Move over, NFL, NBA, and MLB. The WNBA is coming for a piece of the pie. We predict it’ll be bigger than the NHL – and mainstream – by 2030. The WNBA is experiencing a significant surge in popularity and television viewership, sometimes surpassing the NHL—a development that marks a notable shift in the U.S. sports landscape.
Thanks in part to WNBA darling Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Brittney Griner, the public is increasingly becoming endeared to the players, adding to the league’s relevance in pro sports.
Long gone are the days when women’s basketball was a third-tier sport, as people are starting to care.
FACT: Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut in May 2024 drew 2.12 million viewers on ESPN2, outpacing the NHL playoff game airing simultaneously on ESPN, which had 1.99 million viewers. This is especially notable since ESPN2 typically garners fewer viewers than ESPN’s flagship channel.
Record-Breaking Popularity and Viewership
- The 2024 WNBA season shattered expectations, with average viewership for the first five ESPN-broadcast games topping 1 million—a 226% increase from the previous year. Caitlin Clark’s debut drew a record 2.1 million viewers, and overall attendance rose by 14%.
- The league’s social media presence also exploded, with nearly 2 billion video views in 2024, more than four times the previous season.
- The WNBA had its most-watched regular season in 24 years, and attendance surged 48% year-over-year.
WNBA newbie Paige Bueckers
FACT: Paige Bueckers’ hometown is Hopkins, Minnesota. To honor her WNBA debut, Hopkins was temporarily renamed “Paige Bueckers, Minnesota” for one day. Bueckers, a former UConn star and the 1st overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, was also celebrated with a town-wide watch party.
Cultural and Commercial Momentum
- The “Clark effect”—the arrival of superstar Caitlin Clark and other high-profile rookies—has driven a surge in fan engagement and media coverage. Clark brings to the WNBA what Tiger Woods brought to golf when he burst onto the scene in 1997. However, unlike the PGA, we think the WNBA’s mainstream appeal will be here to stay. And Clark’s rivalry with fellow star Angel Reese only makes the sport more interesting. Bird vs Magic, anyone?
- The WNBA’s cultural cachet is at an all-time high, with celebrities and athletes regularly attending games and the league becoming a frequent topic in mainstream conversation.
- Major brands are investing in the league, with partnerships including Nike, Skims, and Barbie, reflecting a growing recognition of WNBA stars as influential brand ambassadors. Who remembers McDonald’s Angel Reese Special?
FACT: Last year, the WNBA playoff game (Minnesota Lynx vs. Connecticut Sun) outdrew all three NHL opening night games, averaging 984,000 viewers.
Financial Growth and Expansion
- A new media-rights deal set to begin next year will bring in $200 million annually, making the WNBA the most valuable women’s sports league in the world.
- The league is expanding for the first time in over a decade, adding the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 and a Toronto team soon after, bringing the total to 14 teams. This is a great sign if you’re a WNBA player or exec.
- Deloitte projects elite women’s sports will generate over $1 billion in revenue in 2024, a 300% increase from 2021, and the WNBA is a major contributor to this boom.
- Sustaining mainstream status will require continued investment, further expansion, and the development of more marketable stars to maintain and grow the audience beyond the current wave of interest. But, consider this: The league’s surge in popularity will ultimately sweeten players’ salaries and attract more female talent as a result. A lot of women who previously were not interested in playing basketball will be drawn to the sport.
For the WNBA to sustain its success, it’s crucial that the league continues to connect its players with the public. People are drawn to superstars and rivalries, and they crave insights into players beyond just their statistics.
Consider the Clark vs. Reese rivalry; their mutual dislike has sparked strong opinions among fans on both sides. What’s important isn’t whether people favor Clark or Reese—it’s that they feel passionately about them in some way.
And that kind of passion is what will fuel engagement and keep interest alive in the league.
It took a while, but we think the WNBA has finally hit its stride.
FACT: In 2024 and 2025, WNBA games and events, such as the draft and regular season matchups, have drawn larger audiences than NHL equivalents. For example, the 2024 WNBA Draft attracted 2.45 million viewers, while the 2025 draft still doubled the NHL Draft’s 502,000 viewers and surpassed the MLB Draft’s 863,000 viewers.
Conclusion
The WNBA is not just approaching mainstream status—it is actively entering it. The combination of record-breaking ratings, cultural relevance, commercial partnerships, and league expansion signals that the WNBA is becoming a staple of the sports landscape. While challenges remain, the trajectory is clear: the WNBA’s transition to mainstream prominence is well underway and likely to accelerate in the coming years.
PREDICTION: By 2030, WNBA will be the fourth most-watched sport in the U.S., behind only the NFL, NBA, and MLB.