WNBA reaches six-year high in attendance
By Jada Butts
2017 has been a big year for the WNBA. It has been a league initiative to showcase the game and these women’s abilities. In the 21st season, the WNBA notched the highest attendance in six years and set records for social media during the regular season.
More from Los Angeles Sparks
- Bet $5 on Sparks vs. Sky, Win $150 Instantly with Limited-Time DraftKings Promo
- Los Angeles Sparks name Curt Miller next head coach
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, November 2: Shakeup in the ACC with Bollin commit, UNC retool
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 14: Mystics are going dancing
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, September 10: Dream are (mathematically) stayin’ alive
The WNBA registered its highest total attendance (1,574,078) and highest average attendance (7,716) since 2011. The reigning WNBA champions, the Los Angeles Sparks, are one of the teams to record double-digit attendance growth (+17.8%). More people are coming to the games and more people are watching the games as well.
For the first time, the league included a live 20-game schedule that was to be aired via Twitter. A few games this season averaged 1.1 million unique viewers. This came right after the NFL saw success in streaming their Thursday night football games on Twitter in 2016.
Twitter was not the only media platform that the league dove into this season. Gaming is a popular avenue that fans engage with, so why not let the women join in. NBA Live 18 will feature the full roster of all 12 WNBA teams and drops this fall. Also, FanDuel launched the league’s first official one-day fantasy game, which received over 2.2 million total entries.
There are many positives to be taken away from the 2017 regular season, and this is just the beginning.