Per Rebkell:
Note that the 2018 average (6,516) is through current games, while the 2017 average (7,716) is for the entire season - and not where the respective teams were at the same point last year.
A number of key points, however, that we should keep in mind when viewing the above attendance numbers:
- Without New York (and the Westchester arena), the league is averaging almost 6918 fans per game for 2018.
- As of July 16. 2017, WNBA attendance was 7,123 per game. The final number for 2017 was 7,716 per game.
- In 2017, the WNBA registered its highest total attendance (1,574,078) and highest average attendance (7,716) since 2011. So any drop from 2017 is not necessarily a bad thing, as 2017 was such a banner year.
- It is important to remember is more important than tickets distributed, and we have no access to comparative revenue numbers.
- Dallas plays its games at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The capacity of the venue is 7,000. This means that Dallas' attendance (4,752 per game) is 67.885 percent of capacity. Last year, for example, Dallas averaged 3,872 fans per game (about 55 percent of capacity).
- Remember, Tulsa moved to Dallas after the 2015 season. A sellout for a basketball game at BOK Center (Tulsa's home venue) was 17.839. Tulsa averaged between 4,812 and 5,566 fans per game in its six season, with 5,168 fans per game in its last season. Dallas is averaging a much bigger percentage of arena capacity, even though the actual raw attendance number of fans per game is less than the last year in Tulsa.
- By contrast, Seattle plays its games in KeyArena, which has a basketball capacity of 15,354. But for most Storm games, the lower bowl is the only section open for sales. The capacity of the lower bowl is around 9,000 per game.
And probably the most important point of all...
- For two franchises, costs are relative -- and lower than those of other franchises. With Las Vegas and Connecticut, the owners of the WNBA franchises (Mohegan Sun for CT, MGM Resorts International for LV) also own the respective arenas in which those franchises play (Mohegan Sun Arena for CT, Mandalay Bay Events Center for LV). And since both of these are attached to/part of casinos/resorts, there is already the "infrastructure" in place -- e.g., food/beverage/concessions, security, etc. And I highly doubt the ownership is paying rent for the arena, as it would be paying rent to itself. As a result, not only are the costs of operation for these two franchises is significantly less that the costs of operation for other WNBA franchises, but the ability to make a profit is much easier. And even if attendance is not a huge percentage of capacity, if the attendees for WNBA games stay at the resort, spend time in the casino, etc., the franchise can recover any costs that way.
Frankly, if James Dolan is going to sell the franchise and relocate - which I think would be terrible for the league,
considering the WNBA league office is in New York - then it needs to consider an owner/ownership group that owns the venue in which the team will play.
As an example, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, New Jersey was formerly the Trump Taj Mahal. After a bankruptcy, it was purchased by the Seminole Tribe of Floirda (through its Hard Rock International brand) and converted to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino brand. It reopened on June 28, 2018. And as part of the re-opening, the attached Etess Arena re-opened - which has a capacity of about 7,000.
