2024 WNBA All-Stars see league’s growing popularity in Phoenix

PHOENIX (AZFamilie) — With a nearly sold-out Footprint Center welcoming them to the Valley, the 2024 WNBA All-Star players could see the growth of their league.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said the league has seen exponential growth in recent years, thanks in part to the growing passion of fans.

“This weekend is the highlight of a historic first half of the season,” Engelbert said. “So happy with what we’ve been able to achieve this past year.”

Engelbert said the league has seen its highest attendance in 26 years this season and is repeatedly setting ratings records. She said All-Star voting is up 600 percent this year, showing the huge increase in interest in the league’s best players.

“The fans are engaged and they care a lot about what happens with our players and with the league,” she said.

Diana Taurasi, who has played in the WNBA for 19 years, perhaps sees the league’s growing popularity more than anyone.

“This moment that we’re in right now in sports, in the WNBA, is uncharted territory for a lot of us,” the Phoenix Mercury guard said. “It’s pretty awesome to be a part of it. I think it’s always fun to see the game improve the way it is right now.”

Part of that growth in the league has been attributed to the dominant play of standout rookie All-Stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

Cheryl Reeve, head coach of Team USA and also head coach of the Minnesota Lynx, said popularity leads to better competition and more adversity, which is necessary to win at a high level, such as the Olympics.

“I don’t think you can reach your greatest heights without experiencing adversity; you have to go through it first,” Reeve said. “This game is going to give us that because of the level of talent that’s on both teams.”

Cheryl Miller, head coach of the WNBA team and coach of the Phoenix Mercury from 1997 to 2000, said the intersection of sports and pop culture also contributes to the league’s success.

“It’s a fashion show and they’re celebrating it,” Miller said. “That’s part of them and their identity. It’s really night and day in how these women act and carry themselves. It’s a business.”

While the league continues to grow with the Golden State Valkyries beginning play next season and a new team coming to Toronto the season after that, Commissioner Engelbert says this is just the beginning of the league’s expansion across the country and internationally.

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