Candace Parker shared her thoughts on the WNBA’s growing viewership this past season.
Appearing on “The Deal with Alex Rodriguez and Jason Kelly” podcast, Parker criticized how women’s basketball was covered by TV networks.
“[The WNBA] is 28 years young. There’s a lot of leagues that it took to year 30 to really make a growth, so it’s coming,” Parker said. “The crazy thing that I think is, it’s little fixes. And this is where my role is, is to question and to push and to encourage.
“The first time they put the Women’s NCAA game on ABC was the first year that Caitlin Clark made the championship game,” Parker continued. “Are you surprised that the viewership was up? Are you surprised that people actually saw the product? It was buried for so long on ESPN.”
Because of the excitement surrounding Clark and Angel Reese, the 2024 season saw the league’s viewership grow 170% in 2023.
The Finals matchup between Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, was the most-viewed championship round in 25 years, growing 115% from 2023.
Parker also stated that the WNBA should not have to compete with other professional sports leagues for views.
“The NBA doesn’t want to clash with NFL playoffs or NFL opening week. So why would we then put the WNBA? I don’t care if that’s the time slot that they’re giving you,” Parker said. “Let’s fight for another one or let’s find something else.”
After 16 seasons, Parker announced her retirement in April. She is the only WNBA player to win three championships with three different teams. Parker won her first championship with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016. Then she signed with her hometown Chicago Sky and won another title in 2021. In her last season, she won her third championship with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.
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