The WNBA is riding a wave of momentum former All-Star Adrienne Goodson believes the league hasn’t seen since its early days.

WNBA viewership during the 2021 regular season was up 49 percent year over year. The playoffs were the most-watched since 2014. The champion Chicago Sky sold out both of their home games during the Finals and ticket prices soared. Players also signed a record number of endorsement deals. That included Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart, who will be the first WNBA player to have her own signature shoe in a decade after inking a long-term partnership with Puma.

Goodson, who played for four WNBA teams during a 14-year professional career that started overseas and in the American Basketball League (ABL), sees those signs of progress as a call to action. Here, in her own words for Just Women’s Sports, Goodson reflects on her experience with growth in women’s basketball and shares her thoughts on how the WNBA can capitalize on the success of 2021.

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The league can never be the same, with the increased viewership and the ticket prices rising for the playoffs this season. I mean, a ticket in Chi Town versus the Mercury sold for as much as $1,500. With that and the four Finals games on ESPN averaging 548,000 viewers compared to 440,000 in 2020 and 381,000 in 2019, that’s a huge jump for them. They’re coming along.

And even when I look back in the day, we had massive crowds. Washington had crazy crowds, New York had crazy crowds, Houston had crazy crowds. Utah was off the chain — we went from, like, 3,000 fans all the way up to a playoff game that I think touched 15,000. And we’re talking way back in the day. Then in 2003, the Detroit Shock versus the L.A. Sparks had 1.2 million viewers.

So there is a lot of potential for this league, and I just think that they can do a better job with television. That starts with not following the NBA as much because we have our own market. We’re the sister league and the NBA already had a model in place, so it was like, OK, we’ll just use that model because it’s proven. But we have totally different markets, so I think that the model has to change in the ways that the league is marketed.

And I’ll keep saying it: We need WNBA TV and we need affiliates out there that will also boost the games. So if you’re going to model it after something, model it after NBA TV because it’s television, it’s in-house and it pays the bills. That way, we can get sponsors on TV spots and things like that, and now we can speak to our own market. As much as they’re promoting the league, how we walk and how we talk and our fashion, my God, just imagine all the sponsors that can be unleashed if something like that were to happen.

It’s not a criticism because I love the WNBA app. However, I pay for it because I want to give back to the league. I want to make sure that whatever it is that they put out there, I support it in some kind of way. But trying to view the games on there is not always cool. I think I watched one game this season; all the rest of them were blacked out. So we have to have more options than that or Twitter or some of the channels that we are on like ESPN, where we sometimes get bumped around. We shouldn’t be bumped around.

And what about jerseys? I think it’s time that everybody’s jersey is available across the board, from current players to throwbacks. This is what people are requesting, so you’ve got to give the people what they want. They’re aware of it now.

It’s just time to really take a serious look at the league as a whole, starting all the way back in 1997 to the 25th anniversary. The 2002 collective bargaining agreement — that was fire. That was the beginning of a lot of action. We were fighting for maternity leave because, at that time, players were only getting 50 percent of their salary if they got pregnant. That was obviously not enough, to not work, get 50 percent and be expecting a child. And then we fought to raise the veterans’ minimum salary from something like $30,000 to $60,000, which we felt was really successful. But at that time, it kind of clashed with the league’s budget. We started to see veterans fade out because teams were choosing to pay two rookies versus one vet.

I think there’s a lot of change that’s in the air and in the background with things that come across my email. So I think this is a great time for us. You don’t want to praise the pandemic, but the pandemic was what catapulted us into the limelight because people were at home and they had to watch the league. We were confined to the house and, all of a sudden, people started to pay a little more attention to it. We had the social justice movements going on and the girls took that on, which is something that we’ve always done. We’ve always been a part of those types of movements.

I think it just needs to be a conversation where you get the people in the room who could make it happen. If you have a whole bunch of people sitting around, just hoping for the best, then nothing is going to get done. If you have only one or two people addressing it, that’s still not power. I think there are enough resources out there that will allow that to happen. If we just market the league the way that we need, and not just treat the product as a thing that stays afloat, it can actually make money. There’s potential now, so we can never be the same. And then that takes care of your pension problem and all of the issues that you’re dealing with under the table.

Our market is different and it needs to be tailored in a different way. You can go far, but you always have to tap into your ancestry, understand why you do things the way that you do. It’s not even just about basketball — it’s about elevating women’s sports. We’re all in this together because we all have to deal with that same glass ceiling.

