."