For nearly three decades after its founding in 1997, the WNBA remained a niche league, losing millions each year while averaging around 6,500 fans per game. Those figures now seem almost unrecognizable compared to recent seasons. As the league approaches its 30th anniversary, it is drawing record audiences, reaching millions of social media followers, and putting more attention than ever on its stars. But that growing visibility comes with a catch, according to UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

Auriemma believes the league’s increased exposure has brought a new set of challenges, particularly when it comes to handling controversy and communicating with its rapidly growing audience. He recently discussed that transition on The Ryen Russillo Show.

“For the longest time, the WNBA wasn’t treated as a legitimate sport. They were more like a cause, you know, we’re next, and they came up with all these slogans: ‘come on, help us out here, help us grow.’ …

“Well, little by little, little by little, we come to today, the thing blows up, the players are really good, and here comes all the attention, and now we’re not a cause; we’re a big business, and we’re trying to compete with the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NHL, the NFL. If you put yourself out there to get more exposure and you can’t deal with it, you’re going to get exposed,” Auriemma said.

WNBA controversies in 2026 have gone far beyond the occasional fight or hard hit on the court. And one of the biggest examples came in July.

Sophie Cunningham’s comments about transgender athletes competing in women’s sports sparked a major debate and quickly became part of a wider political conversation. Influencers, celebrities, and former and current players all weighed in. Fans protested both for and against Cunningham, while Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended after confronting two teenagers who were cheering for Cunningham outside Climate Pledge Arena.

Things took an even stranger turn when former NBA players Enes Kanter-Freedom and Royce White declared themselves eligible for the 2027 WNBA Draft. Kanter-Freedom later attended a Chicago Sky game but was removed from the arena. He subsequently filed a lawsuit against those involved. A whole chain of unforeseen events for the league to tackle.

Then, in June, Alyssa Thomas’ flagrant foul on Caitlin Clark sparked another controversy. Thomas faced a wave of online abuse, including reported death threats, while the incident also put commissioner Cathy Engelbert under pressure. Several players questioned how the league handled the harassment directed at Thomas.

These incidents are a sign of just how much the WNBA’s growing spotlight has changed the conversation around the league.

Engelbert had already faced criticism throughout the season over officiating and calls during games. Her handling of several controversies also became a talking point as the season progressed.

With Engelbert set to leave her position at the end of the 2026 season, the WNBA will soon have a new commissioner tasked with guiding the league through its next stage of growth. For Auriemma, that person will have to do more than simply oversee the business side of the league.

“I think the new commissioner, whoever it is, needs to get with the players and say, we need to have a voice, we need to use our voice, but we need to use it in a way that pushes us forward. The messaging from the players has to be really, really, really good,” Auriemma added.

He does not believe the WNBA should shy away from the attention that has helped fuel its recent growth. Instead, he believes the league and its players need to become better equipped to deal with everything that comes with being in the spotlight.

“So more exposure is great, but you have to learn how to deal with that, and I think that’s the phase that we’re in now. Throw that into the political climate that we have, and then it becomes, you know, black, white, right, left, gay, straight, you know, so you get into all these different things, and everybody takes the thing that they want and uses it against whoever they don’t like, and then the players get in the middle of it, and you have what you have now. I think there needs to be better messaging.”

The numbers show just how different the WNBA’s position is now compared to where it was a few years ago. The league had 51 games that surpassed one million viewers during the 2026 season. Before 2024, the WNBA had not reached that mark since 2008.

The league’s growth means more people are watching, more people are talking about its players, and more people are paying attention to what happens away from the court as well.

For the WNBA, sustaining the popularity it has gained in a good light will mean figuring out how to manage the increased scrutiny without allowing every controversy to overshadow the game itself. That is the growing pain Auriemma believes comes with the league’s rapid rise.