2025 WNBA Thread

[MU82]

Something That Wouldn't Have Happened Even A Year Ago Dept.:

The NLDS featured two big-market teams ... but the first 10 minutes of Sportscenter last night was all about the WNBA Finals.

It's been a tremendous title series, with each game having big comebacks and close finishes. Last night's Game 3, with Sabrina Ionescu hitting a Rowsey 3 at the buzzer for the Liberty, was a classic.

[Jockey]

Something That Wouldn't Have Happened Even A Year Ago Dept.:

The NLDS featured two big-market teams ... but the first 10 minutes of Sportscenter last night was all about the WNBA Finals.

It's been a tremendous title series, with each game having big comebacks and close finishes. Last night's Game 3, with Sabrina Ionescu hitting a Rowsey 3 at the buzzer for the Liberty, was a classic.

Kaitlin Clark.

[Lennys Tap]

Kaitlin Clark.

Caitlin. And the Caitlin Clark effect is present even when she's not playing. Magic/Bird, MJ, Arnie and Tiger all moved the needle re their sport's popularity a great deal - but Clark is in a league of her own.

[MU82]

From Sports Illustrated:

Here's the truth: Two things are true at the same time.

1. Games featuring Clark performed much better than other contests. That fact applied to her last playoff game with the Fever drawing 2.5 million viewers, as compared to 1.1 million for the first game of the WNBA Finals. Game 1 of the Fever and Sun series was also able to garner 1.8 million viewers in the midst of an NFL Sunday, which was a 330% increase over the 2023 first round game that aired on the same channel.

2. WNBA numbers as a whole are up in general, and the returns for Game 1 were terrific when placed into the context of previous years. The 1.1 million for Game 1 was a massive jump from the 729,000 drawn in the first game between the Liberty and Las Vegas Aces last season. That's an increase of 57%, making it the first WNBA Finals game to top a million viewers in over 20 years.

https://www.si.com/onsi/womens-fastbreak/analysis/the-truth-about-wnba-playoff-ratings-without-caitlin-clark-01ja1g9a7qtt

Since that Oct. 12 article, there have been two more WNBA Finals games. Here's what Front Office Sports said about Game 2 ratings:

The WNBA continues to smash viewership records despite Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever's elimination nearly two weeks ago.

Game 2 of the Finals between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx averaged 1.34 million viewers Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, the most-viewed WNBA Finals game in 23 years. It was also the second-most-watched WNBA game on ESPN networks, behind Game 3 of the 1998 Finals, a do-or-die elimination game between the Phoenix Mercury and Houston Comets.

The record-setting figure comes despite direct competition from the NFL's Week 6 slate.

https://frontofficesports.com/wnba-finals-tv-ratings-grow-in-game-2-despite-nfl-competition/

And this just in: The audience grew yet again for last night's wonderful Game 3, which averaged 1.39 million viewers. It was the most watched WNBA Finals game in more than 20 years.

https://x.com/VanshayM/status/1847039525932933175?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

[Jockey]

Caitlin. And the Caitlin Clark effect is present even when she's not playing. Magic/Bird, MJ, Arnie and Tiger all moved the needle re their sport's popularity a great deal - but Clark is in a league of her own.

Generally agree, but I think Clark and Tiger should be lumped together. Tiger made a lot of money for a lot of guys. Caitlin will make a lot of money for lots of gals.

[MU82]

Another classic.

And now there will be Game 5.

[Jay Bee]

Last night's Game 3, with Sabrina Ionescu hitting a Rowsey 3 at the buzzer for the Liberty, was a classic.

#FakeNews #Lies

This didn't happen. Perhaps you didn't watch the game?

[MU82]

#FakeNews #Lies

This didn't happen. Perhaps you didn't watch the game?

ok

[Jay Bee]

ok

ok = "You're correct, I messed up and also I didn't watch the game I was posting about", yes?

[MU82]

ok = "You're correct, I messed up and also I didn't watch the game I was posting about", yes?

ok. u b u.

