That includes going to platforms like Twitch, as well as running larger ad campaigns. Only time will tell if such measures work to create more revenue. Your email address will not be published. Check out the following sections to learn more.
Quick Navigation. Other factors — including player obligations overseas, a crowded fall sports television market and travel issues — continue to pose a challenge. The WNBA has been trending upwards for the past few years and the momentum has never been more palpable. The question now is, how can the league continue to grow and build on that success?
Travel is one area the WNBA continues to grapple with. It was a small step, but perhaps an indication of what might be possible in the future. Attendance is another area in need of improvement. While overall viewership numbers have continued to rise, in-person attendance has fallen.
In , the league averaged about 6, fans per game. Average attendance in dipped to an average of 2, COVID and more access to games via streaming services, social media apps and television have certainly played a part. Still, there are positive takeaways. The Sky sold out both of their home Finals games and the Mercury, Aces, Sky, Connecticut Sun and Minnesota Lynx all recorded above-average attendance during the regular season, according to Across the Timeline.
WNBA players also saw an increase in national endorsement deals this season. Having Bird and Sabrina Ionescu on a regular rotation of television commercials is also great for the league, though there are plenty of other players who deserve the same attention. Follow Lyndsey on Twitter darcangel Search Search. Happy Pride Month! Shop now. October 26, - Lyndsey D'Arcangelo.
In many ways, the league is a completely different specimen than when it launched. Like the Ship of Theseus , which asks whether an object remains fundamentally the same if all its parts have been replaced, the WNBA has been in a steady state of renovation, one piece at a time.
Many casual fans think they know what the league is, because maybe they checked it out once at the beginning, or maybe a friend of theirs made some snide comment. Over the last quarter century, the power has migrated from the league, to the teams and, finally, now, to the players—where it has always belonged.
The CBA signed in is an agreement with an eye to the future. Some of the more important aspects are obvious. The players fought for changes that allowed for more player movement, which they rightly recognized as the lifeblood of offseason coverage. Right away, Candace Parker left Los Angeles for Chicago—a splashy move almost impossible under the old agreement. And now we have a new story line: a blossoming rivalry.
The headline was the point. The belief that female players make less money than schoolteachers. Not just the athleticism, but also the money, the culture, the fashion, the cachet—it all adds up to cultural capital. Watching sports is communal, even when alone. Of course, both women and men want to be a part of that cultural conversation. People watch sports because of how it makes them feel. Sometimes that is nostalgic or tense or blissful, but more often the feeling is cool.
The inverse of cool is a cause. And too often throughout the years, the pitch for the WNBA has been something like, Supporting it is the right thing to do, for our daughters. And that perpetuates the idea of the W as a kind of charity, a Title IX offshoot. Investors are just beginning to recognize the tremendous long-term value in owning a WNBA franchise. The W has rarely had owners with yacht money.
The modern-day NBA claims that half of its franchises lose money. Now we have to pore over profit-and-loss statements? The takeaway is that we love investing in men.
Wow, do we ever. But this generation is fearless. Whoever moves first will benefit most. Yeah, Taurasi should have been the Jordan, but maybe, just like the league itself, she was ahead of her time. Check your inbox for a welcome email. Email address required.
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