Research - Nov 05, 2025
WNBA popularity grows as it attracts avid fans of other sports leagues
By Keith Nissen
WNBA viewers follow four professional sports leagues, on average, according to a recent Kagan survey. Over three-quarters (78%) of WNBA viewers reported being avid fans of at least one professional sports league, but only 5% said they were avid fans of only the WNBA.
➤ Survey data shows that in 2025, 13% of US internet adults watched WNBA games, up from 12% in 2024. WNBA viewership exceeds overall viewing of the National Women’s Soccer League (5.2%), as well as Major League Soccer (11%).
➤ The Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Chicago Sky were the most popular WNBA teams. Individual star players have more of an impact on team popularity than the teams’ win/loss records.
➤ Avid WNBA fans tend to be young adults under 35 years of age, with a fairly even gender split. Casual WNBA fans come in all ages, with two-thirds being men.
➤ On average, WNBA fans watch four professional sports leagues. Eight out of 10 watch NFL football and NBA basketball.
Comparing the results from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan US third-quarter 2024 and 2025 MediaCensus surveys shows that overall viewership of WNBA games increased slightly from 12% of US internet adults to 13% over the past year. One-third (34%) of WNBA fans self-identified as being avid WNBA fans, while the majority (66%) consider themselves to be casual fans. Three-quarters (75%) of avid WNBA fans said they typically watch at least two WNBA games per week. However, 30% of casual fans also said they watch multiple WNBA games per week. This suggests that nearly one in five (19%) WNBA viewers watch multiple games per week and still consider themselves to be casual WNBA fans.
The 2025 survey found that WNBA fans watch an average of four professional sports leagues. Eight out of 10 WNBA viewers reported being NBA basketball fans. Similarly, over three-quarters of WNBA viewers said they are NFL football fans and the majority watch MLB baseball, as well.
The survey found that the Indiana Fever was the most popular WNBA team, with 31% of total WNBA viewers claiming to be either avid or casual fans. Approximately one-quarter (23%) of WNBA viewers cited being a fan of the New York Liberty and 18% follow the Chicago Sky. The Los Angeles Sparks, Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings have also captured substantial fan bases.
Eight out of 10 (80%) avid WNBA fans and 61% of casual fans said they tend to follow sports teams just because of a player they like. This suggests that the popularity of specific star players, such as Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever), Angel Reese (Chicago Sky), A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces) or Sabrina Ionescu (NY Liberty) may have a substantial impact on the overall popularity of the teams.
The survey data revealed that half (50%) of avid WNBA fans are young adults under 35 years of age, very evenly split by gender. In contrast, casual WNBA fans tend to come in all ages, with 29% being adults under 35 years of age and 41% aged 55 and older. Casual WNBA fans were skewed heavily toward men (65%).
Since the vast majority of WNBA viewers are avid fans of at least one other sport, it is not surprising that WNBA fans, overall, tend to exhibit sports-centric behavior. For example, three-quarters (76%) of WNBA fans said they frequently talk sports with family and friends. Over two-thirds (67%) reported that they follow sports teams because they like certain players, and 64% cited sometimes watching sports, especially playoff/championship games, that they don’t usually follow. Also telling is that 60% of WNBA viewers said they typically center their daily plans around live sports.
The Kagan third-quarter 2025 MediaCensus survey was conducted during September 2025, consisting of approximately 9,528 internet adults. The margin of error for this survey is +/-0.98 ppts at the 95% confidence level. The third-quarter 2025 US Consumer Insights survey was conducted during September 2025, consisting of 2,500 internet adults. The margin of error is +/-1.9 ppts at the 95% confidence level. Survey data should only be used to identify general market characteristics and directional trends.
Consumer Insights is a regular feature from S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan.
This article was published by S&P Global Market Intelligence and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.