The second season of Unrivaled tipped off a few weeks ago. For those who are unfamiliar, Unrivaled is 3-on-3 pro women’s basketball with a short season playing from early January through early March. Games take place during the WNBA offseason, and all players also play in the WNBA.
Last year’s launch arrived at a watershed moment for women’s basketball. Sports Poll data showed unprecedented fan base gains for both the WNBA and women’s college basketball in 2024, driven by the emergence of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
What does Unrivaled add to the women’s basketball landscape? The WNBA and women’s college basketball have the two largest fan bases of any women’s leagues in the US today. While most Unrivaled fans (those at least a little bit interested) are already fans of either the WNBA or women’s college basketball, early signs show that Unrivaled can extend the reach of women’s basketball. Sports Poll data showed that 13% of fans were only fans of Unrivaled in 2025. Among AVID fans (very interested), it’s even higher. Over 1/3 were only AVID fans of Unrivaled last year. The Unrivaled fan base skews younger and more female than WNBA or women’s college basketball fans. It’s also more diverse.
Fandom doesn’t always translate to engagement, though. One challenge is that Unrivaled fans are bigger sports fans (nearly half identify as AVID sports fans). That means there is more competition for their free time – especially during a window when the NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball, NHL, and the Olympics (soon) are all in action.
Another challenge is the lack of star power. Although notable players for this season include Paige Bueckers and Breanna Stewart, Unrivaled doesn’t have Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese (the two accounted for 60% of all favorite WNBA player mentions in Sports Poll in 2025). We’ll be watching to see if Unrivaled can add to the momentum for women’s basketball or if the greater competition limits fan engagement in its second season.
For more information on women’s basketball and our 30+ years of sports intelligence, please contact the Sports Poll team.
