WNBA attendance by year is 1,219,600 in 2022, 458,570 in 2021 and 1,293,565 in 2019. The average attendance in 2023 has reached 1,160,281 as of July.
The trends and patterns in WNBA audiences over the years offer insight into the league's declining popularity among fans.
In the 90s during the league's initial years, the average crowds attending regular seasons were in around 10,000. However, there has been a gradual but decreasing attendance in WNBA games.
In 2021 it hit rock bottom as the average attendance reached 2,600 in a regular season. There are a number of factors that have contributed to this decline, including the lack of parity in the WNBA, and the lack of media coverage for the league.
Moreover, in 2022, there was a noticeable uptick in the number of people watching, with the count coming close to 1.3 million. The trend has continued to improve in 2023, with viewership already surpassing the 1.1 million mark.
WNBA Attendance By Team
The Seattle Storm recorded the highest total attendance for regular season WNBA games in 2022. About 191,367 fans came to watch the Storm play previous year.
Besides, they are the most expensive franchise in WNBA with a valuation of $151 million. Meanwhile, the Chicago Sky is considered the second most valuable team in the WNBA, worth $85 million.
It is pretty clear that they are the leading team in the league, attracting a huge crowd, which makes sense considering their popularity.
Chicago Sky Attendance
The Chicago Sky total audience per year is:
- 2023 - 108,810*
- 2022 - 129,241
- 2021 - 47,805
- 2019 - 114,727
- 2018 - 108,091
Looking at the data for the past five WNBA seasons, the Sky consistently ranked in the top five teams when it comes to the number of crowds coming to see their games. In 2022, they had the largest crowd in the stadium, with a total of 129,241 attendees.
Seattle Storm Attendance
Seattle Storm total audience per year is:
- 2023 - 149,095*
- 2022 - 191,367
- 2021 - 41,715
- 2019 - 128,548
- 2018 - 137,846
Seattle Storm had the most attendance in 2022 with a number closing to 200,000 in a regular season. In 2023, they have already gone beyond 150,000 and are aiming to beat their own record of 191,367 attendees from 2022.
LA Sparks Attendance
The total audience for the Los Angeles Sparks team per year is:
- 2023 - 111,175*
- 2022 - 101,747
- 2021 - 18,319
- 2019 - 192,224
- 2018 - 180,910
The number of people watching WNBA games dropped post-Covid, and the LA Sparks were the team most affected by the pandemic's impact.
Before Covid, they were generating an average of 10 thousand attendance per game which sharply declined to 1,200 audiences per game in 2021. It also affected the total number of audiences which was their's history's lowest 18,319 in 2021.
New York Liberty Attendance
The total audience for the New York Liberty per year is:
- 2023 - 121,063*
- 2022 - 95,882
- 2021 - 28,113
- 2019 - 38,067
- 2018 - 47,988
The 2023-24 WNBA season favorite Liberty always had the least attendance. However, the revamped team post-Covid has been phenomenal on the court resulting in a significant increase in attendance.
In 2022 it was 95,882 total and this year in 2023, the numbers have surpassed the 100,000 mark and are currently at 121,063, with more counting still to come.
Minnesota Lynx Attendance
The total audience for the Minnesota Lynx per year is:
- 2023 - 120,564*
- 2022 - 133,988
- 2021 - 43,139
- 2019 - 154,170
- 2018 - 170,620
Phoenix Mercury Attendance
The total attendance for the Phoenix Mercury per year is:
- 2023 - 130,069*
- 2022 - 143,530
- 2021 - 93,585
- 2019 - 173,273
- 2018 - 169,149
WNBA Finals Attendance Records
The records for the single game WNBA Finals attendance are as follows:
- Detroit Shock vs Los Angeles Sparks 2003 - 22,076 attendees
- Detroit Shock vs Phoenix Mercury 2007 - 22,076
- Detroit Shock vs Sacramento Monarchs 2006 - 19,671
- New York Liberty vs Houston Comets 2000 - 19,563
- Minnesota Lynx vs Los Angeles Sparks 2016 - 19,423
- Minnesota Lynx vs Indiana Fever 2015 - 18,933
- Indiana Fever vs Minnesota Lynx 2012 - 18,165
- New York Liberty vs Los Angeles Sparks 2002 - 17,666
From legendary rivalries that filled stadiums with roaring crowds to nail-biting overtime matches where every seat was filled until the final buzzer, each WNBA Finals brings new records and accomplishments.
These statistics not only reflect the growing popularity of women's professional basketball but also highlight how much these events mean for both players and fans alike.
However, in recent years, there has been a downward trend in WNBA Finals attendance numbers. The 2022 championship game between Las Vegas Aces and Connecticut Sun had the lowest attendance of the previous five Finals.
In the series of four games the highest crowd number was 10,211 and the lowest was an embarrassing 8,745.
Besides, the clash between the Detroit Shock and Los Angeles Sparks in the 2003 WNBA Finals had the highest number of attendants in the league's history with 22,076.
It was houseful at the Palace of Auburn Hills arena in Michigan as the Shock took on Sparks in front of an excited crowd.
Likewise, the 2007 WNBA championship game also met its expectation as Detroit faced Phoenix Mercury in that series. Even though everyone thought the Shock would win the tournament, they ended up losing 2-3 to the Mercury and failed to secure the trophy.
The WNBA Finals game that had the third-highest number of people attending, with 19,671 in the crowd, also had the Detroit Shock playing in it. They faced the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2006 title match.
In addition, two other Finals games had over 19,000 fans in attendance at the stadium.
During the 2000 championship game between New York Liberty and Houston Comets, a total of 19,563 people came to watch. This was the largest number of people attending a game at that time.
Then in the 2016 Finals, 19,423 attendants were present to witness the showdown between the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks.
WNBA average attendance
Average WNBA attendance year wise is:
| Year | Regular Season Attendance |
| 2022 | 5,679 |
| 2021 | 2,636 |
| 2020 | N/A (season was played without fans) |
| 2019 | 6,535 |
| 2018 | 6,769 |
| 2017 | 7,716 |
| 2016 | 7,655 |
| 2015 | 7,318 |
| 2014 | 7,578 |
| 2013 | 7,531 |
| 2012 | 7,452 |
| 2011 | 7,954 |
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 WNBA season games were played without any fans present. In the following 2021 season, the average number of individuals at regular games was around 2,600.
This drop happened because COVID rules limited the number of fans allowed indoors. However, by 2022, things improved, and around 5,679 fans came to watch each regular season game, which was closer to how it was before the pandemic.
Looking at the graph from the past ten years, we can see that in 2011, the most people attended games on average, with 7,954 fans. After that, the number of attendees went down each year.
In 2012, the average attendance to each game went down from 7,954 to 7,452, which is about 6.3% less. The average number of people attending games stayed at around 7,520 per game.
In 2015, the number of people attending each game went down by 3.4% to 7,318. This was the lowest number of people attending WNBA games since it started in 1997.
However, in 2017, there was a rise to a decent 7,716 attendees again. But nevertheless, the following season the average number of attendees dropped again to 6,769. This drop continued in 2019, reaching 6,535.
Both the 2018 and 2019 seasons had the fewest people attending WNBA games on average until 2021 came along.
