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The WNBA has released numbers detailing the historic highs it is seeing in both attendance and viewership this year.
According to the WNBA, more than half of all the WNBA games so far this season were sellouts, which is an increase of 156% compared to 2023. The arenas the WNBA teams are playing in have been filled to a 94% capacity, a 17% increase from 2023.
Finally, this year’s televised games have been averaging 1.32 million viewers per game — that’s nearly three times more than last season’s average of 462,000.
The stunning statistics don’t stop there, however, as the pregame show WNBA Countdown has seen a 211% increase from 2023, its social channels have grown by 380%, merch sales are up 756%, and League Pass subscriptions are up 355%.
“What’s happening now in women’s basketball is confirmation of what we’ve always known: The demand is there, and women’s sports is a valuable investment,” Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison said in an official statement from the WNBA.
“We’re encouraged by growing engagement across all our verticals, especially as we welcome new and diverse audiences into our fandom. The WNBA continues to experience sustained growth as our league embraces this heightened momentum.”
Despite the clear impact that #1 overall draft pick Caitlin Clark has had on the league, however, there is still resistance from both veterans and the establishment to fully embrace her, as evidenced by her treatment on the court and her snub from the Olympics team.
While Clark isn’t the only exciting rookie to enter the WNBA this year — both Cameron Brink and Angel Reese have also contributed to the sport’s rise in popularity — the level of notoriety that Clark has brought to the league is clearly unprecedented.
Anecdotally, for my fiance’s 31st birthday in a couple of weeks, I bought like 10 tickets for me, her, and her friends to go to the Los Angeles Spark take on the New York Liberty in Brooklyn. While Clark obviously isn’t playing in that game, it’s difficult to imagine the idea of planning such an event would have even occurred to me before she arrived in the WNBA.