The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will face off for Game 6 of the WNBA Finals Thursday to potentially close a season that has garnered record-high viewership for the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret that the league has experienced a massive boom<\/a> in popularity over the last handful of seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n But in turn, they have been forced to make difficult decisions regarding how they want to capitalize on their newfound attention. Much of this increased notoriety is due to young stars like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese;the league\u2019s contemporary marketing seems to match, centering more on the individual players rather than the teams they play on.<\/p>\n So why does the WNBA choose to market itself in this way? Simply put, it\u2019s working: the league\u2019s estimated revenue in 2025<\/a> was around $300 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n Not only is that nearly triple of what they pulled in for the 2019 season, but it is also the first time the WNBA has turned a profit<\/a> since its start in 1997. Whether or not the true fans like it, focusing on players and social media is what is keeping the league afloat right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n The WNBA has a fight on its hands simply for existing. As a women\u2019s sports league, they are inherently under pressure to prove themselves to a troublingly large number of sports fans that refuse to take them seriously<\/a>. While a focus on exciting players and social rivalries may lead to increased online discourse, some fans worry that it can be distracting from what really matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Beacon spoke with several Emerson College students about their thoughts on the league\u2019s recent promotion strategies, and where they think it should go from here.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI understand why they focus on the individuals, but I think it can take away from the basketball of it all,\u201d said Cam Veal, a senior business of creative enterprises major and Washington Mystics fan.\u00a0<\/p>\n Senior film, television, and media arts major Raelyn Brummitt \u2014 also a Mystics fan \u2014 shared a similar sentiment. \u201cI\u2019ve seen several questionable ESPN articles that are just, \u2018Caitlin Clark does this or Angel Reese does that,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s very easy to fall into the interpersonal drama trap and only focus on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Clark and Reese have both been widely cited as catalysts for the league\u2019s uptick in fans, and their latest matchup received the aforementioned historic 2.58<\/a> million average views. The two have a \u2018rivalry\u2019 some consider to be bigger than any between specific WNBA teams. Yet, this narrative \u2014 which all interviewed students agreed is a distraction from gameplay at times\u2014is largely falsified, according to Clark<\/a> herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brummitt said the discourse surrounding Reese is specifically frustrating, as she felt it had almost nothing to do with Reese\u2019s on-court play.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s always certain team rivals, but it\u2019s never been like [the Boston] Celtics versus [the Los Angeles] Lakers,\u201d said Olivia Holub, a junior sports communications major and Phoenix Mercury fan. Veal echoed a similar thought, saying that the league pushing certain geographic or historical rivalries would be great for the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEyeballs on the sport is good,\u201d Brummitt said. \u201cBut half the time it\u2019s not actually getting people to watch the games. It\u2019s just getting people to weigh in on social media.\u201d She shared further concerns about the league\u2019s marketing mentality, noting that they tend to employ an \u201cany press is good press\u201d strategy.<\/p>\n Perhaps because of this strong focus on the individual, the WNBA has been the target of numerous recent political controversies<\/a>, none of which actually involve basketball.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t take the league as seriously as they should right now because of everything that\u2019s going on politically,\u201d said Holub.\u00a0<\/p>\n While there is certainly a significant population of dedicated WNBA fans who are experts of the sport, some fans are concerned that its current marketing choices are a breeding ground for creating fans who don\u2019t interact with the league in a positive manner.\u00a0<\/p>\n