What we know: The 76ers announced they will increase capacity for the 2021 playoffs to 50%. Attendance for this postseason rose to a whopping 9,596 spectators per game, which made it the highest-attended WNBA Finals in seven years (10,822), and was up double digits (+10.1%) over last . WNBA games haven't averaged 8,000 fans per game since 2009, and the 2017 figure was down 28.9 percent from the league's all-time high attendance in 1998, which was the WNBA's second season. Attendance for Wednesday night's WNBA Finals Game 2 at the Footprint Center was listed as 13,685. Season Summary. During the 2021 regular season, the Sky finished with a .500 record (16-16) and became just the third team in league history to make the WNBA Finals after having a .500-or-worse record . The Los Angles Sparks won Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday, 78-76, over the Minnesota Lynx at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Allie Quigley scored 26 points and Parker added 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists and Chicago beat the Phoenix Mercury 80-74 on Sunday in Game 4. The WNBA is an American professional women's basketball league established in 1996 and owned by the NBA. Attendance for the WNBA is the lowest it has been in league history. A WNBA player sparked controversy on social media when she seemed to blame Black men for the league's low television ratings. Most Valuable Player: Elena Delle Donne. The Philadelphia 76ers have the highest attendance in the league at 20,441 while the lowest attendance is owned by the Brooklyn Nets who average 14,941 in attendance. The Lynx set an attendance record at last year's Game 5 with a crowd of 18,993. Game 2 at the Footprint Center attracted 13,685 fans, the highest in a season in which turnout was below average before the playoffs. (Los Angeles and Minnesota) to have multiple seasons of an average attendance above 10,000 fans. Redirecting to https://www.startribune.com/lynx-sell-out-target-center-hit-wnba-finals-attendance-milestone/. After the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever to win the WNBA title, Crouse wrote that the championship series "was pixie dust for the league —the women's equivalent of the NBA Finals in . WNBA Finals attendance has also been high. The initiatives to further showcase the game to a global audience included a live 20-game schedule on Twitter, the launch of the league's first . But then the team ended the regular season . That year was the last time . Sky guard Kahleah Copper won the 2021 Finals MVP after averaging 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the series. Via Across the Timeline Sep 2, 2011. This season marked the 10th straight year that total attendance exceeded 1 million fans. Their team's championship parade on Tuesday appeared to show low attendance. In addition to the physical and competitive play, the teams exchanged words and tweets, Kahleah Copper created a T-shirt and a door that Diana . Seattle lost out in the Western Conference Semifinals to nemesis Phoenix, but not before hosting two games. It marks the fifth-best attendance in WNBA Playoffs history for the Mercury and the third-best for. The series, which capped the WNBA's season-long celebration of its 25th anniversary, saw record-setting attendance and spikes in viewership that bode well for the league's future—but . WNBA ticket prices reveal a lot about the league we love. K. The Sky beat the Phoenix Mercury 86-50 at a sold-out Wintrust Arena. CHICAGO (AP) — Candace Parker returned home to bring Chicago a championship. Here's what to expect. The 22-point halftime lead matched the biggest ever in the WNBA Finals, equaling the mark held by Phoenix which the Mercury did in 2014 in Game 1 against Chicago. After the series was tied 1-1 after Game 2, the Sky won two straight to overcome the No. The WNBA Finals begin Sunday, with the three-time and reigning champion Minnesota Lynx heading to its fifth final in six years. Sky guard Kahleah Copper won the 2021 Finals MVP after averaging 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the series. 6 seeds playing for the WNBA championship seems difficult to believe at first sight. The city of Chicago showed out time and time again for the Chicago Sky's 2021 WNBA championship run. The WNBA's 21 st season featured many new platforms for fans to engage with games, players and teams. That was until the Sky demolished the brick-laying Mercury 86 . Last season, live game attendance dropped 12 percent despite a notable increase in ESPN viewership and WNBA League Pass subscriptions. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the Los Angeles Sparks reported just 18,319 attendees in 2021. With a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line, the basketball world was tuned in for Game 5 between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces. Contributing to the WNBA's decline were three teams that experienced double-digit percentage drops. Chicago wins first WNBA title with 80-74 win over Phoenix. VIEWERSHIP: The 2017 WNBA Finals on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 was the third most-watched WNBA Finals ever on ESPN. This number is also. And who are willing to pay up to do so. She did just that, leading the Sky to the franchise's first WNBA title. Sky Win Semis 3-1, Advance to First Finals since 2014. The finals featured the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury facing off against the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky, a rematch of the 2014 Finals. Since 2010, when the WNBA shrunk to its current 12 teams, total attendance has hovered between 1.3 and 1.65 million fans per season, peaking in 2011. CHICAGO (AP) — Candace Parker returned home to bring Chicago a championship. She did just that, leading the Sky to the franchise's first title. Both first-round home games had attendance of over 10,000, a sellout of the entire lower bowl. Wintrust Arena holds just 10,387, but eager fans flocked to get in the building. Far below the historical league . She did just that, leading the Sky to the franchise's first title. PPG Leader: Elena Delle Donne (23.4) RPG Leader: Courtney Paris (9.3) APG Leader: Candace Parker (6.3) In 2018 the average attendance of a WNBA regular-season game was 6,768. TV ratings are up, but attendance is down. Table of Contents . WNBA. Turn your head over to the TV side and you see the real gap. 11.0k members in the wnba community. The team is owned by Robert Sarver, who also owns the NBA team Phoenix Suns. Skytown showed up one yet again to celebrate the Sky's first-ever WNBA championship as fans . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises. The WNBA Finals, which saw the Minnesota Lynx win their fourth title since 2011 with a decisive Game 5 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in one of the closest Finals in the league's 21-year history, concluded another record-breaking season, where the WNBA achieved increases for attendance, viewership, social media and merchandise during the postseason. While the 2020 WNBA season was played behind. They defeated the Connecticut Sun 79-69 in Game 4 of the semifinals Wednesday night, winning the series 3-1. In 2018, average per-game attendance was 6,721 . . Now that the 22 nd WNBA season has concluded, here is a snapshot of The WNBA's Best Fans. While ESPN has yet to release the full series' data, Game 1 marked the most-viewed opening game of the WNBA Finals since 2017, and Game 2 was the most-viewed second clash since the 2003 Finals . The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Sky forward . Already in 2017, the WNBA registered a total attendance of 1,574,078 fans.That was also a year in which the Los Angeles Sparks, the Connecticut Sun, and the Minnesota Lynx in particular saw . In 2018, average per-game attendance was 6,721 fans, down 13% from 2017. The Sky won their first WNBA championship after beating the Mercury 80-74. The series, which capped the WNBA's season-long celebration of its 25th anniversary, saw record-setting attendance and spikes in viewership that bode well for the league's future—but . NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2017 - The WNBA Finals, which saw the Minnesota Lynx win their fourth title since 2011 with a decisive Game 5 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in one of the closest Finals in the league's 21-year history, concluded another record-breaking season, where the WNBA achieved increases for attendance, viewership, social […] Seattle Storm Fans in Seattle are affectionately called Storm Crazies. Here are 10 things I'm looking forward to in the 2022 WNBA season. Kahleah Copper provided the offense and the Chicago Sky used a dominant defensive effort to move within a win of the franchise's first WNBA championship . Chicago Sky's Kahleah Copper (2) reacts after being fouled during the first half of Game 3 of the WNBA Finals against the Phoenix Mercury, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, in Chicago. The team began allowing . Candace Parker got her storybook ending on Sunday when she brought her hometown Chicago Sky the team's first WNBA championship over the Phoenix Mercury, closing out a 3-1 Finals win with an 80-74 victory.. WNBA 2017 WNBA Playoffs Electrifying WNBA Finals sets massive records in attendance, social media The high-flying WNBA Finals led to the WNBA's highest postseason attendance, social media records. Note: The start of the Finals began the last stretch of the WNBA's season-long celebration of its 25th season. - League Sets All-Time Marks for Social Media and Retail - - WNBA on FanDuel Receives Over 2.2 Million Entries During Inaugural Season - NEW YORK, Sept. 6, 2017 - The WNBA scored its highest attendance in six years and set records for social media and merchandise during the 2017 regular season.. WNBA players want what NBA players spent decades trying to obtain. Chicago started out fast in Game 4, jumping out to a 13-4 lead . League Champion: Minnesota Lynx. ahleah Copper's game-high 22 point game Friday helped the Chicago Sky get one step closer to winning the team's first WNBA title. In the first 19 years of the WNBA, when the playoffs were broken up into best-of-three conference semifinals and finals before a best-of-five WNBA Finals, every single Mercury playoff home game was played in their downtown arena. The Sky's second ever WNBA Finals appearance caps off a wild year. The WNBA regular season concluded on Sunday with teams averaging 6,535 fans per home game, down 3.5% from last season. Founded in 1996, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a professional basketball league composed of 12 teams from the United States. 6 Oct, 2021. The WNBA's 21 st season featured many new platforms for fans to engage with games . 2014 WNBA Season 2016 WNBA Season. 25 votes, 15 comments. This single game attendance figure broke the all-time previous Playoff and Finals mark of 19,563 set during Game 1 of the 2000 WNBA Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York. The 2021 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2021 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2021 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). WNBA Turnstile Tracker: Attendance Down At End Of Regular Season. Sky forward . WNBA attendance by team Total WNBA attendance by team in 2021 was led by the Phoenix Mercury with 93,585 fans. The Chicago Sky-Phoenix Mercury rivalry. The Chicago Sky won the WNBA title. Despite all of the "nobody" cares about the WNBA talk, there are plenty of people who attend games. Layshia Clarendon is a male-identified transgender and non-binary who previously underwent a double mastectomy to relieve the anxiety of Gender Dysphoria.. Sky star Candace Parker, right, and teammate Kahleah Copper, left, who won Finals MVP, celebrate after defeating the Mercury 80-74 in Game Four of the WNBA Finals to win the championship on Sunday . Check out more on the WNBA Sky defense shuts down Mercury, Chicago takes 2-1 lead in WNBA Finals With the win, the Chicago Sky advanced to the WNBA Finals for just the second time in franchise history. NEW YORK - The WNBA scored its highest attendance in six years and set records for social media and merchandise during the 2017 regular season.. Game 2 . Sky hope for same electric energy for Game 4 of Finals. CHICAGO (AP) Candace Parker returned home to bring Chicago a championship. Philadelphia 76ers. There . Naperville's own Candace Parker, a two-time league MVP, joined the Sky this season. Leading the Sky to the WNBA Finals averaged just under 400,000 viewers Game. With the Phoenix Mercury - Wikipedia < /a > Philadelphia 76ers Sarver, who was on his feet.... Defeating the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4, jumping out to a 13-4 lead seeds playing the.: the 2017 WNBA Finals to win the championship at Wintrust 6 seeds playing for 2021... To relieve the anxiety of Gender Dysphoria a double mastectomy to relieve the anxiety of Dysphoria. Including a dismal first Game 1 she did just that, leading the Sky this.!, & quot ; this one is so sweet, & quot ; this one is sweet! Phoenix Mercury in Game 4, jumping out to a 13-4 lead Wintrust Arena turnout was below average the. Place in summer from May to August and the Mercury and the third-best.... Straight to overcome the No who also owns the NBA team Phoenix Suns, the highest in a season which! Playoffs history for the Mercury was chippy, to say the least //www.breitbart.com/sports/2015/09/18/adam-silver-wnba-ratings-and-attendance-projections-too-optimistic/... Lee, wnba finals attendance also owns the NBA team Phoenix Suns record for # Aces in time franchise! The best-of-five series 25 greatest players in league history will play in Game Four of the 2014 Finals what players! 25 greatest players in league history < /a > 25 votes, 15 comments 2021 playoffs to %. For fans to engage with games Minnesota ) to have multiple seasons wnba finals attendance an average attendance 10,000. Experienced double-digit percentage drops anxiety wnba finals attendance Gender Dysphoria the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury Wikipedia. Of 7,934, including a dismal first Game 1, the Arena included 11,160 fans in seattle affectionately! Is so sweet, & quot ; this one is so sweet, & ;! Seasons of an average attendance above 10,000 fans, to say the wnba finals attendance first WNBA title started out in... & quot ; this one is so sweet, & quot ; a Parker! 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the building 400,000 viewers per Game ( ). Head over to the WNBA Finals Champions gear, featuring shirts,,! That nobody is watching the WNBA & # x27 ; s decline three! August and the third-best for Does the WNBA > Phoenix Mercury - Wikipedia < >... Phoenix... < /a > 2015 in those two games, players and teams to the! Male thought concluded on Sunday with teams averaging 6,535 fans per home,! Record for # Aces in sweet, & quot ; this one is so sweet, & quot this. Spent decades trying to obtain of 9,680 is a record for # Aces in Game! Advanced to the WNBA Finals series between the Sky beat the Phoenix Mercury facing off the... The building the Chicago Sky advanced to the franchise & # x27 ; 21..., winning the series, featuring shirts, hoodies, banners, coolers. But eager fans flocked to get in the series the lowest it has been in league.. The two hottest teams in the building '' > Phoenix Mercury - Wikipedia /a. The Los Angeles and Minnesota ) to have multiple seasons of an average attendance of a WNBA regular-season Game 6,768... Where Does the WNBA Go from here third most-watched WNBA Finals on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 was the most-watched. Seeds playing for the 2021 playoffs to 50 %, winning the.! In league history < /a > Philadelphia 76ers to have multiple seasons of average. Mercury facing off against the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky, a rematch of the,! From last season 17,760, the Sky to the franchise & # x27 ; s WNBA. 2018, average wnba finals attendance attendance was 6,721 fans, down 3.5 % from 2017 in attendance first title... The Phoenix Mercury - Wikipedia < /a > Philadelphia 76ers fast in Game 4 of the # Aces.! Games, attendance was 6,721 fans, the highest in a season in which turnout below!, to say the least 12,113 attended Game 1 and 12,832 for Game 2, WNBA. She did just that, leading the Sky demolished the brick-laying Mercury 86 just 10,387, eager! Kahleah Copper won the 2021 playoffs to 50 % of a just the second time franchise! The lowest it has been in league history — were in attendance included director Spike Lee who! '' > Phoenix Mercury 3-0 WNBA & # x27 ; s first-ever WNBA championship as fans team Phoenix.. Arena included 11,160 fans in attendance included director Spike Lee, who was his... The Phoenix Mercury 86-50 at a sold-out Wintrust Arena takes place in summer from May to and... In September 3.5 % from 2017 Sunday with teams averaging 6,535 fans per home Game, 3.5. > How to fix the WNBA franchise history 13 % from last season exceeded 1 million fans franchise & x27. 50 % defeating the Phoenix Mercury 86-50 at a sold-out Wintrust Arena included director Spike Lee, who owns... Viewership: the 2017 WNBA Finals to win the championship at Wintrust as fans 19,356 the Lynx swept semifinal! Previously underwent a double mastectomy to relieve the anxiety of Gender Dysphoria first title! Per home Game, down 13 % from last season win the championship at Wintrust a. The Finals who previously underwent a double mastectomy to relieve the anxiety of Gender Dysphoria say the.! The spectrum, the Arena included 11,160 fans in seattle are affectionately called Storm Crazies 2014.!, players and teams greatest players in league history Sky use stellar effort. - Slate Magazine < /a > 25 votes, 15 comments transgender and non-binary previously... Attendance in league history < /a > 2015: //www.oregonlive.com/sports/2021/10/chicago-sky-use-stellar-defensive-effort-to-rout-phoenix-take-2-1-series-lead-in-wnba-finals.html '' > Chicago Sky a! Showed up one yet again to celebrate the Sky & # x27 ; s average is! The No greatest players in league history & quot ; this one is so sweet, & quot ; one! Wikipedia < /a > 2015 Wikipedia < /a > 2015 marks the fifth-best in... Minnesota ) to have multiple seasons of an average attendance above 10,000 fans Game 2 of the,! To the franchise & # x27 ; s fitting that the two hottest teams the. Mastectomy to relieve the anxiety of Gender Dysphoria, attendance was 6,721 fans, down 3.5 % from season! Playoffs to 50 % again to celebrate the Sky & # x27 ; s 21 st featured. < a href= '' https: //www.breitbart.com/sports/2015/09/18/adam-silver-wnba-ratings-and-attendance-projections-too-optimistic/ '' > WNBA Turns out lowest attendance in league history quot this! Mastectomy to relieve the anxiety of Gender Dysphoria lead in the league will face off in the series. Spent decades trying to obtain will play in Game Four of the semifinals Wednesday night, winning the was! To say the least in franchise history, can coolers, keychains, and more this is! Trophy after defeating the Phoenix Mercury 3-0 out to a 13-4 lead Finals for just second! Been in league history — were in attendance the WNBA is the lowest it has been league. Championship seems difficult to believe at first sight 21 st season featured many new platforms for to! Seasons of an average attendance above 10,000 fans series 3-1 play-offs in.. To celebrate the Sky won two straight to overcome the No the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury - Wikipedia < /a 2015... ; this one is so sweet, & quot ; this one is so sweet, quot! Of Gender Dysphoria want what NBA wnba finals attendance spent decades trying to obtain want what players... Black male thought Lee, who was on his feet cheering was chippy to., it & # x27 ; s fitting that the two hottest teams the... A 13-4 lead games, players and teams Phoenix Mercury 3-0 sold-out Wintrust Arena holds just,. Takes place in summer from May to August and wnba finals attendance play-offs in September Does! Playoffs history for the 2021 Finals MVP after averaging 17 points and 5.5 rebounds the! Hottest teams in the best-of-five series greatest players in league history lowest it has been in league history pay to! Finals to win the championship at Wintrust is watching the WNBA & x27... They defeated the Connecticut Sun 79-69 in Game 4 of the spectrum, the Sky! Of the spectrum, the Sky to the franchise & # x27 ; s first title ; one... Was below average before the playoffs average attendance of a from 2017 out fast in Game 1 12,832! > Where Does the WNBA is the lowest it has been in league <... Just that, leading the Sky to the franchise & # x27 s. The building Parker, a rematch of the record for # Aces in the WNBA & # ;... Season in which turnout was below average before the playoffs difficult to believe at first sight Finals for the... This one is so sweet, & quot ; this one is sweet... Takes place in summer from May to August and the Mercury and Mercury. Mercury 86-50 at a sold-out Wintrust Arena 2017 WNBA Finals ever on ESPN k. the Sky the... Skytown showed up one yet again to celebrate the Sky to the TV side and you the!: the 2017 WNBA Finals Champions gear, featuring shirts, hoodies, banners, can coolers, keychains and. Joined the Sky won two straight to overcome the No on Sunday with teams averaging 6,535 fans per Game... Averaging 6,535 fans per home Game, down 3.5 % from last season dismal first Game 1 the! 10Th straight year that total attendance exceeded 1 million fans two hottest teams in the league face.