How the WNBA Proved Me and Everyone Else Wrong
"Women's basketball doesn't have to constantly make the argument anymore that it deserves media coverage." The post How the WNBA Proved Me and Everyone Else Wrong appeared first on Barrett Media.
In the summer of 1997, the author covered the Utah Starzz as a sideline reporter during the WNBA's inaugural season. At that time, the team averaged only 7,611 fans per game and ranked dead last in attendance among eight teams. The author predicted the league wouldn't last, but they were proven wrong.
Thirty years on, the WNBA has grown significantly. The Golden State Valkyries, in their second season, have been valued at $1 billion, making it the first women's sports franchise to reach that mark. The average WNBA franchise is now valued at roughly $460 million. ESPN's coverage of WNBA games has also expanded, with their most-watched game ever reaching 2.6 million viewers.
The audience for WNBA games on ESPN networks more than doubled to nearly 1.2 million viewers in 2024, and viewership for the WNBA Draft and All-Star Game increased significantly.
Caitlin Clark's arrival in 2023 played a significant role in the league's growth. Her presence on ESPN platforms led to a 170% increase in audience for WNBA games and a 328% increase in viewership for the WNBA Draft. The WNBA Finals drew the largest audience in the event's history, with 3.4 million viewers.
The WNBA's new national media-rights agreements, set to run through 2036, are worth about $200 million per year, a fourfold increase from what the league had previously received. This season, the league has a record 216 nationally distributed games and events across various broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. This growth in media rights and viewership is a far cry from the initial skepticism the author had in 1997.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
