[ad_1]
Hold onto your popcorn, folks! The 2024 WNBA season just wrapped up with a finale that could give even the best soap operas a run for their money.
In an unprecedented turn of events, Game 5 of the WNBA Finals between Target=”_blank”>the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty managed to draw an impressive 3.3 million viewers—yes, you heard that right, 3.3 million! That’s the highest number for a WNBA Finals game in a quarter-century. Clearly, Americans were so desperate for drama that they decided basketball was the next best thing to reality TV.
This viewership boom is even more astonishing considering it aired simultaneously against the behemoths of sports: the NFL’s Target=”_blank”>“Sunday Night Football” and Major League Baseball’s Target=”_blank”>National League Championship Series. People just couldn’t resist the allure of women dunking on each other while they could’ve been watching men in helmets tackle each other over a ball that they can’t seem to catch.
The entire WNBA Finals series saw its viewership more than double compared to last year, proving that fans are really getting into the swing of women’s sports—perhaps hoping to see more double-dribbles and less double-dealing.
This year’s finals featured a nail-biting showdown where even the free throws were caused for concern—the ultimate test of emotional fortitude! Four out of five games were decided by 5 points or less, and two games crawled their way into overtime like slow internet during a crucial moment. But ultimately, the Liberty triumphed over the Lynx with a thrilling 67-62, proving once and for all that it’s not just about having a ‘lynx’ to your superstitions.
The icing on this entertaining cake? The WNBA is basking in the glow of a new media rights deal worth $2.2 billion over 11 seasons—an amount that might genuinely make you wonder why they didn’t just pay someone to write better scripts for their advertising.
And for the fans still hungry for more stories of unlikely heroes, new teams like the Golden State Target=”_blank”>Valkyries are set to burst onto the scene in 2025, as if we needed more reasons to park ourselves on the couch for another viewing marathon. Next year will also see 44 games in the regular season instead of 40. Because why not make it even harder for the average viewer to remember everyone’s names?
In a plot twist worthy of a season finale, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association announced it would opt out of the collective Target=”_blank”>bargaining agreement they singed with the league earlier. But don’t worry, the current agreement will still be around! So, just like a bad sequel, we’re in for another ride!
Source