Latest news with #AcrossTheTimeline
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA breaks 23-year-old regular-season attendance record, Golden State Valkyries help drive growth
The WNBA broke a 23-year-old regular-season attendance record this past Friday, as first reported by Front Office Sports. There are still three more weeks before the league calendar turns to the postseason. It took 215 games this year for the league to break its single-season total attendance record, which was set back in 2002. That year, the W totaled 2,364,736 fans in attendance at a combined 256 games, according to data from Across the Timeline. As of Wednesday afternoon, 226 WNBA games have been played in 2025, and 2,488,011 fans have already attended. The introduction of the Golden State Valkyries — an expansion franchise and the W's 13th team — has played a role in the league taking another step forward in popularity. Playing in San Francisco's Chase Center, which also hosts the NBA's Golden State Warriors, the Valkyries have sold out all 17 of their home games so far, pulling in a league-best average of 18,064 fans. Under head coach Natalie Nakase, the Valkyries have vastly exceeded expectations in Year 1. They are currently 18-17, sitting in seventh place of the league standings with a shot at a playoff push. Golden State has stayed afloat, even after losing All-Star forward Kayla Thornton for the season last month. While the addition of the Valkyries has helped the W's numbers, it's important to note that the league's previous total attendance record was set when there were 16 teams. Behind Golden State on this year's WNBA average attendance leaderboard is the Indiana Fever, according to the same data set from Across the Timeline. The Fever have averaged approximately 16,747 fans in 2025. Indiana has remained popular despite superstar Caitlin Clark being sidelined with four different muscle injuries that have limited her to 13 games played, the latest a right groin issue that has kept her out since July 15. Still a fan magnet, the Fever have drawn large crowds on the road, too. For instance, the Connecticut Sun played in and sold out Boston's TD Garden — home of the NBA's Boston Celtics and NHL's Boston Bruins — for a game against the Fever earlier this season. The Fever were the only team in the league to average north of 13,000 fans last season, but this year they're one of three averaging at least 16,400 fans, according to Across the Timeline. They're joined by the Valkyries and the New York Liberty. The Liberty have seen a 29% increase in average attendance from last season, a 32-win campaign that ended in the franchise's first-ever WNBA championship. While New York has dealt with injuries to former league MVPs, first center Jonquel Jones and now forward Breanna Stewart, they are still poised to return to the playoffs. Only two of the 13 WNBA teams — the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics — are averaging fewer than 7,500 fans this year, per Across the Timeline, which reports that seven teams are averaging at least 10,000 fans in 2025. The WNBA is on the rise, and its attendance numbers reflect that growth.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA breaks 23-year-old regular-season attendance record, Golden State Valkyries help drive growth
The WNBA broke a 23-year-old regular-season attendance record this past Friday, as first reported by Front Office Sports. There are still three more weeks before the league calendar turns to the postseason. It took 215 games this year for the league to break its single-season total attendance record, which was set back in 2002. That year, the W totaled 2,364,736 total fans in attendance at a combined 256 games, according to data from Across the Timeline. As of Wednesday afternoon, 226 WNBA games have been played in 2025, and 2,488,011 fans have already attended. The introduction of the Golden State Valkyries — an expansion franchise and the W's 13th team — has played a role in the league taking another step forward in popularity. Playing in San Francisco's Chase Center, which also hosts the NBA's Golden State Warriors, the Valkyries have sold out all 17 of their home games so far, pulling in a league-best average of 18,064 fans. Under head coach Natalie Nakase, the Valkyries have vastly exceeded expectations in Year 1. They are currently 18-17, sitting in seventh place of the league standings with a shot at a playoff push. Golden State has stayed afloat, even after losing All-Star forward Kayla Thornton for the season last month. While the addition of the Valkyries has helped the W's numbers, it's important to note that the league's previous total attendance record was set when there were 16 teams. Behind Golden State on this year's WNBA average attendance leaderboard is the Indiana Fever, according to the same data set from Across the Timeline. The Fever have averaged approximately 16,747 fans in 2025. Indiana has remained popular despite superstar Caitlin Clark being sidelined with four different muscle injuries that have limited her to 13 games played, the latest a right groin issue that has kept her out since July 15. Still a fan magnet, the Fever have drawn large crowds on the road, too. For instance, the Connecticut Sun played in and sold out Boston's TD Garden — home of the NBA's Boston Celtics and NHL's Boston Bruins — for a game against the Fever earlier this season. The Fever were the only team in the league to average north of 13,000 fans last season, but this year they're one of three averaging at least 16,400 fans, according to Across the Timeline. They're joined by the Valkyries and the New York Liberty. The Liberty have have seen a 29% increase in average attendance from last season, a 32-win campaign that ended in the franchise's first-ever WNBA championship. While New York has dealt with injuries to former league MVPs, first center Jonquel Jones and now forward Breanna Stewart, they are still poised to return to the playoffs. Only two of the 13 WNBA teams — the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics — are averaging fewer than 7,500 fans this year, per Across the Timeline, which reports that seven teams averaging at least 10,000 fans in 2025. The WNBA is on the rise, and its attendance numbers reflect that growth.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Fever-Aces game made ESPN history
The post How Fever-Aces game made ESPN history appeared first on ClutchPoints. The WNBA continues to enjoy a surge in popularity. The arrival of Caitlin Clark to the league has undeniably been a tremendous boon for the Indiana Fever and the WNBA. Indiana games are constantly packed with fans, whether they are playing at home or on the road. Advertisement In fact, the Fever have the highest average of fan turnout in road games so far in the 2025 WNBA season, according to Across The Timeline. They are also at the top of the league in average attendance in home and road games combined. Unsurprisingly, Indiana is also a hit on TV. One proof to support that claim is the numbers shared recently by ESPN about the viewership of last Sunday's game between the Fever and the Las Vegas Aces at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 'The@LVAces' victory over the@IndianaFever on Sunday delivered the 3rd most-watched #WNBA game on ESPN EVER 👏,' ESPN shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter). The game averaged 1.7 million viewers, or 52 percent better than what WNBA regular-season games on ESPN averaged in 2024. Additionally, the contest topped 2.2 million viewers. Another encouraging data for the WNBA that's shared by ESPN is the 14 percent increase in league coverage across the 'Worldwide Leader in Sports.' Advertisement With the NBA and the NHL now in the offseason portion of their respective calendars and the NFL season still months away, the WNBA can attract even more attention. It helps that Clark is healthy again and available to play after recently missing games with an injury, as she's been a big draw. As for the Aces game, Clark and the Fever unfortunately suffered an 89-81 loss to A'ja Wilson and the Aces. The former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar guard scored 19 points versus the Aces but was just 7-for-20 from the field and was an atrocious 1-for-10 from behind the arc. She dished out 10 assists but had eight turnovers and finished with a minus-15. Aliyah Boston paced Indiana with 26 points while Kelsey Mitchell had 20. The 6-7 Fever will next take on the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle this Tuesday night, with the hopes of ending a two-game losing skid. Related: Sophie Cunningham rocks 'Tres Leches' shirt in support of Caitlin Clark, Lexie Hull Related: Fever's Sydney Colson sheds tears in 1st return to Aces
