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The excitement for basketball is no longer just for men; women have broken barriers.
From college campuses to professional arenas, they have packed college stadiums and are on their way to fill WNBA arenas, where fans are showing up like never before.
Superstar players like Caitlin Clark have helped drive this new enthusiasm by breaking viewership records.
When Clark was with Iowa, she not only broke the record for most points but also the record for the most 3-pointers. She also became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division 1, passing both Pete Maravich and Kelsey Plum. According to Espn.com, during her college career, nearly 10 million viewers tuned in to witness her greatest moments, but she wasn’t the only rising superstar.
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Let’s talk about Angel Reese, who played for the LSU Tigers from 2020 to 2024. She set an NCAA record for 34 double-digit scoring and double-digit rebounds in a single season (2022-2023) and was named the “2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player by the NCAA committee.
What has changed to make women’s basketball so popular? Dawn Staley, a former WNBA player and now coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, said in an interview on YouTube,”it’s long overdue.” The answer could be that due to the rise of the superstar players who became mainly popular worldwide, and because of the increase in social media platforms, or maybe the cultural and equality movement that has finally shed light on the value of women’s sports.
In 2023, talks started about bringing the WNBA to the Bay Area. Officially in 2025, the Golden State Valkyries were founded, along with teams in other states, including the Portland Fire, who only played three seasons from(2000-2002) they will return in 2026 after 24 years and the Toronto Tempo, “a team that is” set to play their first game in 2026. The new team “is” coming to Cleveland in 2028, and to Detroit in 2029, according to the WNBA.”
The WNBA started in 1996 with only eight teams, compared to today with thirteen teams and growing with 14,284 fans in attendance for the inaugural WNBA game in 1997, at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, against the New York Liberty and the Los Angeles Sparks. Compared to today’s 18,064, which is the highest average attendance per game in WNBA history, achieved by the expansion team Golden State Valkyries in the 2025 season.
What was once an overlooked sport is now becoming one of the fastest-growing, competitive, and inspiring sports. The question is whether women’s basketball is here to stay; it’s how far it will rise.
