WNBA Viewership Spikes As Controversy Over Transgender Players Persists

WNBA ratings jumped for five straight weeks, according to Nielsen data cited in the report. The league drew at least 2.56 million viewers for the Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky game on ABC, and women’s basketball games reached 2.5 million viewers every week since July 12, including four Fever matchups and the WNBA All-Star Game on July 25. Overall, regular-season WNBA viewership rose 15% versus last year. The spike for Indiana games coincides with the start of a viral controversy involving transgender players that began after comments by Fever star Sophie Cunningham about “protect[ing]” young girls in locker rooms. The issue then escalated through right-leaning media and former NBA players, including Outkick founder Clay Travis. The report notes that eligibility is defined in the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, which says only players who are women are eligible, without clear criteria in the policy for self-identification.