Adrienne Goodson (“Goody”) is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She played 14 years of professional basketball, including seven in the WNBA. A three-time All-Star in the pros and an NCAA champion, she was inducted into the Old Dominion Hall of Fame in 1999. She is the host of the podcast “A WNBA State of Mind with Adrienne Goodson.” Follow her on Twitter @agoody15_wnba.

The PWHL is racking up milestones, with the second-year pro women's hockey league officially passing the one-million-fan mark on Sunday.

The record-clinching game came during the league's penultimate 2025 Takeover Tour matchup, after 14,288 fans turned up to Detroit's Little Caesars Arena to see the New York Sirens take down the Minnesota Frost 4-1 on Sunday.

To honor the milestone, players tossed signed special "PWHL One Million Fans" pucks to fans during a commemorative timeout during the game's first period.

After averaging around 5,500 fans per game last season, the league has seen a 7,000 attendance average so far this season, resulting in the current all-time official tally of 1,001,648 fans.

Across its 70 completed second-season games, the PWHL has already racked up 518,118 attendees, surpassing the league's total attendance of 483,530 fans from all 85 games last season — inclusive of the PWHL's first-ever playoffs. 

"This is truly a 'pinch me' moment," said PWHL EVP of business operations Amy Scheer. "The overwhelming support from fans, the energy in the arenas, and the league’s rapid growth all highlight how much people are connecting with the PWHL."

"Today is a moment we’ll always remember, and we’re grateful to the fans of Detroit for celebrating it with us in such a big way."

Detroit makes a case for PWHL expansion team

Sunday's special out-of-market matchup also set a new US attendance record for pro women's ice hockey, further boosting the city's case to claim a PWHL expansion team.

“It's another extremely big win for the sport globally,” Frost forward Kendall Coyne Schofield told reporters after Sunday’s game. "It’s important to tip our hockey helmet to Detroit."

Detroit's new US record comes one year to the day after the Michigan metropolis set the then-national attendance record at the league's first-ever Takeover Weekend, when 13,736 fans watched Boston defeat Ottawa 2-1 on March 16th, 2024.

With the PWHL eyeing expansion, announcing last November that it intends to increase from its current six-team roster to eight teams by the time the puck drops on the 2025/26 season, the enthusiasm of Detroit hockey fans could put the city at the top of the league's potential market list.

"To see the league grow so rapidly is a reflection of the dedication of our players, who demonstrate their world-class talent every day, as well as the countless individuals behind the scenes who work relentlessly to ensure the league's success," said PWHL EVP of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.

"The passion and support from our fans has been incredible, and this is only the beginning." 

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist and basketball expert Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL great Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes all things women's sports. And in today's episode, the crew is taking the NCAA selection committee to task as they hash out this year's March Madness bracket and everything that went down on Selection Sunday.

"We had selection Sunday yesterday, that was very exciting," O'Hara said, introducing the topic to the group. "So the overall number one seed was UCLA, correct? Is anyone surprised about that?"

"Yes," Mathias answered immediately. "I just think it's interesting that USC drops to like the fourth number one seed when they gave UCLA both their losses. The math's not adding up."

"Did you see coach Dawn Staley's reaction?" asked Diaz. "She didn't agree. There were many coaches who didn't agree with their own standing."

"Honestly — and I've said this before," said BJ. "I don't understand how they do this. I looked into it too last night and I was like, This is still not making sense to me. Let's just play basketball.'"

The one thing they can agree on? UConn potentially meeting USC in the Elite Eight would be an electric matchup.

"I think USC-UConn in the Elite Eight is going to be absolutely electric," said O'Hara. "

"Oh yeah," agreed Mathias. "That's like a semifinal. That's like a Final Four moment."

"And UConn being a No. 2 seed, they're like, 'Yeah give it to us. Let's freaking go,'" O'Hara continued. "You know they're probably ready to absolutely demolish people along the way. And USC only beat UConn by two points earlier this season."

The co-hosts additionally tackle the NWSL's opening weekend, Natasha Cloud's trade to the Liberty, Just Women's Sports' NWSL x WNBA jersey mashups, Unrivaled's championship match, and so much more!

Texas star Madison Booker talks March Madness on 'Sports Are Fun!'

Who better to shed light on the upcoming NCAA tournament than Texas women's college basketball star Madison Booker? The Longhorns' leading scorer and SEC Player of the Year later joins the crew to talk all things March Madness, including how she's gearing up to enter the tournament as a No. 1 seed.

