The WNBA has experienced a surge in momentum over the last few years. League expansion and superstar talent have attracted the attention of fans worldwide, and viewership has continued to soar year after year. Despite the progress, however, this momentum can only be preserved if the product is not consistently treated as second-class.
Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries offered everything the rapidly-evolving league could ask for: a sold-out arena, record television audiences and a championship series between two first-time contenders with abundant star power.
But at this apex of WNBA popularity, the calendar delivered a reminder of the league’s secondary status to their male counterparts: originally scheduled for 8 p.m. EST, the two teams ended up facing off at 12:30 pm EST, breaking from a precedent of primetime airing for the culminating games of both men’s and women’s professional basketball.
The game had been moved from its original planned primetime slot at 8 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. midway through the series, due to a scheduling conflict with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks over court space in State Farm Arena.
Despite repeated requests from Dream management to WNBA authorities throughout the playoffs to allow the franchise to expand its available audience through a primetime slot at State Farm, the NBA would not accommodate any scenario that allowed the two teams to play after midday. Despite the WNBA’s managerial preferences, the ultimate decision was left to NBA schedulers.
This decision created an uncomfortable contradiction that will follow both leagues well into the offseason. Due to an explosion in ticket demand, the Dream could not play finals games at their regular venue, which only seats 3,500 fans. However, they also could not utilize the larger arena they allegedly secured months in advance. This forced fans on the West Coast — much of the Valkyries fan base — to tune in at 9:30 a.m. on a workday.
The WNBA argued that this change was the best option for fans. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the move would allow “thousands more fans” to experience a championship game in a larger venue. Thousands more, however, missed out on a chance to watch their homegrown teams compete on the WNBA’s highest stage.
The importance of timing cannot be understated. For the WNBA to continue its explosive growth, the league must find ways to compel audiences beyond its traditional fanbase. That means signature moments broadcast to audiences watching from the comfort of home instead of briefly through their phones at work or not at all. Even if well-intentioned, the playing of such a game at an inopportune time is almost as bad for the league as if they had remained at the Dream’s minuscule home arena.
An often repeated talking point is that the NBA viewership numbers dwarf the WNBA’s, so the combined management of both organizations should prioritize the more profitable of the two. In the case of Game 6, that logic quickly falls apart. The unconventional start still managed to draw an audience of 1.5 million viewers across platforms — as opposed to the Hawks game later that day that drew 15,000 fans to State Farm Arena for an unremarkable contest against the Cavaliers.
The NBA, to their credit, did make adjustments to their tipoff time, allowing for more flexibility in the afternoon game slot by postponing the Hawks-Cavaliers contest. But the conversation should never be about flexibility or small concessions. If the WNBA were being prioritized on the same level as the NBA, the question of primetime priority would be an afterthought, especially between a finals matchup and an ordinary regular season game. It is inconceivable to think of an NBA Finals game being played at any other time than a prime evening slot.
Even detractors of the WNBA product cannot point to attendance or viewership metrics to prove their idea of NBA supremacy. Game 6 drew some of the WNBA’s highest ratings ever, despite the time handicap. At this point, the argument for equitable treatment across leagues is moving beyond the viewership hurdle that the WNBA’s detractors consistently point to. It’s time that the management of both leagues recognizes that fact as well.
A league seeking equality cannot gain it through only receiving more fans and attention. It also needs its biggest moments protected. The irony is that the controversy itself demonstrates the WNBA’s growth. The Finals needed a bigger arena because more people wanted to attend. The game generated national discussion because more people cared. The problem was not a lack of interest. It was that the league’s infrastructure and scheduling priorities had not fully caught up with its popularity.
Talbott Chesley PO’ 28 is an avid fan of all things Storm Basketball. He’s currently picking up the pieces of his broken heart after an 8-36 finish this season.
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