The Real W Behind the WNBA
In a heartwarming segment on the Jennifer Hudson show last week, four year old superfan Iman Taylor meet his basketball idol: A’ja Wilson, a forward for the Las Vegas Aces, three-time MVP and Co-Defensive Player of the Year who led the Aces to their third WNBA championship win for the past 4 years. A montage of video clips shared by his mother, Bianca Taylor, plays on screen and viewers can’t help but smile at every scene of the little boy excitedly sharing his love for A’ja. “She plays good basketball,” Ivan exclaimed in one clip, “I would love [for] her to come to my birthday party and come to my house,” he says in another. Luckily, Jennier Hudson is there to make his wish come true. As the screen doors open to reveal A’ja Wilson, Ivan’s birthday wish comes true, and he immediately runs into her arms, sitting in her lap for the rest of the interview.
One of the clips that really stood out to me was Iman’s response to his mother’s question: “Would you play basketball with her?” Confused, Iman responds, “No, I’m not a girl. Boys play basketball?” His mom—also a former basketball player and a WNBA fan—elaborates that her family doesn’t really watch the NBA. Typically, it’s the opposite: most people only watch the NBA, not the WNBA. With the popularity of the NBA, a young boy who idolizes a female basketball player rather than the countless male players we have is practically unheard of, speaking to the cultural impact that the WNBA has made in just a few years. And Iman’s not the only young boy growing up favoring the WNBA. The league is drawing more and more Gen Z and millennial fans, especially young boys.
But the WNBA’s slow climb to fame hasn’t been easy, and with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations dictating the players’ salaries, loomsover the league, the future is uncertain. A league that’s been scraping by, defying all the critics and nay-sayers who swore women’s basketball–and women’s sports as a whole–would never be relevant, is a symbol of hope for the next generation. The WNBA’s explosion in popularity is a ray of light for all of women’s sports, proving time and time again that Everyone Watches Women’s Sports™
The WNBA aired their first game in 1997 with an eight team league. Originally, there were high hopes for the new sister league of the NBA, whose overwhelming victory to the gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics catapulted women’s basketball into the media’s eye. The excitement of a women’s league drew moderate success and found footing within their own fanbases, but the shine quickly wore off. Financial struggles, low viewership, and media skepticism plagued and continue to plague the WNBA. Nevertheless, even through countless expansions, disbandments, and team moves, the league continued on. Throughout the years, legendary players like Tina Thompson, Lisa Leslie, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and so many more brought the league to newer heights and inspired the next generations to carry the torch.
The relentless dedication and unmoving faith in the face of relative obscurity finally paid off 2024 when the WNBA gained its first major surge in popularity. Online viewership was up 133% from last season, attendance jumped from 48%, arenas filled out, and online engagement was at an all time high at 2 billion views across multiple social media platforms. It was the big break that the league was so desperately searching for. At the forefront of that popularity was rookie Caitlin Clark, whose unbelievable 3 point shots and fiery playstyle have gone viral on social media and made her team, the Indiana Fever, the most watched WNBA team. However, even when she missed 28 games and eventually had to sit out in early September for the rest of the season, viewership was still up 5-6% last season, making it the most watched WNBA season in history. She brought the attention, but fans stayed for something bigger than her. Rising superstars like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen attract newer and younger fans. Simultaneously, veterans like A’ja Wilson and Brianna Stewart showcase the elite playstyle and skillset of WNBA players that are often ignored. Rome wasn’t built in one night, and neither was the WNBA.
To better understand what’s actually driving the popularity of the league, a clear distinction needs to be made between superfans and casual fans. According to a study by SP Global Market, only ⅓ of WNBA viewers consider themselves superfans, while the other ⅔ are casual viewers. From these superfans, 80% watch for a singular player rather than a team and 61% of casual fans do the same. Unlike other sports, the WNBA is a much smaller league—only 12 teams— meaning that fewer people have the option of supporting their home team. From my own experience, fewer WNBA fans are team fans, rooting for a whole organization and whoever plays for them, but instead many of them are fans of individual players. If that means supporting a player in Dallas when you’re from New Jersey, then so be it (me and Paige Bueckers). While I certainly root for the New York Liberty regardless of who’s on the team, many W fans are quick to switch teams when their favorite players are traded or leave. This has created a unique culture where players carve out their own brand and image off the sport that’s centered on themselves versus the team. Think Angel Reese’s Victoria’s Secret Walk and Paige Bueckers’ starring in an upcoming Apple Original Film. The WNBA has social media marketing down.
Above all else, the WNBA fosters a feeling of being part of the team. When I went to a New York Liberty game in September, it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I stood before a wave of seafoam green, deafening, energetic chants, and the one and only, Ellie the Elephant (the New York Liberty’s iconic mascot). Even online, the community exhibits the same feelings of familiarity and belonging, wrought with inside jokes and memes. You don’t need to know every players’ stat sheet or fully grasp all the plays being made. The fundamental, strategic playstyle of the game leaves you on the edge of your seat, and as your anxiety bubbles into a cheer when your team scores, the crowd erupts alongside you, and you’re home.
As a black dominated, openly queer-friendly league, the WNBA’s surge in popularity also empowers other traditionally underrepresented and marginalized communities. The players have never been afraid to use their voices to amplify important social movements. In 2020, the WNBA dedicated the season to Breonna Taylor and the #SayHerName campaign. At games, players wore “Black Lives Matter” and “Breonna Taylor” t-shirts to games in support of the movement. When the former co-owner of the Atlanta Dream and Republican Senator, Kelly Loeffler, criticized their vocal advocacy, every player on the team publicly denounced her statements and wore shirts supporting her Democratic opponent. That campaign was not the first, nor will it be the last, of the WNBA’s fervent activism. The WNBA today is still incomparable to the levels of fame and security that shield other popular leagues, especially their male counterparts, but chose to make a stance regardless and taking that risk revealed to the world that these players exist beyond just a game of basketball.
While simply being their truest selves, WNBA players are signaling to their audience that their identity should be celebrated and earnestly showcased. From Natasha Cloud of the New York Liberty advocating for racial justice on her Twitter page to Arike Ogunbowale from the Dallas Wings casually announcing her engagement to another woman on Instagram, WNBA players are rejecting the squeaky-clean PR image that so many other athletes adhere to. Women’s basketball has never been more popular–similar to so many other women’s sports that are still looking for their big break–the WNBA is setting a precedent: authenticity that builds mutual and genuine love. Me and millions of other WNBA fans feel seen by the players, not built from unhealthy obsession or carefully orchestrated parasocialism, but genuine acknowledgement–and the players know that. Everyday they continue to be their most authentic selves on and off the courts, to encourage their fans to do the same. We’ve come far enough to the point where the goal isn’t to grow the league anymore: it’s establishing a new blueprint for professional sports.
With yet another extension to the CBA that leaves the league in perpetual limbo, the story of the WNBA is tainted by misogynistic rhetoric of NBA comparisons that reduces what generations of players have accomplished to a dogpilling of women’s capabilities. At its core, the WNBA is a representation of perseverance, social justice, and true community. As the rest of the world watches with bated breath to see if the league can continue on their momentum, the players focus on what they do best: playing basketball and being themselves.