The previous peak – of 5.8% – was registered in the middle of the 2022 season. That scores have peaked well before the start of the upcoming season goes to further illustrate the significantly higher interest in the league this time around. For those who’ve been following women’s basketball, the update perhaps won’t be too surprising. Afterall, the Women’s March Madness tournament this year was markedly more popular than it was last year. The growing popularity of the game has been further exemplified by the surging interest in Caitlin Clark, who is the fourth most popular basketball player in the US currently. In fact, she is also among the most positively rated basketball players – male or female – among American men.
Amid the burgeoning profile of the women’s game, it’s as good a time as any to understand these set of fans better. Data from YouGov Profiles – which collects data on various consumer behaviors, attitudes and sentiments on an ongoing basis – allows us to do just that.
The demographics of WNBA fans
WNBA fans are a young crowd on the whole, even more so than the NBA, which already has one of the largest proportions of young fans among major American sports properties. Those aged 18-34 make up 47% of WNBA fans and 42% of NBA fans. For context, this group makes up only 30% of the overall adult US population.