On Wednesday, May 28, I joined 11,000 other fans in welcoming the Washington Mystics to downtown Baltimore. The team, now coached by Sydney Johnson, a Towson Catholic High alum (previously on staff with the Chicago Sky), is led by veteran guard Brittney Sykes and Virginia native Shakira Austin. Their opponents for the evening were the Indiana Fever, featuring a roster full of champions, veterans, and rising stars in the league. In the shadow of the matchup and with the news of five new expansion franchises coming by 2030, my mind is swirling with thoughts on how cost and narrative shape the fan experience of the WNBA.
Growing up in Baltimore, there was little talk of the WNBA in my daily life. Our city did not feature a team, and with that, few local news outlets covered the wins and losses of our beltway neighbors, the Washington Mystics. In contrast, my childhood memories are filled with Purple Fridays for the Ravens and discounted tickets to Orioles games. My basketball memories from that era center on Carmelo Anthony, the rise of Kevin Durant out of PG County, and the dominance of the 2008 USA men’s basketball team (The Dream Team). Little did I know that athletes like Elena Delle Donne (WNBA MVP, WNBA Champion, Olympian, and retired Washington Mystic) at the University of Delaware and Alyssa Thomas at UMD College Park were rising around the Mid-Atlantic.
In recent years, journalists and on-air broadcasters have assessed the differences in coverage for women’s sports. The flippant notion that “nobody watches women’s sports” has birthed entirely new brands, catch phrases, bars, and so much more to prove — at the level of commerce and social space — just how wrong that is. Despite increased viewership of the WNBA in the last five years, the disparity across the board in broadcast hours, dedicated newsroom staff, and resourcing between men’s and women’s sports is wide. And beyond the gender disparity, there are disparities based on race, age, and nationality that contort the ways U.S. media presents sports stories. With the advances in women’s sports coverage, one point is glaring to me: the cost of the WNBA marketing strategy falls on consumers in more ways than one.
The flippant notion that “nobody watches women’s sports” has birthed entirely new brands, catch phrases, bars, and so much more to prove — at the level of commerce and social space — just how wrong that is.
The first sold-out match-up at CFG Arena between the Mystics and the Fever brought WNBA action right to Charm City. The Mystics’ victory was a masterclass in defensive tenacity, grit, and assertive coaching strategy. Sykes and Austin delivered incredible performances. Sykes scored 21 points alongside 9 rebounds, and Austin delivered 13 points and two crucial steals. Beyond player performance, Johnson and the coaching staff locked in for four quarters of engaged, dynamic work. You could see Johnson and his assistant coaches pulling players into huddles, clarifying calls, and reinforcing notes on efficiency for all 40 minutes. Plus, veteran Stefanie Dolson and rookie Lucy Olsen made impressive stops and key shots that wowed me. And it was great to see players I’m a fan of like Aliyah Boston, Lexie Hull, and Kelsey Mitchell hustling to keep the Fever competitive down the stretch.
CFG Arena was overflowing with veterans and champions on both sides of the floor, though the promotion leading up to the game may not have shown the depth of talent on display.
For months, the marketing for this regular-season contest centered on the arrival of the Fever and their reigning Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark, to Baltimore. That’s despite the game being (technically) a home game for the Mystics, an opportunity for crowds to see former UMD star Austin suit up, and a first look at the Mystics own current rookie lineup (featuring Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron).
The marketing trend of Clark being the name in the WNBA is not new, and the data shows that her fandom does show up, pay up, and roar for their favorite player. I wonder, however, if the chicken or the egg comes first here. Does Clark have more fans and thus gets more camera time, or does the centering of Clark continue to encourage folks to know her? What’s the cost to audiences if the WNBA falls into patterns of disproportion?
My questions are guided by my own experience, too. As a poor kid, my interest in sports was guided by the broadcast teams and distribution deals set by people in rooms far away from my family’s East Baltimore rowhome. And truthfully, I did not dive deep into professional basketball until I spent hours watching Celtics games and Olympic coverage with my grandfather. His cable bill, with access to NBA games on TNT and other networks, and willingness to answer all my questions about Kevin Garnett shaped my entry into the NBA (and quick fascination with Dwyane Wade’s leadership and skill). Watching with him led to conversations with middle school friends and classmates across school desks and lunch tables about players like Garnett, Wade, and others. In some ways, watching basketball at home built connections with the outside world.
As a poor kid, my interest in sports was guided by the broadcast teams and distribution deals set by people in rooms far away from my family’s East Baltimore rowhome.
As the newly extended 2025 WNBA season got underway, injury reports began to develop for many teams across the league. In the days leading up to tip-off in Baltimore, the Fever front office announced Clark would be out for two weeks because of a quad injury. And with that, the data, as reported by CBS Sports, shows that average ticket prices for the Fever’s next four match-ups — deemed “Clark-less” — dropped 71%. The estimated cost moved from $137 to $81. Still, $81 amounts to about five and a half hours of work on a minimum wage salary in Maryland. And beyond attending in-person, the costs of the exclusive subscriptions needed to watch WNBA games at home are high with broadcasting deals and local media blackouts meaning fans need access to the internet, a WNBA league pass subscription, and other online resources that may be outside the budget of many curious about women’s basketball at the pro level in the U.S.
In my view, the debates about Clark’s impact on the WNBA’s success miss the mark. While some argue about her unprecedented rookie year, and others point to areas where her defensive game needs improvement, I’m more intrigued by the case study that Clark’s marketability offers. If a two-week injury to a single star can impact average ticket prices in an away game market by over 50%, then what is the larger lay of the land? What are the consequences of the WNBA’s current marketing strategy? And where does this current strategy leave (potential) fans without the capital necessary to enjoy the sport at its star-studded peak? The crisis of emphasizing any player’s singularity as the star of the WNBA disavows much of the truth of the game and eclipses conversations I’d love to have about women’s basketball in 2025.
If a two-week injury to a single star can impact average ticket prices in an away game market by over 50%, then what is the larger lay of the land?
For others, the story of the 2025 season may be about how the league fares without its star on the court as Clark’s injury struggles persist (with a recent groin injury), but my mind will be on the new possibilities for the WNBA marketing team, and news organizations, to ramp up coverage of the vast talent across the league. To many, the growth of the WNBA is synonymous with ticket upcharges and the success of one big star, but I’m not convinced. To me, pricing out poor and working-class fans through ticket costs, compounding subscription fees, and high merch price points while focusing on one player’s singularity isn’t a winning strategy. And if the WNBA plans to grow its game with fidelity, then it must adapt.
I’m hoping that as costs lower — due to some fans bowing out of matchups without Clark — and access to live games becomes more affordable in some WNBA markets, folks who have been consistently priced out have a chance to cheer without having to choose between interest in the WNBA and a light bill. Plus, I’m hoping the W uses this moment of energetic expansion to highlight the multiplicity of talent across the league, because there’s plenty of good ball to see.
Bry Reed is a Baltimore native writing about books, sports, culture, and everything that makes her mind wander. Reed is a recent Baker Artist Award Finalist in Literary Arts for 2025.
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