The WNBA’s "modest attendance and television viewership illuminate a stubborn imbalance between men’s and women’s professional leagues," according to a front-page piece by Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Half of the league's 12 teams "lose money, and they benefit from revenue generated by the NBA’s national television and sponsorship deals." There "seems to be little doubt of the NBA's continued support of the WNBA as a legacy investment in women’s basketball." But the WNBA "has a fundamental problem: It needs more fans -- lots of them." Attendance fell to an average of 7,318 a game last season, "almost two decades after reaching its peak of 10,864" in '98, the league’s second season. Meanwhile, the need to "market the league -- as the best women’s basketball in the world with deeper talent than ever -- is recognized by players." WNBA President Lisa Borders "recognizes the challenges in making the WNBA stand out to hard-core women’s basketball fans as well as more casual sports lovers who might not pay attention to women’s sports." She said, "People have to know there’s a team in their market. They have to know it’s affordable family entertainment. There is no reason why people shouldn’t know that a WNBA game is being played." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that his goal is to "bring attendance back to 10,000." Sandomir noted that "may help shore up finances that contribute to the WNBA’s low player salaries, from $39,676 to $111,500 this season, that push many of its players ... to play in Europe and China during the off-season for multiples of their league wages" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/28).
