The Women's National Basketball Association is truly thriving - the remarkable campaign of Caitlin Clark and the league's outstanding statistics in numbers.
Sure, I'm here to paraphrase the provided text for you. Here it goes:
Indeed, I'm putting a bit of a spin on things with that line, but the WNBA Finals are here after an extraordinary season for the league. According to various statistics, there's no doubt that American interest in the WNBA is at an all-time high this century, primarily due to the performances of Indiana Fever's superstar, Caitlin Clark.
Let's break it down: Google searches. They've been consistently higher this WNBA season, starting with the draft in April, than at any point since records began (2004). Searches for the WNBA have increased by over 300% compared to last season, over 850% compared to five seasons ago, and an astonishing 1,400% from a decade ago.
In simple terms, the WNBA has been on the rise, but this year, it really took off.
This surge in interest has translated into profits for the league. Attendance is up by a whopping 48% from 2023, with no team averaging over 10,000 attendees per game in 2023, whereas six teams managed that this season. The Fever, led by Clark, saw the most significant increase, with their average attendance jumping from 4,000 in 2023 to over 17,000 this season.
The merchandise sales reflect this trend as well. They've increased by an amazing 600% from last year, with Clark's jersey being the best-seller, followed closely by Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky.
The Clark-Reese rivalry seems to have driven viewership as well. More people tuned into the average nationally televised WNBA game this season (657k) than in any season in this century. When we focus on games featuring Clark, her influence becomes apparent. An average of 1.2 million people tuned into games involving the Fever, almost three times the average for other games.
Competitions between the Fever and Reese's Sky set records. For instance, the league's most-watched game in over two decades was between them in mid-June on CBS Sports (2.25 million), which was itself surpassed by 2.35 million viewers tuning into an ESPN game between the two teams two weeks later.
These Sky-Fever viewership numbers are impressively high, often matching or exceeding the average nationally televised MLB regular season game. Despite the Fever's elimination, the WNBA playoffs continue to break records – Game 1 of the Liberty-Aces series was the most-watched WNBA semifinals game in 22 years, a record that was broken by Game 3 with an audience of 994k, which was significantly higher than the audience last year.
While the MLB's ratings will likely surpass the WNBA's with Clark's Fever out of the postseason, it's clear that the WNBA has a promising future due to Clark and Reese.
Q Scores, which measure celebrities' popularity, show that more Americans know who Clark (44%) is than famous baseball players like Aaron Judge (30%), Mike Trout (25%), and Shohei Ohtani (23%). Reese also has high recognition rates, with 27% of Americans aware of her.
It's not just that people know who Clark is, but a significant number (20%) list her as their favorite star, a higher percentage than the average male or female athlete (13%). Reese also exceeds the average in this regard (16%).
As a friend once said, entertainment relies on stars to thrive. This year seems to have proven this theory and suggests that the WNBA has a bright future ahead.
The surge in interest in the WNBA can also be seen in the rise of online forums and social media discussions about women's basketball, with fans eagerly discussing the performances of stars like Clark.
The success of the WNBA this season, particularly the Clark-Reese rivalry, has even attracted the attention of mainstream sports media, with some outlets dedicating more coverage to WNBA games and players than ever before.
