WNBA: Viewership tops records as rookies shine, women's sports interest grows
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese marked the strongest first half of the WNBA season since the league's 1997 inception.
Talks to finalize an «historic» WNBA media deal that press reports suggest would be around $200 million a year, up from $60 million currently, reinforces the rising popularity of the league and women's professional sports in general, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said on Saturday.
With Saturday's WNBA All Star Game followed by a month-long Olympic break, players, league executives and media partners are hoping for the momentum carry through to the second half of the season.
«This weekend is the culmination of a historic first half of the season,» Engelbert told reporters on Saturday.
«We have seen our highest attendance in 26 years, repeatedly set viewership records. A lot of our teams are up triple digits in attendance.»
The television audience has topped records, with 16 games averaging more than 1 million viewers, breaking the full-season record just halfway through the current one, she said.
Fan voting for All Star game players jumped over 600% from last year while merchandise sales have hit historic highs.
Credit interest in the most stellar WNBA rookie class in recent memory, led by sharpshooting and passing wizard Caitlin Clark and scoring and rebound phenomenon Angel Reese, who carried over a heated college hoops rivalry that has only intensified.
The two will be teammates for the first time ever for Saturday's All Star matchup, taking on a Team USA squad featuring WNBA MVP frontrunner
