SSRS Finds WNBA Fandom Surged to Record Levels in 2024
| RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, November 12, 2025 | 2:27pm CT |
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 Edison Research |
Edison Research, now part of SSRS following its October acquisition, is highlighting new data from the long-running SSRS Sports Poll showing the extraordinary rise in U.S. sports fandom for the WNBA.
The SSRS Sports Poll, which has tracked American sports engagement since 1994, found that the WNBA became the women's sport with the largest overall fan base in the country in 2024 - reaching 110 million fans ages 12 and older. The league gained 17.3 million new fans over the course of the year, the biggest single-year increase in fandom ever recorded by the Sports Poll for any sport or league.
Women's college basketball also saw remarkable growth in 2024, adding 12.4 million fans. The rise of stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese fueled audience expansion across both the college and professional levels of the sport.
The NFL also posted strong gains, increasing its U.S. fan base by 9.5 million during the same period - growth coinciding with Taylor Swift's highly publicized appearances at Kansas City Chiefs games.
The SSRS Sports Poll continues to track trends in sports fandom and will release additional findings later this year.
