The WNBA finished the season with an average of 7,655 fans per game, up 4.6% from a record-low figure last season and the league's best average since '11. There were eight teams that saw increases at the gate in '16. With the return of former league MVP Diana Taurasi, who sat out the '15 season, the Phoenix Mercury averaged 10,351 per game, marking the team’s highest figure since '99. The Mercury also led the league in attendance for the third straight season. The San Antonio Stars saw the biggest gain this season, up 32% in the team's return to AT&T Center after playing home games last season at the smaller Freeman Coliseum. The Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm also saw double-digit percentage growth. During the Wings' first season in the Dallas market, the club drew 5,298 fans per game at UT-Arlington's College Park Center. That figure was the lowest average for a WNBA team this season. The club averaged 5,167 fans per game during its final season in Tulsa last year. The Washington Mystics had the biggest drop among WNBA clubs, down 10% at Verizon Center.
|
WNBA AVERAGE ATTENDANCE
|
|
YEAR
|
AVERAGE
|
YEAR
|
AVERAGE
|
|
'16
|
7,655
|
'06
|
7,479
|
|
'15
|
7,318
|
'05
|
8,173
|
|
'14
|
7,578
|
'04
|
8,593
|
|
'13
|
7,531
|
'03
|
8,826
|
|
'12
|
7,457
|
'02
|
9,344
|
|
'11
|
7,955
|
'01
|
9,075
|
|
'10
|
7,834
|
'00
|
9,072
|
|
'09
|
8,039
|
'99
|
10,189
|
|
'08
|
7,952
|
'98
|
10,864
|
|
'07
|
7,742
|
'97
|
9,662
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
'16 WNBA REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE
|
| HOME TEAM |
GAMES
|
TOTAL
|
AVG.
|
% CAP.
|
PREV.
|
% +/-
|
GAMES ('15)
|
| Phoenix Mercury |
17
|
175,965
|
10,351
|
107.5%
|
9,946
|
4.1%
|
17
|
| N.Y. Liberty |
17
|
165,300
|
9,724
|
96.1%
|
9,159
|
6.2%
|
17
|
| L.A. Sparks |
17
|
163,839
|
9,638
|
73.3%
|
9,065
|
6.3%
|
17
|
| Minnesota Lynx |
17
|
157,523
|
9,266
|
101.2%
|
9,364
|
-1.0%
|
17
|
| Indiana Fever |
17
|
145,771
|
8,575
|
93.1%
|
7,485
|
14.6%
|
17
|
| Seattle Storm |
17
|
122,912
|
7,230
|
74.6%
|
6,516
|
11.0%
|
17
|
| Chicago Sky |
17
|
119,147
|
7,009
|
95.6%
|
6,894
|
1.7%
|
17
|
| Washington Mystics |
17
|
117,795
|
6,929
|
93.6%
|
7,714
|
-10.2%
|
17
|
| San Antonio Stars* |
17
|
108,551
|
6,385
|
64.6%
|
4,831
|
32.2%
|
17
|
| Connecticut Sun |
17
|
99,236
|
5,837
|
62.6%
|
5,557
|
5.0%
|
17
|
| Atlanta Dream** |
17
|
95,431
|
5,614
|
57.0%
|
6,122
|
-8.3%
|
17
|
| Dallas Wings*** |
17
|
90,060
|
5,298
|
75.7%
|
NA
|
NA
|
17
|
| LEAGUE TOTALS |
204
|
1,561,530
|
7,655
|
82.2%
|
7,318
|
4.6%
|
204
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOTES: No games were scheduled from July 23-Aug. 24 due to the '16 Rio Games. * = Played the '15 season at Freeman Coliseum due to renovations at AT&T Center. ** = Includes one designated home game played at Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion this season. *** = Relocated from Tulsa to Dallas following the '15 season, with home games at UT-Arlington's College Park Center having a smaller capacity. Tulsa attendance figures are included in the leaguewide figure for last season.
