Everybody actually has been watching girls’s sports activities. The WNBA introduced Thursday that they’ve set a single-season attendance report, breaking the earlier report from 2002. Appears odd that that report had been held since 2002, proper? Effectively, again then, there have been 16 WNBA groups; this 12 months, there are 13 groups. This highlights the rising curiosity in girls’s basketball but in addition the dedication from franchises to verify their venues have sufficient seating for everybody who desires to come back watch the motion. Many video games this season have been moved to greater venues to accommodate. That, plus the increase in girls’s basketball fandom the league has seen, has resulted in historic attendance data.
Attendance is completely different from viewership, after all. That is measuring individuals who confirmed up and never individuals who tuned in. With solely 13 WNBA markets, it may be onerous to get everybody who would like to see a WNBA recreation dwell in particular person out to 1. But, the league has already damaged the report with a number of weeks nonetheless left within the common season.
Thus far in 2025, 2,501,609 followers have attended a complete of 226 video games. When the report was set in 2002, it was throughout 256 complete video games, and once more with three extra groups within the combine.
These strikes to greater arenas have been for video games that includes the league’s subsequent technology of stars, together with Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese. Regardless of those that feared the league could be in hassle attendance-wise after Caitlin Clark was injured earlier within the season, folks have continued to indicate up for these video games. Even when the league traveled to Canada for its first worldwide regular-season recreation between the Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm, the sport was bought out, with over 15,000 followers in attendance.
The WNBA remains to be in development mode as nicely. After welcoming their thirteenth crew this season with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries (who’ve contributed to league attendance at their famed “Ballhalla” within the Bay), the WNBA will welcome two extra groups subsequent 12 months with the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fireplace. Three extra groups in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia will be a part of by 2030. Surpassing that 16-team mark and heading as much as 18 complete WNBA groups will solely see these attendance data get damaged increasingly more over the following 5 seasons.
The league is at a pivotal level of development for the time being, which is why coming to a cope with the Gamers’ Union and signing a brand new Collective Bargaining Settlement quickly is necessary. If the league lets the present CBA expire on the finish of October and there’s any form of work stoppage, this development may falter. The gamers are combating for higher income share, elevated salaries, and protections amongst many different areas as nicely. Whereas there have been a number of conferences and negotiations, it doesn’t appear to be the 2 sides are any nearer to signing a brand new contract.
It’s an necessary time for the expansion of the league, and the right time for gamers to make use of their leverage to get what they deserve.
