Caitlin Clark and Fellow Rookies Draw Near-Record Crowds in the 1st Month of WNBA Season

06/13/2024 11:37 AM

The WNBA recently announced that the first month of its season has seen a surge in attendance marking the highest figures since 1998 along with achieving record-breaking television ratings. This boost in popularity is largely credited to the introduction of popular rookies, including Caitlin Clark from the Indiana Fever, Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky, and Cameron Brink from the Los Angeles Sparks, who had already garnered a massive following during their college basketball days.

The viewership for WNBA games across multiple networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ABN, ION, CBS, and NBA TV has averaged 1.32 million viewers, which is triple last season's average of 462,000 viewers. On the betting front, it’s only a matter of time before popular Canadian betting sites start recording numbers similar to NBA betting.

Colie Edison, who serves as the WNBAs growth officer, expressed optimism about the league's increasing popularity. “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 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.”

Furthermore, reports indicate that over half of the league's games in May were sold out, more than double compared to the same period last year.

With an average of 400,000 fans showing up for the games, this marks a record attendance in the first month of a season in over two decades. Arena capacity has gone up to 94%, which is a 17% increase from last year. Some games have been moved to alternative venues to accommodate the demand. For instance, a recent game featuring Clark and the Fever took place at the Washington Wizards downtown arena, which accommodates 20,333 fans compared to the Mystics usual venue which has a capacity of only 4,200.

The Caitlin Clack effect

It's no surprise that companies are lining up to take advantage of the Caitlin Clark wave, just like fans eagerly clamor for her autograph by the arena fences. The Iowa graduate is exceptional not only in breaking scoring records but also setting new levels of fan engagement. She consistently fills stadiums both home and away, and she recently drew a crowd of 17,000 fans to a public practice session during the Final Four weekend. Her WNBA jersey was quickly sold out right after she was announced the top draft by the Indiana Fever. The Caitlin fever has resulted in several teams having to relocate their matches to larger venues.