Going into the 2024 WNBA season, there were two names everyone was looking forward to seeing on the court, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. After the WNBA draft where Caitlin Clark was selected first overall to the Indiana Fever, and Angel Reese was selected seventh overall to the Chicago Sky, something instantly felt different about this season. All the Caitlin and Angel hype wasn’t being overblown; on June 16th, CBS aired its highest-viewed WNBA game of all time, featuring Caitlin’s Fever and Angel’s Sky, which drew in 2.25 million viewers.
Although there were many eyes on those two, there were also plenty of other WNBA stars who brought the league attention, including the WNBA’s second ever Unanimous MVP, A’ja Wilson. According to the WNBA themselves, ABC, NBA TV, ION, CBS Sports and ESPN all had at least an 86% increase in viewership. The rise in interest wasn’t limited to TV; there was also a 48% increase in fan attendance this year. Additionally, there were significant increases in social media engagement, All-Star voting, merchandise sales, and more.
In the NBA, NFL, and NHL, athletes earn between 48%-51% of all revenue generated, yet WNBA players are only receiving 9.3% of revenue generated, which has led to players seeking better wages, improved consistency in training facilities, post-career benefits, and overall fairness. With the league’s substantial growth, WNBA players have decided to opt out of their current Collective Bargaining Agreement in their pursuit of fairness.
With the growth in viewership and revenue, the WNBA is also expanding its regular season from 40 to 44 games and increasing its Finals series from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven format. The league is not only adding more games but also expanding its teams, from 12 to 15 by 2026. In the 2025 season, the Golden State Valkyries will debut. In the following year, Portland and Toronto will make their debuts as the league’s 14th and 15th teams, with hopes that they are not the last expansion team of the decade.
The recent surge in the popularity of the WNBA is not just great for women’s sports, it’s great for sports overall. Last year may have been the league’s biggest yet, but it’s just the beginning.