Women’s sports are on the rise. In almost every professional setting, the viewership, merchandise sales and attendance numbers for women’s sports are surging. Why hasn’t UNC followed suit?
Earlier this semester, I found myself at a field hockey game among a few fans and a small crowd of what seemed like players’ families. More recently, students packed a field hockey game to the point that many fans were left with standing room only. What’s the difference between these two games? Carolina Fever points.
Fever points encourage sports viewership for games with lower attendance. The incentive of gaining points to win a football or men's basketball ticket forces people to go to games they wouldn’t usually attend. The jump in attendance when a game has Fever points attached is especially visible in women's sports.
When UNC women’s basketball played Pitt in February of 2023, a game with no Fever points, the crowd barely reached 2,500. However, when they played South Carolina in November of that year, a game that did award fans points, there was a crowd of over 6,000.
Men's basketball games are a different story. Regardless of Fever points, attendance at every men’s basketball game in 2023 reached or was very near the Smith Center’s maximum capacity — at 21,750 fans. Fever points rarely dictate attendance in men’s sports the way they do in women’s.
Moreover, women’s sports are incentivized to increase attendance in other ways. UNC men’s soccer has 10 home games this year, and seven of them will include giveaways. UNC women’s soccer also has 10 home games this year, nine of which will have giveaways. Six of the nine giveaway games offer multiple items or additional enticing features.
It’s patronizing that women’s sports have to be promoted to this extent. Especially when, in most cases, attendance still can’t be compared to the number of fans rushing into the building for any men’s game, even with Fever point incentives.
While the current incentivization of women’s sports is demoralizing and attendance numbers are disappointing, I don’t think all hope is entirely lost. Fever points and giveaways do force viewership, but they also boost attendance. Drawing an audience is the first step to creating dedicated and involved women’s sports fans. Getting more eyes on women’s sports allows people to see what they’re missing and draws them into further engagement.
Take the WNBA, for example. In 2023, the Indiana Fever had an average attendance of just over 4,000 fans at home games. After drafting the No. 1 overall pick, Caitlin Clark, in 2024, average attendance at home games jumped 319 percent to over 17,000. After Clark joined the league, every team saw a massive increase in attendance numbers, with an average 37 percent jump in attendance.