"We figured the best way to go over selection Sunday — because we have some people here who literally know nothing about it, um BJ, not to throw you under the bus — is having you, a No. 1 seed come on and talk to us about it," O'Hara said, introducing this week's Sports Are Fun! guest. "So how were you feeling yesterday going to selection Sunday? Were you confident you guys were getting that No. 1 seed?"

"Not that I didn't care, but you know, if we got the No. 1 seed, we got it. But you know, if we were a two seed, then hey, it's it's ball time," Booker responded nonchalantly. "I felt like we deserved a one seed — We protected home court, I think that's really what secured that one seed."

"And also our away season was was kind of hectic this year," she continued. "We went to some Big Time places and came out with a dub, so I feel like we deserved it."

"Is there anything that you do specific specifically to set yourself up going into a game, especially in a playoff situation?" asked Mathias.

"Not really, honestly," Booker said with a smile. "I really go cool, calm, and collected. Honestly, just going in thinking that we're gonna win the game, that's my mindset always. Having that mindset of we're going to win this game, we have the edge, and just go play basketball."

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

Full Court Press is back by popular demand, with ESPN announcing Monday that the women’s college basketball docuseries is officially returning for season two, which will focus on a new crop of young stars as they weather the 2024/25 NCAA season.

"The growing momentum behind women’s basketball is driven by its stars, and Full Court Press features three unforgettable, larger-than-life personalities," said Lindsay Rovegno, VP of production for ESPN Originals.

Debuting this May, the all-new four-episode season follows USC standout Kiki Iriafen, LSU champion Flau’jae Johnson, and Notre Dame sharpshooter Hannah Hidalgo along the path to this year’s NCAA tournament.

The first season of Full Court Press dropped in May 2024, documenting a watershed season for women's basketball by spotlighting then-seniors Caitlin Clark and Kamilla Cardoso of Iowa and South Carolina, respectively, as well as UCLA’s now-junior Kiki Rice.

Series offers direct access to NCAA stars

The production takes viewers into each player's life via one-on-one interviews, looks into their family relationships, and exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the athletes' teams.

"There is no better time to be a fan of women’s college basketball than right now," said NFL legend Peyton Manning, whose entertainment company Omaha Productions backs the series. "We’re thrilled to share the stories of these three talented women as they continue to push the game to new heights."

Iriafen, Johnson, and Hidalgo will also be stealing the spotlight in the NCAA tournament this weekend, as all three compete for top-seeded teams with legitimate shots at taking the 2024/25 title.

"Hannah, Flau’jae, and Kiki are more than great players — they’re great characters," said Rovegno. "Season two captures the drive and resilience that make them special."

How to watch Full Court Press on ESPN

The first two episodes of Full Court Press: Season 2 will premiere on ESPN on May 2nd, with the final two episodes airing on ESPN2 on May 11th.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball minted its first-ever champions on Monday, crowning Rose BC after the No. 2 seed defeated No. 4-seed Vinyl BC 62-54 behind star Chelsea Gray’s 18 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.

Gray’s dominance managed to tip the scales, helping Rose overcome the losses of both Kahleah Copper and Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese to injury.

Also stepping up for the Rose were Azurá Stevens, who posted a 19-point, 18-rebound double-double on Monday, and Brittney Sykes, whose 21 points included the championship-winning free throw.

Despite slightly trailing her two teammates' in scoring during Monday's final, Gray's astounding postseason stats, which include averages of 28.5 points, six assists, and three rebounds, secured the guard the league's inaugural Playoff MVP title.

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Ultimately, Rose rode their underdog status — earned with a talented, but primarily young roster — all the way to the championship.

"From day one they counted us out," said Rose head coach Nola Henry after Monday's game. "Kah went down, they counted us out. Azurá was out and they counted us out. Angel down, they counted us out. What they gonna say now?"

Unrivaled closes successful inaugural season

After the confetti fell on Monday's 3×3 championship court, players and coaches alike agreed that the new offseason league has been a great success — regardless of which team hoisted the trophy.

"A lot of fans came out and there’s a lot of energy behind it, but people are already excited about it for next season," Gray said of the upstart. "When you win, you have a different appreciation or joy about it, but it was a great first season."

While Rose BC’s athletes will likely carry that winning spirit — plus the $50,000-per-player bonus — into the WNBA’s May 16th season tip-off, Unrivaled’s impact will undoubtedly be felt far beyond its debut postseason.