WNBA Ratings Explode Amid 'Trans' Athletes Controversy

The WNBA may be turning into a joke. But it turns out, the joke is on us.

Amid the hilarious publicity stunts by Enes Kanter and Royce White, which turn out to have a serious purpose behind them, one would expect the WNBA to be alienating viewers.

Instead, it is cashing in on renewed interest in the sport. The transgender sports flap is not hurting the WNBA's ratings, according to the last Indiana Fever game.

The WNBA and Caitlin Clark have delivered another season-high audience for ESPN and ABC.
The Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game last weekend averaged 2.6 million viewers on ABC, the most watched contest on the network this season. The game is the second most watched WNBA regular season game this season, behind Indiana's game against the Las Vegas Aces on NBC's only Sunday Night Basketball game in July. Viewership peaked at 3.1 million viewers.

And not only that, WNBA viewership on ESPN and ABC is up this season:

Through 19 games this season, WNBA games on ABC and ESPN are averaging 1.2 million viewers. That's up 5% from last year, which is well within the range that could be explained by Nielsen's shift to the new Big Data methodology. It is also worth noting that Caitlin Clark suffered a season ending injury last season on July 15.
On all networks combined, WNBA regular season games were averaging 756,000 viewers as of Wednesday, August 5, according to Sports Media Watch. That viewership is up by 15%, much more than the ESPN and ABC viewership increase, which could be explained by the addition of a fourth over-the-air broadcast partner in NBC.

The women's league, ironically enough, can't make up its mind about trans athletes. As RedState colleague Bob Hoge recently put it in an article on the WNBA:

The various and sundry controversies crowding the unpopular league might actually be good for them in the moment, because not a whole lot of people were paying attention to them beforehand. That being said, controversy and idiocy can only keep you in the headlines for so long, and at some point you have to put forth a product that people are actually interested in.

At the end of the day, the trans athletes controversy may be fueling interest in certain WNBA players, because it is tapping into political polarization to feed a "heroes and villains" narrative.

That doesn't make its indecisiveness right. But it might be smart marketing. For now.

The WNBA just needs to find the balls to say it: "Male athletes are not allowed to play in female sports."

And just call it a day. Because Americans are largely "over" the fake controversy about whether men who believe they are women should be allowed to compete in female sports.

There is no controversy for the vast majority of the public. A devastating poll analysis shows just how out of step with "normies" the Woke left has become.

According to a Pew Research survey analysis, only 13 percent of respondents were "very comfortable" with trans athletes in female sports, and only 14 percent were "somewhat comfortable."

It gets worse for the league. Nearly three-quarters of respondents, 73 percent of them, said that they were "uncomfortable" with it.

When you break it down by demographics, the numbers get even more stark. Only 2 percent of conservatives and 3 percent of Republicans were okay with it.

Remember, "Republicans buy sneakers, too"? Well, Republicans won't watch the WNBA unless it's to watch Caitlin Clark torch a bunch of haters or see Sophie Cunningham point at bitter rivals.

So, maybe chiding Sophie Cunningham for her comments on the issue isn't really the smart approach? Because America, largely speaking, has her back.

Pew Research's recent analysis extends back to its survey in November 2025, which is apparently its most recent polling.

But a poll that dropped on Friday suggests that the major currents are still strongly against the WNBA.

Emerson Polling, whose methodology was not as strong as Pew Research's (1,000 adults vs. over 5,000 adults), found a similar partisan breakdown.

When asked which more closely reflects opinion on transgender athletes playing Division I college athletics, they should be allowed to play sports as the gender they identify or they should be allowed to play sports based on their gender assigned at birth, 53% think they should be allowed to play sports based on their gender assignment at birth, while 30% think they should be allowed to play sports as the gender they identify. Eighteen percent are not sure.
45% of Democrats think transgender athletes should be allowed to play as the gender they identify, while 34% think they should play based on their gender assignment at birth.
75% of Republicans and 54% of independents think they should play sports based on their gender assignment at birth.

Leaving aside whether Democrats' judgment has left the reservation, the polarization is harming the WNBA's image.

The WNBA may be taking a page out of PR 101: There is no such thing as "bad" publicity. At least, until it starts damaging your brand.

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