How the WNBA is redefining fan engagement through community-led experiences

As brands compete for attention across fragmented digital channels, fan engagement has become harder to earn and easier to lose. Social algorithms change, platforms rise and fall, and younger audiences are growing more selective about where they invest their time and emotional energy.

In response, many companies are rethinking fan engagement, focusing on it as a long-term experience strategy. In sport, this shift is particularly visible. Rather than focusing purely on media rights, social impressions, or short-term activations, leagues are investing in early, community-based experiences designed to build emotional connection before formal fandom even starts.

The WBNA’s Her Time to Play initiative is one example of this approach in action. Speaking with CX Network during the NBA’s London takeover, Lauren Dwyer, director of innovation and growth at the WNBA, explains how grassroots programs are shaping the league’s future fan base, and what CX leaders can learn from it.

Fan engagement begins with participation, not promotion

Fan engagement is defined as “immersive, interactive experiences that build lasting emotional connections with fans before, during, and after a sporting event”. 

This definition is central to how the WNBA views its grassroots work.

“If you play the game and understand the game, you’re more likely to be a fan,” she explains. “So it starts when people are younger – when they’re impressionable, excited, and learning new things.”

This reframes engagement as a learning and participation journey, rather than a transactional relationship. The aim is not to convert participants into immediate consumers, but to help them build familiarity and confidence with the product – in this case, the game of basketball itself.

For WNBA, Her Time to Play is not about identifying future professional athletes. It’s about helping participants understand the game, experience community, and develop confidence – the precursors of long-term engagement.

Turning events into experience ecosystems

“Engagement is not just about a game. It’s about what happens around it,” Dwyer explains. “You go to a WNBA game, and it’s inclusive, it’s exciting, it’s entertaining,” Dwyer says. “You don’t have to be a basketball player to enjoy it.”

She points to the full environment surrounding the game – from fashion and music, to mascots and dancers – as integral to how fans experience the brand. Basketball becomes the anchor, but not the sole attraction.

This matters because fan engagement today is increasingly social and experiential, not purely functional. At grassroots events, these principles translate into programming that encourages interaction, emotional attachment, and shared learning. Rather than passive spectators, participants become co-creators of their own experience, a trait shown to correlate with stronger loyalty in sports consumers.

Measuring what matters

A perennial challenge in fan engagement is measurement. Traditional KPIs – ticket sales, merchandise, revenue, or broadcast ratings – capture only part of the picture.

Dwyer emphasized that for the WNBA, success is measured through long-term behavioral indicators: 

• Will young participants follow the league on social media?
• Do they talk about the experience with other pupils and family?
• Do they return, attend games, or engage digitally?

“These metrics capture emotional continuity,” she says. “It’s less about the immediate dollar and more about the ongoing relationship.”

Designing inclusive experiences that lower the barriers to fandom

Another core element of the WNBA’s fan engagement strategy is inclusion. According to Dwyer, creating a welcoming space, where excitement, curiosity, and connection outweigh performance anxiety, is fundamental.

“It’s not just about the top players. Basketball can teach teamwork, resilience, and learning from losses.” 

This design philosophy is crucial. Research shows that when organizations reduce psychological barriers and enable multiple forms of participation, fans are more likely to see themselves as part of the community – a cornerstone of sustained engagement.

By emphasizing diverse roles and contributions, the WNBA’s events encourage participants to connect emotionally with the sport and the league in a way that extends beyond the final buzzer. The WNBA’s approach highlights that engagement is a journey rather than a campaign.

As Dwyer puts it:

“Basketball is great, but it’s really just the foundation. There’s so much more that comes from it.”

The broader sports landscape

Across sports globally, organizations now treat fan engagement as a core element of CX, not just a promotional tool. 

In European football, clubs like FC Barcelona and Manchester United invest heavily in academy programs, international fan tours, and community partnerships to cultivate early affinity. 

Other major organizations lean into the fan experience in other ways. 

In 2024, the Australian Open became the latest example of how artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to boost the fan experience at sporting events when Tennis Australia developed several AI-powered tools for tennis fans.

Elsewhere, Major Leage Baseball (MLB) in the US has devolved year round digital platforms, including gamified apps, behind the scenes content, and interactive forums. These keep fans engaged even outside the competitive season. MLB Advanced Media reported sustained audience growth in younger demographics through these integrated experiences. In 2023, US baseball team Minnesota Twins elevated its fan experience with the release of ARound, believed to be the first shared augmented reality application for live sports.

There is a clear shift towards experience continuity: engagement that persists before, during, and after sport happens on the field or in court.

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