With the WNBA season concluding this week, we look at the impact rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have had on Americans’ interest in women’s sports this year. Here are our five best takeaways from this season using data from Sports Poll.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Now Rank Among Americans’ Favorite Athletes
Since entering the WNBA in May, Clark ranks as the 12th favorite overall athlete among Americans (Sports Poll, May 2024-September 2024). Veterans and retired superstars traditionally dominate this list, so it’s unusual to see a rookie from any sport. Only a handful of NFL, NBA, and MLB rookies have ranked this high. It’s unprecedented for the WNBA. Clark’s popularity is already the highest of any women’s basketball player in the 30 years Sports Poll has been tracking favorite athletes. It’s not just Caitlin Clark though. Angel Reese also ranks in the top 25. If not for Clark, she would be the highest-ranked women’s basketball player of all-time on this list.
Americans Are Prioritizing WNBA Teams and Players for the First Time
When we assess the health of a league, one of the core areas we look at is “priority”. A sport is a top priority for a fan if it’s their favorite sport, a player is their favorite overall athlete, or a team is their favorite overall team. The average sports fan follows more than a dozen sports during the year, but their attention goes to the top priorities. For the first time, American fans are saying WNBA teams and players are their favorites. These numbers may still rank below the traditional major US leagues, but they show that the WNBA is beginning to resonate top of mind for American fans.
WNBA Fandom Piggybacks on Gains for Women’s College Basketball
A big reason for the WNBA’s immediate lift this season was that Clark and Reese brought established fan bases when they entered the league. Women’s college basketball saw gradual increases in fandom during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before a significant jump during 2024 March Madness. The women’s basketball calendar is unique because the WNBA season begins right after women’s college basketball ends. The WNBA capitalized on the momentum from college basketball, and both sports have continued to rise over the past six months. This bodes well for women’s college basketball as it heads into a season without Clark and Reese as star attractions.
Interest in Women’s Sports (in General) Is Up in 2024
In 2023, Sports Poll began asking Americans about their overall interest in women’s pro and college sports. The purpose was to assess the strength of the overall women’s sports fan base and understand how that translates to specific women’s properties. Since March, women’s sports fandom has increased significantly. Clark and Reese may be driving the spike, but it opens the door for growth of other women’s sports beyond basketball.
Males 35+ Drive Biggest Gains in Women’s Sports Fandom
Interest in women’s sports, including the WNBA and women’s college basketball, has traditionally skewed younger and female. Young females continue to be the biggest fans, but gains in fandom for 2024 have been greatest with demos who traditionally care less about women’s sports. In fact, males 35 and older are up the most this year. That should create greater opportunities for social engagement between fans of different generations.
Women’s College Basketball & WNBA Fandom Can Build Off Each Other
Just as the college basketball season leads into the WNBA season, the WNBA Finals provide a springboard for the upcoming women’s college basketball season. That momentum should help offset the loss of Clark and Reese. Players like Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins can step up and should eventually bring established fan bases of their own when they enter the WNBA. While Clark and Reese provided the spark, there’s no reason to believe fandom won’t continue to increase over the next few years with this pipeline in place.
Sports Poll has surveyed more than 600,000 Americans on their sports and free time interests since 1994. Approximately 1800 interviews are collected each month (sample size of nearly 20,000 per year). Surveys are collected in both English and Spanish.