Attendance was one of the most discussed topics in the WNBA throughout the 2024 season. The hype surrounding the rookie class, notably Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, helped lead to sky-rocketing attendance numbers. The final attendance statistics are truly incredible. According to espnW, the league saw a 48 percent attendance increase from 2023 to 2024. Overall, 2.3 million fans watched the WNBA this season, which is the most in 22 years according to espnW.
The WNBA is clearly trending in a promising direction from an attendance/viewership standpoint. Clark and Reese deserve a lot of credit, but so do other stars such as A'ja Wilson. Wilson is the face of the league right now and she won the 2024 WNBA MVP Award.
Clark, meanwhile, finished fourth in WNBA MVP voting. Reese may have received some MVP consideration had she not suffered a season-ending injury in early September. Still, both players enjoyed impressive rookie seasons.
The attendance increase in the league has allowed other star players to receive more attention. The WNBA is marketing its players well, and fans are buying into the product. Many teams around the league had quality attendance and viewership numbers as a result.
Will WNBA continue to receive strong attendance moving forward?
The WNBA should be able to maintain respectable WNBA attendance rates moving forward. Again, it goes beyond Clark and Reese. We have seen stars such as A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu and Arike Ogunbowale emerge as extremely popular superstars. In today's sports world, being able to market stars is what leads to attention.
For example, the NBA has done a tremendous job of this. LeBron James and Stephen Curry are not just great basketball players, but true celebrities. Non-basketball fans will still tune in to witness their greatness.
The same can be said for Patrick Mahomes in the NFL. Tom Brady played a similar role before he announced his retirement.
The WNBA has superstars who are beginning to reach that true celebrity status. As a result, interest should only continue to increase in women's basketball. It may start with Clark, Reese and Wilson, but players around the entire league will play pivotal roles in the continued growth of the WNBA.
The future is bright for the league. Surpassing 2024's jaw-dropping attendance numbers will not be an easy task to accomplish, but it can be done given the potential of the sport.