The WNBA and LPGA both made rare appearances on broadcast over the weekend, and neither was able to carve out much of an audience.
The WNBA’s season opener between the Shock and Sparks — a rematch of their now nearly forgotten brawl — drew a 0.6 overnight rating on ABC, down 33% from a 0.9 for last year’s comparable Sparks/Mercury tilt, but even with Monarchs/Shock in ’07.
Meanwhile, the LPGA State Farm Classic did not fare better. Final round coverage drew a 0.6/1 on NBC Sunday, and third round coverage on Saturday drew an even worse 0.5/1.
The WNBA and LPGA accounted for the three lowest overnights of the weekend for live sports programming on broadcast. Even a relatively unheralded event like the Track & Field Prefontaine Classic managed a 1.2/3 overnight over the weekend — double the ratings of the WNBA and LPGA.
