Indiana Fever guard Kaitlin Clark (22) passes Washington Mystics guard Ariel Arter during the WNBA game between the Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever at Capital One Arena on June 7, 2024 in Washington, DC. Kings (7) and Washington Mystics guard Dee Dee Richards (12).
Craig Hudson | The Washington Post | Getty Images
The growing popularity of women’s basketball doesn’t stop with the NCAA tournament — fans show up and tune in to Women’s National Basketball Association games in record numbers, the league reported Monday.
The start of Season 28, which began on May 14, was the highest-rated for a television network in the league’s history, according to one outlet. release. Across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS, the WNBA averaged 1.3 million viewers per game, triple last season’s average of 462,000 viewers.
About 400,000 fans attended games in May, the largest first-month attendance in 26 years, according to the league. More than half of the games are sold out.
The WNBA attributes its growing fan engagement to its strong rookie roster. Sales of jerseys from big names like the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese drove merchandise sales up 236% year over year.
The league also reported more diverse viewership. The number of people of color watching video games has increased by 60% year-on-year. In the first week of the season, viewership among young girls and the under-35 demographic more than doubled.
“We are encouraged by the continued growth in engagement across all verticals, especially as we welcome new and diverse audiences into our fandom,” Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison said in the release. “
About The Author
