WNBA Teams Generate $5.74M Worth of Social Post Value in Season’s First Half
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On the heels of a successful 25th anniversary season in 2021, the WNBA has maintained its positive momentum to open the 2022 campaign. Thus far, the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces have garnered considerable attention among women’s basketball enthusiasts while establishing themselves as the teams to beat in their respective conferences – and they also played one of the most exciting games of the year last week as Chicago erased a 28-point deficit on the road to steal a victory in Sin City. Meanwhile, young players – such as rookie Rhyne Howard, who was selected to play in next month’s All-Star Game – are showing they can reliably carry the torch after veterans and fan favorites including Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles retire following this season. The league, which has been at the forefront of progressive community issues through its players’ demonstrations on and off the court, has used its collective voice to continue making an impact on social media – led by stars such as Breanna Stewart, Te’a Cooper, and A’ja Wilson. But beyond player posts, the W’s 12 franchises are also exceptionally active on social, with myriad content highlighting game scores, sharing league news, and championing issues that its league members and fans hold dear. We used MVP’s social platform to examine WNBA teams’ social metrics from opening day through June 27 for a wide-ranging view of the league’s online presence and value potential during the first half of the season. In total, social content on team-owned channels has included 16,162 total posts, which delivered $5.74M in post value thanks to 7.41 million engagements. To find the teams most responsible for such reach, you will have to look out west.
Fans in Las Vegas are eager for a winner, and they have been consistently hopeful for an Aces championship in recent years. Unfortunately, however, the team has busted just before reaching the sport’s pinnacle on more than one occasion lately. After falling in the WNBA Finals during the bubble season of 2020, the Aces made it to a winner-take-all Game 5 in the league semifinals last year before losing to Phoenix. But with new head coach Becky Hammon at the helm and a hungry A’ja Wilson at or near the top of several statistical categories, Aces supporters are starting to bet on their hometown team.
The excitement is evident on social media, where Las Vegas leads its counterparts with $1.32M in social post value so far this season. That figure represents 23% of the collective post value generated by all 12 teams and is 67.8% more than the Seattle Storm – who ranks second in our list – has earned to date. Among the most significant reasons for the gap are Las Vegas’s top posts, which occupy seven of the top 10 places in our content value rankings. The list was led by a Facebook post featuring Wilson and a young fan, which received $116,808 in post value – double the value received by a Dallas Wings post that finished second in the list. Rounding out the top four teams in terms of value are last year’s WNBA Finalists, with the Phoenix Mercury and defending champion Chicago Sky having generated $689,736 and $520,158, respectively. Engagement rankings through the first half of the 2022 season are relatively consistent with value rankings, with one key difference. The Seattle Storm claimed the top spot in the category with 1.32 million, trailed closely by Las Vegas’s 1.29 million in second place. The rest of the top five – Phoenix, Chicago, and the Washington Mystics – remain in the same order.
Among platforms, the best volume scorer for WNBA teams has been Twitter. The bird app has accounted for $2.93M worth of post value this season – 51.1% of the overall total and 75.6% more than Facebook, which finished second in our platform rankings, received. For 11 of the 12 teams, it has been the biggest earner. But while the Aces have earned more value on Twitter than any other club, Las Vegas is a wild card. The Western Conference leader has earned 52.12% of its value so far on Facebook. Furthermore, its Facebook post value total of $668,107 is at least 3.5x more than any other team received on the platform. Collective post value totals on Facebook and Instagram were $1.67M and $1.14M, respectively.
Nevertheless, despite finishing third in overall value among teams – and ranking third among platforms for eight of the individual clubs – Instagram was overwhelmingly responsible for the most engagements. The Seattle Storm led the way with 871,577 engagements on the image-sharing app, but three others – Las Vegas, Phoenix, and the New York Liberty – all surpassed the half-million engagements threshold. In total, WNBA teams’ IG engagements outpaced Twitter engagements by 2.41x and Facebook engagements by 3.12x.
Few players in basketball history have a lengthier, more decorated list of accomplishments than Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm. Affectionately known as Stewie, she has won championships and been named the top player on every level she has competed. And though it doesn’t compare to league MVP awards and all-star achievements, Stewart also topped our list of WNBA athletes generating value on social media this season. From 84 posts – many of which have been raising awareness about compatriot and fellow WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia – Stewart has generated $236,227 in post value. Others in the top five of our value rankings include Sue Bird, Skylar Diggins-Smith, A’ja Wilson and Kahleah Copper.
However, Stewart falls to fifth among athletes in terms of engagements. The top honor in that category goes to her teammate, Bird, who has earned 407,958 engagements and created 8.36 million impressions since opening day. Between the pair of Seattle Storm superstars in our list were Candace Parker, Kelsey Plum, and Diggins-Smith.
At the dawn of its second quarter-century, the WNBA remains a pioneer among women’s sports and a standard for their growth – and it shows no signs of slowing. As evidenced by the significant social reach displayed by its teams and top players, keen interest in the league spans the country. And in less than two weeks, Chicago will host the best women’s basketball players on the planet for the WNBA All-Star Game, giving diehard and new fans alike a chance to enjoy the game while providing partners opportunities to align with a growing base. Stay connected with MVP, as we will monitor the weekend’s events and provide a full recap in the days to follow.
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