Winning in the WNBA

This year marks the 25th season of the WNBA, the all-female basketball league. It follows a season that was unlike any other. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the league’s 12 teams from traveling or playing in front of fans. Instead, the entire WNBA relocated to Florida, where athletes were quarantined and tested daily. Players had little contact with friends and family outside the league “bubble” all season.

Despite this, the WNBA had a successful year. Players broke many records, including average points and possessions per game. During the playoffs, the Seattle Storm faced off against the Las Vegas Aces. After winning the first two games of the best-of-five Finals, the Storm won Game Three by a score of 92-59. It was the largest margin in WNBA Finals history!

Covid-19 isn’t the only challenge that WNBA players have faced. For years, they have fought for fair pay and treatment. In the 2020 season, the average annual salary in the WNBA was less than 1% of that of the NBA. Many WNBA athletes play abroad in the off-season to supplement their incomes. WNBA games also receive less television coverage than men’s games. But interest in the WNBA is on the rise. In 2020, viewership rose 68 percent and fan engagement on social media was at an all-time high.

“WNBA athletes are taking the game to a new level,” says WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.