The retired WNBA star spoke candidly about ways the league could improve viewership.
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Candace Parker in “The Kelly Clarkson Show”
Candace Parker highlighted a forgotten aspect of the WNBA’s recent surge in viewership.
Parker, 38, sat down for an interview on the Bloomberg Original podcast The deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly, published on Wednesday November 6. During her conversation, the retired WNBA star criticized networks’ indifference toward the league before its current boom in popularity.
“The first time they aired the NCAA women’s game on ABC was the first year they Caitlin Clark “I did the championship match,” Parker said, adding, “Are you surprised the viewership went up? Are you surprised people actually saw the product? It’s been buried for so long on ESPN.”
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From left to right: Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on April 2, 2023
The WNBA saw its best viewership numbers ever this season with the introduction of 22-year-old Clark and other popular newcomers, like Angel Reese And Cameron Brink. The 2024 season was the league’s most watched, the organization announced on October 25, with growth of 170% compared to 2023.
There have been 32 WNBA telecasts this season that averaged more than a million viewers each, and the league’s Oct. 25 release said 22 of them were on ESPN platforms.
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But even when Clark, Reese and Brink weren’t playing, Brink was out for most of the season. tear his ACL in June – the league saw more eyes than in previous years. The 2024 final, between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty, was the most-watched championship game in 25 years, growing 115% from last year.
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From left to right: Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese on July 20, 2024
Parker also noted that the WNBA could do more to put its broadcasts in a better position to benefit from high audiences, including accommodating other leagues’ schedules. “The NBA doesn’t want to conflict with the NFL playoffs or the NFL opening week. So why then should we put the WNBA in? I don’t care if that’s the time slot that they give you. Let’s fight for another one or let’s go find something else,” she said on the podcast.
Parker, a WNBA legend, announced his retirement basketball on April 28. She is the first WNBA player to win three championships with three different teams. She won her first ring with the Sparks in 2016. After that, she went to play in her hometown of Chicago, leading the Chicago Sky to a title in 2021 before joining the Las Vegas Aces for a championship victory in 2023.
