A new kind of sports renaissance is currently upon us with the spotlight shining on female athletes, who’ve long awaited this moment. This year, attendance and viewerships have skyrocketed at women’s sports games. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) season opener for the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun drew 2.1 million viewers, breaking a record for the most-viewed game across ESPN platforms. As teams from various sports in Seattle are cementing their spot in this growing interest, what will the Emerald City do next?
The Seattle Storm’s preseason match-up on May 4 with the Los Angeles Sparks had all its seats sold out, with 16,655 fans showing up. Although the Storm lost that match by five points, the game was a reminder for both WNBA teams that the tides are changing for their markets.
This newfound excitement surrounding the league can be traced back to the star-studded 2024 draft class, which included Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Cameron Brink and Nika Mühl, who all faced off in this year’s NCAA championship. The final match between the University of South Carolina and University of Iowa amassed 18.7 million viewers.
Fans who were pulled in by the stellar athletic prowess each player displayed on the court have followed them into the WNBA, with 2.45 million viewers tuning into the 2024 WNBA draft, setting another record for the league. During the second round, the Seattle Storm drafted Mühl, who played a game against Clark in the NCAA championship, with the two facing off once again in the preseason on May 22, when the Storm and Fever played for a sold-out crowd with 18,000 fans in attendance.
As the WNBA leverages the star power each player carries, it’s a unique time in sports history to consider what this means for the league now and in the future. Will Gulley, chief marketing officer for the Seattle Storm, said the team mainly focuses on highlighting the communities these players come from, as well as their attributes on and off the court. Additionally, Gulley is paying close attention to the demographics of the Storm’s audience to convey targeted messages in order to bring in new fans and build a legacy for generations to come.
“Women’s basketball is the moment, instead of having a moment,” Gulley said. “We are fortunate to work and be in a place like Seattle that gets behind women in sports. We’re in an environment that loves this type of conversation and supports these conversations. [That’s] what happened in the college women’s basketball championship with Mühl, who made a name for herself in the final four tournament defending Clark. We’ve got a great story to tell there, and now is an opportunity to continue that momentum.”
Longtime Seattle Storm fan and Real Change Vendor Willie Jones (badge #9719) is particularly hyped for this year’s season. Jones has been going to Storm games since the team was established in 2000 and says he can feel that this season will be significantly memorable. He displays his dedication through his collection of varsity jackets decorated with patches of different Seattle sports team logos, photos and championship titles. Among these jackets is one featuring the Seattle Storm and another dedicated to Jones’s favorite Storm player, Sue Bird. Jones, a longtime athlete and softball coach, believes women’s sports to be just as deserving of attention and fanfare as men’s.
“I’ve always been a women’s sports fan,” Jones said. “My friend said that it’s stupid to be a fan or to make these jackets, but I say why not. It’s just sports.”
Jones has a hunch that the WNBA and other women’s sports leagues aren’t getting their proper spotlight because other women aren’t dedicating their time to supporting these teams. But there may be a contradiction to Jones’ viewpoint, as, according to the WNBA, women make up 75% of its audience. In fact, an array of Seattle-based organizations are investing their support in women’s sports leagues and teams.
While it’s the Seattle Storm that is having its moment in the sun, it might not be long before our city ushers in its next pro women’s sports team. Last year marked the inauguration of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) and the emergence of its six founding teams. This milestone was reason enough for Zoe.. Harris, founder of Women’s Pro Hockey Seattle, to continue pushing for Seattle to have its own team. Harris is a former hockey coach with over 30 years of experience, and she believes a professional women’s hockey team would strengthen the preexisting fan base that shows up to viewing parties of East Coast and Canadian teams.
“Whether you see a game in person ... or on TV, women’s professional hockey provides exciting, fast-paced entertainment featuring some of the best players in the word,” Harris said. “A PWHL Seattle [team] would complement the other world-class professional sports teams already in the area and would also provide more role models for the community. Plus it would help grow the game and inspire a whole new generation of people to watch and play the sport.”
The influx of attention that these athletes are bringing to their respective leagues is motivating more girls who participate in youth sports to pursue a professional career.
Nars Martinez, director of the West Coast division for Finest Basketball Club (FBC) Northwest Alliance, uses the names of prominent WNBA players during coaching sessions to galvanize youth athletes to perform their best. FBC Northwest Alliance is a girls basketball development organization focused on supporting young talent who are trying to make it to the WNBA after college. In 2023, 16 basketball players within the organization received athletic scholarships to universities within Washington state and throughout the country.
“The visibility that the [WNBA] has now is definitely making it realistic for a lot of girls who might not have necessarily been dreaming about playing professional basketball. The goal used to just be attending college, and now that conversation is starting to change, as they have role models and women they’re looking up to,” Martinez said.
He believes there’s a chance to address the inequity between women’s and men’s basketball leagues as the WNBA continues to capitalize on the public’s interest as girls’ basketball isn’t spared from these inequalities. Martinez pointed out that he’s seen multiple videographers and photographers capturing boys’ basketball games to create highlights around prospective players, but not a single camera crew has been present at a majority of the girls’ games. Martinez doesn’t want that lack of attention to hinder the players’ opportunities, so he’s taken the initiative to hire videographers to capture each game and utilize the organization’s social media presence.
“I’ve seen an improvement, but we still have a long way to go,” Martinez said. “There are people shelling out money to fund a lot of these top boy [athletes], and the girls are just as deserving of these same opportunities to be able to really get out and get as much exposure as possible.”
This article has been updated to reflect the correct name of Angel Reese.
Marian Mohamed is the associate editor of Real Change. She oversees our weekly features. Contact her at [email protected].
Read more of the June 5–11, 2024 issue.