Caitlin Clark among driving forces as WNBA records biggest attendance in 26 years

The WNBA opened its 28th season with a big splash after drawing its highest-attended opening month in 26 years.

Since opening on May 14, the league had its most-watched start of the season across every network: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, ION, and NBA TV, according to a release.

In person, the crowds have been big. The 400,000 fans that attended WNBA games were the most in the first month in 26 years. More than half of all WNBA games were sellouts, which is a 156% increase from last year, and WNBA arenas were filled to a 94% capacity, up 17% from last year.

Big names in the rookie class featuring Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink have contributed to the increase. Merchandise sales for those three rookies are seeing a 236% increase year-over-year as all three ranked in the top five for jersey sales during the first week of the season.

The opening night matchup featuring Clark’s debut with the Indiana Fever against the Connecticut Sun averaged 2.12 million viewers across ESPN2, ESPN+ and Disney+, peaking at 2.34 million viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA game on Disney platforms ever.

There was also more diverse viewership. The number of people tuning in to games on TV grew 60% year over year among people of color. Viewership in the first week of the season more than doubled for young girls and people under age 35.

“What’s happening now in women’s basketball is confirmation of what we’ve always known: The demand is there, and women’s sports is a valuable investment,” WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison said in the release. “We’re encouraged by growing engagement across all our verticals, especially as we welcome new and diverse audiences into our fandom.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: WNBA breaks attendance records amid Caitlin Clark’s rookie season