Halfway Through the Season - WNBA Attendance

[psconn]

Despite parity that had been absent in recent years, the numbers are not great so far in 2018.

Regular Season Attendance for the [2018 /2017 / 2016] season -
League Ave. - 6204 / 7716 / 7655

Team Averages in order of 2018 averages:

PHO 9802 / 9913 / 10351

LA 9522 / 11350 /9638

MIN 9164 /10407 / 9266

SEA 6749 / 7704/ 7230

CT 5939 /6728 /5837

CHI 5923 / 6583 / 7009

IND 5672/ 7538 / 8575

LV* 5655 / 6386/ 6385

WAS 5500/ 7771 / 6929

DAL 4772 / 3872 /5298

ATL 4295 /4452 /5614

NY** 2264 / 9889 / 9724

*Relocated franchise 2018
**Banished from MSG in 2018 (except one game)

 

[shizam]

Despite parity that had been absent in recent years, the numbers are not great so far in 2018.

Regular Season Attendance for the [2018 /2017 / 2016] season -
League Ave. - 6204 / 7716 / 7655

Team Averages in order of 2018 averages:

PHO 9802 / 9913 / 10351

LA 9522 / 11350 /9638

MIN 9164 /10407 / 9266

SEA 6749 / 7704/ 7230

CT 5939 /6728 /5837

CHI 5923 / 6583 / 7009

IND 5672/ 7538 / 8575

LV* 5655 / 6386/ 6385

WAS 5500/ 7771 / 6929

DAL 4772 / 3872 /5298

ATL 4295 /4452 /5614

NY** 2264 / 9889 / 9724

*Relocated franchise 2018
**Banished from MSG in 2018 (except one game)

So far 11 of 12 teams are DOWN.

Without including the Liberty the league is down 11.5%.

Is attendance normally better in the 2nd half of the season?

Vegas is down 12% from the San Antonio market...with Aja Wilson on the roster!

Mystics down almost 30% from last year

 

[WLT1717]

Theories on why they are (almost) all down?

I would have thought all of their “cause” marketing would have spurred an increase.

One would also think that with savvy marketing and promotion, the league could tap increasing popularity of WCB to take the league to new heights of popularity. Not so, regrettably.

Instead, players and execs seem more inclined to hector and guilt people into supporting the league as some sort of moral, ethical, or equity imperative, rather than simply improving the quality of play, officiating, fan experience, etc.

 

[j66kicker]

Theories on why they are (almost) all down?

I would have thought all of their “cause” marketing would have spurred an increase.

One would also think that with savvy marketing and promotion, the league could tap increasing popularity of WCB to take the league to new heights of popularity. Not so, regrettably.

Instead, players and execs seem more inclined to hector and guilt people into supporting the league as some sort of moral, ethical, or equity imperative, rather than simply improving the quality of play, officiating, fan experience, etc.

?? The popularity of WCBB might be increasing, but that is not reflected in arena attendance, which is declining on a per-game basis. As of the 2016-17 season, both D1 and overall WCBB average arena attendance was down 6-7% from its high point in 2007-08. Overall total attendance was up 2% over that 9-year period, but the number of WCBB teams was up 7.5%.

Women's Basketball Attendance

 

[Roger G]

Theories on why they are (almost) all down?

I would have thought all of their “cause” marketing would have spurred an increase.

One would also think that with savvy marketing and promotion, the league could tap increasing popularity of WCB to take the league to new heights of popularity. Not so, regrettably.

Instead, players and execs seem more inclined to hector and guilt people into supporting the league as some sort of moral, ethical, or equity imperative, rather than simply improving the quality of play, officiating, fan experience, etc.

Their "cause" marketing is a disaster. You have about 50% of the American public against some of the causes. If they want to grow the sport, they should avoid "causes" like the plague, unless they are things everyone can get behind.

 

[shizam]

Theories on why they are (almost) all down?

I would have thought all of their “cause” marketing would have spurred an increase.

One would also think that with savvy marketing and promotion, the league could tap increasing popularity of WCB to take the league to new heights of popularity. Not so, regrettably.

