The WNBA Released A Report Saying Attendance Is Up 156% Leaguewide, Viewership Is Up 3X On Average, And They're Already At All-Time Highs In League Pass Subscriptions And Merchandise Sales
• Attendance is up 156% from last year, and more than half of all WNBA games this year have been sellouts.
• About 400,000 fans have attended WNBA games this season, filling WNBA arenas to 94% capacity.
• This year's televised games (ABC, ESPN, etc.) are averaging 1.32 million viewers, nearly triple last season's average of 462,000.
• WNBA Countdown is averaging 741,000 viewers, a 211% increase from last year's full season average.
• The WNBA's online merchandise store has already set a single-season sales record (with 4+ months left in the season), and sales are up 756% compared to last year.
• The WNBA's social channels garnered 157 million video views through the first week of the season, an all-time high and up 380% compared to last year.
• The WNBA set an all-time high for League Pass subscriptions last month with a 355% increase vs. last season.
Well well well, what do we have here? Let me start by giving a shout out to Angel Reese for making this all possible. I don't even really have a side in all the drama that is going on, other than the clear evidence that Caitlin Clark is the catalyst for growing this league and any player who tries to hurt her or is jealous of that fact should be forced to fly commercial or even Greyhound to their games like Bosco for March Madness. I think it was Big Cat that said it but we haven't seen this type of media buzz for a player since Tebow, and that was amplified by the fact he plays the biggest sport in the country.
How many times do Clark enthusiasts have to show you clear cut proof that this league would continue to be in shambles if it wasn't for her? The Chief Growth Officer of the WNBA was quoted saying:
“What’s happening now in women’s basketball is confirmation of what we’ve always known: The demand is there, and women’s sports is a valuable investment,” said Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison. “We’re encouraged by growing engagement across all our verticals, especially as we welcome new and diverse audiences into our fandom. The WNBA continues to experience sustained growth as our league embraces this heightened momentum.”
The most flowers they give Caitlin in the press release is basically just them mentioning how -every- single viewership record was a game between the Indiana Fever and (insert literally any single team here). So how do you reward her besides a $28 million endorsement deal that is proving to be far too low? By sitting her at home for the biggest gathering of sports competition in the entire world of course! I really hope they release jersey sale numbers at some point, because the only thing it says is that Clark, Cameron Brink, and Angel Reese rank in the top five. Let's have some fun and play a game of comparing Olympic viewership to a Fever game in a few months. Can we see revenues for each team?
I'm just upset we won't get a Clark Team USA jersey that would go double platinum at college parties for the next decade. The Flint Tropics jersey would be up for a real test on greatest jerseys to party in. And good news for the league, zillionaire Mr Beast hasn't watched a WNBA game before this season...
Charlotte Beasts loading..? And by the time Clark hangs it up she'll bring a WNBA team back to Iowa City at the rate she's going. If they give her the deserved flowers of course.
P.S. Stephen A COOKING for 17 minutes is prime viewing: