In a season packed with rookies playing like veterans, social media going absolutely haywire, and brands scrambling for a piece of the WNBA spotlight, the league just posted jaw-dropping sponsorship numbers that could leave other leagues shaking in their basketball shoes.
According to Relo Metrics, the WNBA turned up with a cool $136 million in Sponsor Media Value (SMV) in 2024, marking a record-breaking high for the league. And sure, big names like Nike, AT&T, and Michelob Ultra saw a huge payday—but let’s be real, they’ve been around the block before. This year, it was all about the rookie takeover and the so-called “Caitlin Clark Effect.” Clark, alongside fellow rookies Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, has fueled a casual 571% increase in WNBA mentions across digital channels. Clark has especially driven a feverish wave of attention, so much so that nearly half of the league’s total broadcast value came courtesy of the Indiana Fever’s games alone. We’re talking prime-time gold!
The best part? This surge is far from an isolated trend. Eleven out of the league’s 12 teams enjoyed major boosts in social media engagement, adding a tasty $49 million to the total media value across team accounts alone. TikTok became the WNBA’s personal hype machine, with engagements per post spiking a mind-boggling 470% over last year. The NBA must be watching in envy because while their TikTok gets a respectable 17 engagements per 1,000 followers, the WNBA fans clocked in at an absurd 272 engagements for the same follower count.
Top Brands Winning the Social Media Value Showdown
In the world of social media value, Nike reigned supreme, raking in over $30 million, followed by AT&T with $12 million and Michelob Ultra with $9.3 million. And it wasn’t just sportswear and brews cashing in—financial services had a real moment, with Gainbridge, the Indiana Fever’s stadium sponsor, holding top branding status even with fewer logo exposures than their New York Liberty counterpart, Barclays.
The true MVPs, however, might just be the player uniforms. Nearly 207,000 total exposures across broadcasts and social media showcased these jerseys on full display, accounting for a whopping 73% of social media value. For those wondering if a jersey could ever outshine a brand, well, here’s proof it just did.
Can We Talk About These TV Numbers?
And as if the social media numbers weren’t enough, TV viewership for the WNBA saw a spike big enough to make TV executives weep with joy (and maybe jealousy). National viewership jumped by 60% on ABC, 47% on CBS, and a jaw-dropping 156% on ESPN. The showdown between Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm on August 18 set the season’s high, pulling in over 2.7 million viewers. All this for a league that many naysayers thought could never go toe-to-toe with the NBA.
Jay Prasad, CEO of Relo Metrics, summed up the magic of the season, saying it was a “pivotal moment” for the WNBA as the league solidified its footprint in North American sports. Brands are now flocking to the WNBA, recognizing it as a golden opportunity to reach passionate fans and support a league with a fierce stance on equality and empowerment. In the game of sponsorship, WNBA just played all four quarters and nailed the buzzer-beater.
Fun Facts and The Sarcastic Bottom Line
- Court Logos Are the Real Estate Winners: Forget beachfront property; the Floor Court Logo was prime real estate this season, raking in $12.1 million on broadcasts alone.
- NBA Fanpages Who? WNBA fans practically have their fingers glued to team content, engaging way more than NBA fans. Guess TikTok algorithms are just as hyped about WNBA as we are.
So, next time someone says women’s sports don’t pull in viewership or money, tell them to check the numbers because the WNBA is not just pulling its weight—it’s bench-pressing the whole court.