Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) maneuvers past Washington Mystics guard Ariel Atkins (7) and Washington Mystics guard DiDi Richards (12) during the Washington Mystics-Indiana Fever WNBA game at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2024 .
Craig Hudson | The Washington Post | Getty Images
The growing popularity of women's basketball didn't stop with the NCAA Tournament. Fans are also turning out for Women's National Basketball Association games at record levels, the league announced Monday.
The start of the 28th season, which began on May 14, is the most watched season on TV in the league's history, according to one study. Edition. Across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and CBS, the WNBA is averaging 1.3 million viewers per game, tripling last season's average of 462,000 viewers.
About 400,000 fans attended games in May, the highest first-month attendance in 26 years, according to the league. More than half of those games were sold out.
The WNBA attributed much of the growing fan engagement to its powerful rookie class. Jersey sales for big names like Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky's Angel Reese contributed to a 236% increase in merchandise sales year over year.
The league also reported a more diverse viewership. The number of people tuning in to games on TV grew 60% year over year among people of color. Viewership in the first week of the season more than doubled for young girls and people under 35.
“We are encouraged by the growing engagement across our verticals, especially as we welcome new and diverse audiences to our fandom,” Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison said in the release.
