My WNBA viewing extends only back to the first Lynx championship with Lindsay Whalen in 2011. From that point on, I was aware that WNBA viewership was a small number, including in Minnesota during the Lynx championship era. In looking at the recent Clark boomlet in WNBA viewership, I learned that WNBA viewership was relatively high during the NBC era (1997-2002; the top 10 viewership games are still all from 1997-2000), and that WNBA viewership dropped sharply early in the ABC/ESPN era, which began in 2003. Is there an accepted explanation for the viewership plunge after the switch to ABC/ESPN? I've read a little WNBA history, and can't find one.
Historical WNBA Viewership Q
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MilfordHusky
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I'm not really sure, but 1997 was the start of the league, so there had to be a novelty factor early on. Also, there were some legends who were in their prime or slightly past their time, so there must have been a lot of name recognition with Penicheiro, Leslie, Thompson, Cooper, Swoopes, et al.