WNBA Finals ratings are up 55 percent from last year. The finals, which are broadcast on ESPN 2, have brought in an average of 531,000 viewers so far as opposed to averaging 331,000 last year. The three games have all been decided by nine points or less, including an overtime victory by the Phoenix Mercury 120-116 over the Indiana Fever. The ratings rise may be due in part to two of the league’s stars, MVP Diana Taurasi and Tamika Catchings. With ratings headed north for the WNBA, we look at other aspects of the WNBA that work to draw viewers and fans to the stands:

-Middle-class salaries

Put it this way: Alex Rodriguez makes almost 35 times the salary cap for a WNBA team. The average rookie makes as much as a first-year teacher. Matt Stafford earned $31million guaranteed for the Detroit Lions before throwing a single pass, after a full season, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA will have earned only around $44,000. The minimum salary for an NFL rookie is $310,000, so an undrafted free agent can earn around six times what the top WNBA pick will bring in. Obviously, the NFL had over 34 million viewers for a regular season game, so the talented women of the WNBA are not being victimized, but no one can say they are “overpaid.”

-Reasonable prices

One-thousand-eight-hundred-dollars and twenty-two cents is the highest price at Stubhub.com for the Steelers vs. Browns at Heinz field in Pittsburgh. You could attend 11 WNBA Finals games at center court, fourth row for the same price.  And oddly enough, you’re unlikely to see people getting arrested, unlike Cowboy Stadium where 37 fans were taken away in cuffs.

-Growing audience

OK, maybe WNBA isn’t competing with the Lakers for top attendance, but WNBA games drew an average of 8,039 per game, a small increase from around 7,952. Seeing that the New York Yankees drew around 7,000 less per game than in 2008, a small increase is a big victory. Five teams, the Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty and the Washington Mystics had attendance increases of more than eight percent. The WNBA also reached out to its 23-54 male audience this season, increasing viewership 23 percent.

-Diversity

The WNBA is top-ranked in professional sports in diversity. According to a study run by The Institute of Diversity and Ethics in Sports, the WNBA has been the leader in diversity and gender studies since the league began in 1997. Richard Lapchick, who ran the study, said “the WNBA remained the best employer overall for women and people of color in sports.”  Six out of 13 teams began the season with female coaches; five began with black head coaches, meaning 46 percent women, and 38 percent black.

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Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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