How the WNBA Won Me Over
I don’t dislike basketball, I like playing it. I just never sat and watched much. Then the stories started piling up: Caitlin Clark torching records, carrying that gravity into the pros, the Fever clicking, and Sophie Cunningham showing up as the Enforcer. One clip turned into a quarter, then a full game, and suddenly I was in.
What I found wasn’t a “maybe someday” league. It was sold-out nights, national TV windows, stars who change the temperature of a game, and a season that actually rewards week-to-week attention. If you haven’t watched the W yet, start here.
The Surge, By the Numbers
Fans are showing up. In 2024, the league drew 2.35 million total fans (highest in 22 years), averaged 9,807 per game, and logged 154 sellouts- up 242% year over year. 2025 national telecasts are averaging around 794,000 viewers, up roughly 21% from 2024, with marquee games clearing the 1–2 million mark. That’s not a blip; it’s momentum.
The business is leveling up, too. The W instituted full-season charter flights in 2024, basic safety and a better product, and locked an 11-year media deal with Disney/ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Amazon that kicks into high gear in 2026. More platforms, more windows, bigger stage.
And the map is growing. Golden State Valkyries debuted in 2025, Toronto joins in 2026, Portland Fire return in 2026, and the league has approved a path to 18 teams with Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia slated to arrive by decade’s end (pending final approvals). Translation: the league is investing for the long haul.
Star power: a team-by-team cheat sheet (watch list)
Atlanta Dream — Rhyne Howard (do-everything scorer) and Allisha Gray give ATL a two-way backbone.
Chicago Sky — Angel Reese now pairs with Kamilla Cardoso up front; Marina Mabrey spaces the floor.
Connecticut Sun — Alyssa Thomas (triple-double machine) + DeWanna Bonner keep the Sun in the mix every year.
Dallas Wings — Arike Ogunbowale is a bucket; Satou Sabally (when healthy) adds an All-WNBA caliber front-court threat.
Golden State Valkyries — Expansion darlings with a gritty rotation: Veronica Burton, Cecilia Zandalasini, Tiffany Hayes, Kayla Thornton, Temi Fagbenle—and they’ve already packed Chase Center.
Indiana Fever — Caitlin Clark + Aliyah Boston + Kelsey Mitchell = appointment TV. More below.
Las Vegas Aces — A’ja Wilson (three-time MVP including 2024) is the league’s standard; Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, and Chelsea Gray round out a perennial contender.
Los Angeles Sparks — Dearica Hamby is a double-double engine; Cameron Brink headlines the future when healthy.
Minnesota Lynx — Napheesa Collier (two-way star) and Kayla McBride keep the Lynx in Finals conversations.
New York Liberty — Super-team vibes with Breanna Stewart (2023 MVP), Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones.
Phoenix Mercury — Brittney Griner, Kahleah Copper, Diana Taurasi: interior power, downhill scoring, and the GOAT’s shooting gravity.
Seattle Storm — Jewell Loyd (elite scorer) and Nneka Ogwumike (10x All-Star/MVP) lead a savvy, veteran core.
Washington Mystics — Ariel Atkins and Shakira Austin headline a defense-first identity with young upside.
Why the Indiana Fever are the league’s perfect entry point
The Fever are the easiest doorway for new fans because you already know the headliners and the arena is bursting. Indiana set a single-season WNBA home attendance record in 2024 (nearly 17,000 per game), and road dates turned into traveling roadshows.
Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 pick in 2024, had a rookie line of 19.2 PPG, 8.4 APG, 5.7 RPG over 40 games, historic playmaking volume for a first-year guard. In 2025 (through mid-August), she’s been at 16.5 PPG, 8.8 APG, 5.0 RPG in 13 games (currently sidelined but expected back). Surrounding her: 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston (efficient interior hub) and veteran scorer Kelsey Mitchell. Add Sophie Cunningham: the Enforcer, acquired via trade in Feb. 2025. Before a recent injury ended her season, she was an edge-setting wing who spaced the floor and gives bro a “we’re-not-getting-pushed-around” presence, and was around 9 PPG this year before a season-ending injury in 2025. After breaking out as a double-digit scorer in 2022, she set the tone—hit open threes, talk, take contact, stand up for her teammates—and she’s still part of the Fever’s voice and attention gravity from the sideline.
It’s a clean on-ramp: great passer, shooting gravity, simple actions you can follow, and crowds that feel like a college football Saturday.
How to actually watch (without a cable headache)
National windows are expanding under the new rights deal: ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video carry the bulk, with WNBA League Pass for everything else. That mix broadens in 2026, but even now there’s usually a national game each weekend and good mid-week slates.
Where this is going (and why local buzz matters)
The WNBA is already at 13 teams (with Golden State’s debut), hits 14–15 in 2026 (Toronto, Portland), and has green-lit a path to 18 by 2030 (Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia pending final approvals). Markets that show consistent demand—tickets sold, TV eyeballs, sponsors—tend to move up the shortlist when the league looks for future homes or marquee events. Put simply: attention is a vote.
Your W Starter Kit
Here’s the truth: the WNBA isn’t asking for a chance; it’s earning one. Full arenas, bigger broadcast windows, real rivalries, and stars that change the temperature of a game, this isn’t hype, it’s traction. Attendance records fell, charters are table stakes, expansion is on the calendar, and a long media deal says the league plans to be in your living room for years. If you need a door in, pick one: the Boston–Clark–Mitchell core in Indiana, the Aces’ championship machine, the Liberty’s supergroup, the Storm’s shot-making. Then give it a full game, forty minutes, not highlights. You’ll see pace, coaching wrinkles, and crowds that feel like a Saturday in college sports. Watch because the product is already there, and hold it to a first-tier standard, because that’s what it is.
This Week’s WNBA Watch List (Aug 20–26)
Wed, Aug 20
Dallas Wings @ Los Angeles Sparks — 7:00 PM
Thu, Aug 21
Washington Mystics @ Connecticut Sun — 4:00 PM
Chicago Sky @ New York Liberty — 4:00 PM
Minnesota Lynx @ Atlanta Dream — 4:30 PM
Phoenix Mercury @ Las Vegas Aces — 7:00 PM
Fri, Aug 22
Seattle Storm @ Dallas Wings — 4:30 PM
Minnesota Lynx @ Indiana Fever — 4:30 PM
Golden State Valkyries @ Phoenix Mercury — 7:00 PM
Sat, Aug 23
New York Liberty @ Atlanta Dream — 11:00 AM
Las Vegas Aces @ Washington Mystics — 12:00 PM
Connecticut Sun @ Chicago Sky — 1:00 PM
Sun, Aug 24
Seattle Storm @ Washington Mystics — 12:00 PM
Golden State Valkyries @ Dallas Wings — 1:00 PM
Indiana Fever @ Minnesota Lynx — 4:00 PM
Mon, Aug 25
Connecticut Sun @ New York Liberty — 4:00 PM
Las Vegas Aces @ Chicago Sky — 5:00 PM
Tue, Aug 26
Seattle Storm @ Indiana Fever — 4:00 PM
