USWNT Veterans Plea Soccer Fans to Help Boost NWSL Viewership Amid Recent Concerns

“Here, people are enjoying entertainment,” said Jonatan Giraldez. “They go to the stadium one hour early. They enjoy it with their family. If you win, it’s OK; if you don’t win, I think they enjoy it too.” With these words, the Washington Spirit boss praised the fan atmosphere of the NWSL while comparing it to his experience in European leagues. If that seems hard to believe, here’s a fun fact: last season, the league averaged 11,000 fans per game. Yet, one wonders why USWNT icons Christen Press and Tobin Heath are concerned that the league’s viewership isn’t “growing substantially.”

Well, if it were for the advocates of women’s games, they’d want to match the exact numbers that any typical men’s game does. Unfortunately, it hasn’t come to that till now. Yet, Press and Heath believe that the best they can do is at least urge the fans for their support. “We all know that viewership moves the needle in terms of monetization; the revenue around women’s sports,” began Heath while speaking on the latest episode of the RE—INC podcast. Agreeing with her fellow co-host, Press insisted it’s also the “single most important factor in determining the value of franchises.”

Hearing all of this, one might wonder why the veterans are so focused on discussing viewership at the start of the season when it could be better assessed at the end. However, this is precisely the key issue Heath wants to highlight—one of the biggest indicators of a league’s growth is the viewership of the NWSL Championship game, which serves as a crucial metric for measuring progress year over year.

A focus at the start of the season would help the league maintain its viewership momentum rather than relying on a last-minute push before the championship. As Heath pointed out, “The NWSL has ticked up, but it’s not growing substantially in viewership, and that’s why we are going to put a big effort in today instead of right before the championship game,” added the former striker while stressing early engagement. 

She urged fans to spread the word, tune in, and commit now for a stronger championship viewership. Interestingly, agreeing with her significant other, Press added, “When we’re talking about the business of women’s sports, so much value is about the hype. Each week, if we’re getting more and more viewership, those are going to be stats coming out that we’re all going to see and then we’re going to have perspective. People with a lot of money seeing those numbers and saying, ‘Hey, I want a piece of this.’”

Press admits that the majority of the audience is hooked on men’s sports. However, there remains a perfect opportunity for the fans to also help in the growth of the NWSL. “Start now, start early… it’s a lot of fun—changing the culture,” added the Angel City forward. 

Well, if you think that this plea was just about the growth of the NWSL viewership, there’s more to it than just that. 

Increase in viewership can help NWSL tackle a key problem

Several high-profile players, including Naomi Girma, Crystal Dunn, and Jenna Nighswonger, have left the NWSL this season to pursue opportunities in Europe. While they are just a few names on a longer list, their departures highlight the league’s growing talent drain. With no major signings to counter these exits, concerns about the league’s stability are mounting.

Unlike the NWSL, top European clubs like Chelsea have the financial muscle to make record-breaking signings, such as Girma’s recent move. However, Tobin Heath sees this as a reflection of a deeper issue within the league—the restrictive salary cap. She believes it is a key barrier for NWSL teams. 

Christen Press shares a similar view, arguing that the financial gap between American and European clubs is a major factor driving players overseas. “The difference is so gross that it makes it almost not worthy of a daily discussion as to why players are going to the UK,” she added in another segment once. 

Simply put, better viewership=growth=money=another attractive reason for players to stay in the NWSL. How well this plan works surely depends on the fans’ interest, but the NWSL certainly shouldn’t be putting themselves at a disadvantage.