Instead, players and execs seem more inclined to hector and guilt people into supporting the league as some sort of moral, ethical, or equity imperative, rather than simply improving the quality of play, officiating, fan experience, etc.

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent!

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

Despite parity that had been absent in recent years, the numbers are not great so far in 2018.

Regular Season Attendance for the [2018 /2017 / 2016] season -
League Ave. - 6204 / 7716 / 7655

A few counterpoints:

So far this season, the WNBA has seen a 36 percent increase in viewership in adults age 18 to 49, a 29 percent jump in men in that age group and a 50 percent increase in women. Through June, WNBA games on ESPN2 are averaging 250,000 viewers, a 39 percent improvement from last year and the best start for the league since 2013. The June 28 game between the Sparks and the Seattle Storm drew 378,000 viewers. It was the most watched regular season WNBA game on ESPN2 since 2011.
Why Are WNBA TV Ratings Rising?


2017 WNBA Attendance Averages, by date (average compared to 2016 numbera)
June 11, 2017: 6,814 (-840)
July 5, 2017: 6,929 (-725)
July 22, 2017 (All Star Break): 7,523 (-131)
August 2, 2017: 7,459 (-196)
August 23, 2017: 7,480 (-174)
September 3, 2017: 7,716 (+61)

The numbers went up throughout the summer.

Also, as of the games through July 3, 2018
WNBA AVERAGE(100) - 6,250 (-1,466)

If you remove the nine home games from New York (as of July 3, 2018), the league average is approximately 6,648 for the eleven other franchises, as of July 3, 2018. The numbers will increase over the summer, but given NY's move from MSG to Westchester, the overall numbers will likely be down. NY, as of games of July 3, 2018, is averaging over 7,500 fewer fans per game than it did in 2017.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Does the attendance increase later in the season? Do we have stats for the first half of 2017 (not the full season) vs. the first half of 2018?

 

[psconn]

A few counterpoints:

So far this season, the WNBA has seen a 36 percent increase in viewership in adults age 18 to 49, a 29 percent jump in men in that age group and a 50 percent increase in women. Through June, WNBA games on ESPN2 are averaging 250,000 viewers, a 39 percent improvement from last year and the best start for the league since 2013. The June 28 game between the Sparks and the Seattle Storm drew 378,000 viewers. It was the most watched regular season WNBA game on ESPN2 since 2011.
Why Are WNBA TV Ratings Rising?


2017 WNBA Attendance Averages, by date (average compared to 2016 numbera)
June 11, 2017: 6,814 (-840)
July 5, 2017: 6,929 (-725)
July 22, 2017 (All Star Break): 7,523 (-131)
August 2, 2017: 7,459 (-196)
August 23, 2017: 7,480 (-174)
September 3, 2017: 7,716 (+61)

The numbers went up throughout the summer.

Also, as of the games through July 3, 2018
WNBA AVERAGE(100) - 6,250 (-1,466)

If you remove the nine home games from New York (as of July 3, 2018), the league average is approximately 6,648 for the eleven other franchises, as of July 3, 2018. The numbers will increase over the summer, but given NY's move from MSG to Westchester, the overall numbers will likely be down. NY, as of games of July 3, 2018, is averaging over 7,500 fewer fans per game than it did in 2017.

Thanks for the TV viewership info. Having a franchise 20 minutes from my house, I love the W and am a season ticket holder. I would hate to see the WNBA fail. Being a lifelong New Englander and Boston sports fan, I have no love for any NY team. That said, what's happening to the Liberty is a travesty, and I don't want them to fail or be forced to relocate.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Thanks for the TV viewership info. Having a franchise 20 minutes from my house, I love the W and am a season ticket holder. I would hate to see the WNBA fail. Being a lifelong New Englander and Boston sports fan, I have no love for any NY team. That said, what's happening to the Liberty is a travesty, and I don't want them to fail or be forced to relocate.

There are people with insane amounts of money in NYC. Someone should buy them and move them to Brooklyn.