[Jay Bee]

ok. u b u.

You're such a beta. FOH.

[MU82]

You're such a beta. FOH.

ok

[The Sultan]

You're such a beta. FOH.

Did you take a break from your pickleball weekend to post this?

[Pakuni]

Did you take a break from your pickleball weekend to post this?

Pickleball is alpha, bro.

[ChuckyChip]

Something That Wouldn't Have Happened Even A Year Ago Dept.:

The NLDS featured two big-market teams ... but the first 10 minutes of Sportscenter last night was all about the WNBA Finals.

What network is broadcasting the WNBA games, and what network(s) are showing baseball?  That dictates the Sportscenter coverage more than anything else.

[MuggsyB]

Not exactly a riveting 1st half. 

[wadesworld]

Did you take a break from your pickleball weekend to post this?

Lol.

[MU82]

What a series. Congrats to the Liberty.

[MuggsyB]

What a series. Congrats to the Liberty.

Yesterday was not good.  There's really no way to spin it.  Don't mistake a competitive game/score for a great or entertaining contest.  I also think the Lynx coach had a right to be displeased with the officiating.   The last foul call on Stewart was quite frankly, absurd. 

[MU82]

Yesterday was not good.  There's really no way to spin it.  Don't mistake a competitive game/score for a great or entertaining contest.  I also think the Lynx coach had a right to be displeased with the officiating.   The last foul call on Stewart was quite frankly, absurd.

When teams shoot poorly, a game always appears "not good," but it was as intense a game as you'll ever see. Viewers who were into it could feel the tension on every single possession. Both teams played with desperation and ferocity. One might even say both were medieval.

If you want to call it "not good," that is your prerogative. I disagree. And the series overall was outstanding, with long-time observers (which I'm not, and I'm guessing you're not, either) calling it the best WNBA Finals ever.

The Lynx got the majority of calls at home. It happens. WNBA officiating is a step below NBA officiating, which has its own problems. Minnesota had a bazillion opportunities to win in regulation last night, as did New York. To focus on one call makes no sense.

[The Sultan]

Game 7 of the 2016 Finals, the one with the epic Lebron block, was a 93-89 slugfest. It wasn't pretty offensively but it was intense, and capped off what is widely considered to be among the best Finals of all time.

[Jay Bee]

Did you take a break from your pickleball weekend to post this?

Took Sunday off from Pickleball. Saturday's tourney went over six hours (we didn't lose all night and won the championship — but it did go to a Dreambreaker to win it all... 21-8!)

[GB Warrior]

Yesterday was not good.  There's really no way to spin it.  Don't mistake a competitive game/score for a great or entertaining contest.  I also think the Lynx coach had a right to be displeased with the officiating.   The last foul call on Stewart was quite frankly, absurd.

Wasnt a good call but officiating is far from the biggest challenge the league faces. The coaching league wide is generally horrendous and I didn't think it was good today. It's on the players to make shots, but there were a lot of bad looks in addition to bad shots. When you have a low scoring game, the variance on one play or call gets amplified.

Wait til the fan that only pays attention to the WNBA tunes into the NBA and learns Tony Brothers exists...

[Not all scoop users are created equal apparently]

Wasnt a good call but officiating is far from the biggest challenge the league faces. The coaching league wide is generally horrendous and I didn't think it was good today. It's on the players to make shots, but there were a lot of bad looks in addition to bad shots. When you have a low scoring game, the variance on one play or call gets amplified.

Wait til the fan that only pays attention to the WNBA tunes into the NBA and learns Tony Brothers exists...

If he were a WNBA ref would he be Tony Sisters

[jesmu84]

Yesterday was not good.  There's really no way to spin it.  Don't mistake a competitive game/score for a great or entertaining contest.  I also think the Lynx coach had a right to be displeased with the officiating.   The last foul call on Stewart was quite frankly, absurd.

The foul call wasn't the most egregious part of that play.

She travelled twice.