Napheesa Collier was clear and direct to the WNBA Commissioner. “Being on this side with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business,” Collier said on the TNT Broadcast. However, there is a difference between having one successful season and building an ecosystem that can truly thrive in the long term.

And that’s the real question now: can Unrivaled keep this momentum going year after year? To understand the sentiment, we turned to the fans. In our flagship She Got Game newsletter, we ran a poll asking: “Do You See Unrivaled As a Viable Long-Term League?”

Unfortunately for Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, 235 of the 398 respondents delivered a decisive “No,” citing a range of concerns.

Opening weekend sends the wrong signal

“It is good for 4-5 years but that is all. It is backyard basketball and nothing else. There is nothing to hang onto,” said a fan, setting up the tone for the overall verdict. And fans saw that happen as soon as the second season began. Empty seats, after all, say a lot.

Unrivaled’s January 5 opener saw 175,000 viewers, down sharply from the 312,000 who watched last year’s debut. By Day 5, numbers dropped to 139,000, and one TruTV broadcast barely drew just 32,000. For comparison, the league averaged about 221,000 viewers over the course of last season.

However, it’s worth factoring in how the College Football Playoffs may have impacted Unrivaled’s ratings. Also, not every metric paints a bleak picture.

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Social media momentum is just as important, if not more, in today’s digital world, and Unrivaled has advanced there. Views and impressions were up 27% compared to last year’s opening weekend, while overall engagement increased by 6.6%. The league is also set to head to Philadelphia on January 30, 2026, marking its first games outside of Miami. Tickets for that date are already sold out, which is a clear sign of fan interest.

So, only the viewership numbers cannot have the final word on Unrivaled’s future.

Star power isn’t guaranteed

Unrivaled’s first season worked largely on the back of its personalities and star power. That element, though, looks thinner this year. Angel Reese, the primary eyeball-puller, didn’t return to Miami this winter. Founder and Reigning MVP Napheesa Collier also opted out for surgery on both ankles.

Then there is New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, another headliner that fans are missing. Other big, absent names include Jewell Loyd, Kayla McBride, DiJonai Carrington, and Courtney Vandersloot.

Add to that Unrivaled’s November 2025 marketing push, which leaned heavily on “22” references that many fans read as a hint toward a Caitlin Clark inclusion. When Clark ultimately passed, it hurt the league’s credibility as expected.

So, Unrivaled really needs star power to show its worth, as sad as it sounds. There’s a familiar precedent here, too. Ice Cube’s BIG3 followed a similar arc: a strong debut fueled by recognizable former NBA names, followed by a sharp ratings drop by Season 3 as those stars aged out and the novelty wore off.

Now, Unrivaled did land one true building block in Paige Bueckers, yet outside of her, the league’s star pipeline still looks thin. And according to our fans, the league hasn’t done enough to market her at the level she deserves.

“I love watching women’s basketball. Unrivaled should be advertising more. I know the games are on Monday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday because I was waiting for the games,” wrote a fan. “There were so many people with Paige’s jersey on in the stadium advertise your star. Advertise during the NCAA women’s and men’s games. Advertise during the NBA games. Paige is an answer.”

However, if we are to listen to Bazzell, he doesn’t want to follow the one-star approach for even a single season.

“If you’re too concentrated on one or two players, then your business is in a very volatile state,” Bazzell said. “So thankfully we believe we’ve positioned ourselves that we don’t have to deal with maybe the fluctuations of inevitably what injuries bring within sports.”

Still and all, the real challenge now is to lock that momentum in before players begin leaving for Project B.

Rivals are closing in fast

Project B is an actual existential threat to Unrivaled. It is slated to begin from November 2026 to April 2027, directly clashing with Unrivaled’s traditional dates and hijacking that window of an offseason league. It is a global 5 v 5 league that is going about multiple cities around the world and playing an F1-style tour model.

More importantly, it’s offering salaries in seven-figures (reported), with Unrivaled‘s reported salaries falling behind, while giving players a stake in the piece, much like Unrivaled. If Project B manages to take off, it would attract better talent than Unrivaled.

Not to forget that even the WNBA, in its ongoing CBA negotiations, is set to hike salaries to millions. In its most recent offer, dated Dec. 18, the WNBA laid out an uncapped revenue-sharing system, with max salaries starting above $1.3 million and climbing close to $2 million over the life of the deal.

The proposal also calls for average salaries to rise past $530,000 and eventually exceed $780,000, while minimum salaries would clear a quarter of a million dollars in the very first year. Under the same plan, the salary cap would open at $5 million and increase with league revenue in future seasons. And as the poll suggests, fans would prefer the WNBA over Unrivaled anyday.

“The WNBA is sufficient as is. Don’t need off-season copycat/wannabes. Don’t need players hurt and not returning to WNBA,” wrote one.

Besides that, many consider the WNBA and the 5 vs 5 format as the “pure” form of the sport. “For me, 3-on-3 isn’t a game. I’m sure others love it. But, . . . no,” stated a fan.

Not just fans, but some players have also commented on how the 3-on-3 isn’t the right fit for their growth.

“I think there’s a misconception that we don’t want to be overseas,” Alyssa Thomas said. “For me it’s about where the best opportunity is, where I can continue to grow my future. I enjoyed overseas. There’s plenty of opportunities over here. Unrivaled is an opportunity as well. Three-on-three for me I felt was a little harder to transition back into 5-on-5.”

The one-on-one tournament, the smaller court, the target “winning score,”  and everything that seems fun in the early stage could fizzle out in the long run. And if the on-court format is polarizing, the off-court model isn’t inspiring much confidence either.

Unrivaled: a league without roots

The league is currently based in Miami, Florida. Just one location, and it’s hard to build real connections with fans like that. Without regional teams, it’s hard to build the kind of grassroots loyalty you see in spread-out leagues.

When fans have a local team to claim or support, engagement sticks, and attendance increases significantly after major events in multi-city setups. Bumping capacity to 1,000 seats might level up the experience, but only for a small, elite crowd. It doesn’t create nationwide buy-in, which is exactly why several seats were empty.

“I wish they would play in Boston so more fans can attend,” suggested a fan. Moving to a bigger market like Boston would certainly help. And, well, Unrivaled is getting started with a stop in Philadelphia in season 2. The league has sold out the 21,000-seater X-Finity Mobile Arena.

Nevertheless, there are optimists among fans, too, as more than 140 people also answered “Yes” in our fan poll.

Season 1’s success is still a good base to build on

Season 1 of the league had that electricity and excitement leading up to it. The curiosity, especially in light of the heated WNBA-WNBPA CBA negotiations, just added to the hype.

The league amassed 221,000 average viewers on TNT and truTV simulcast coverage for the entire season, including playoffs. They ended the season with 11.9 million total viewers reached, generated more than 589 million earned, and had social media impressions. More importantly, they almost broke even.

“We almost broke even in the first year,” Unrivaled commissioner Micky Lawler told FOS. “We know there’s more that we can do.”

According to Front Office Sports, the league earned $27 million in its inaugural season. And after being valued at $96 million in its first funding round of $35 million, the value skyrocketed in its Series B funding. With an oversubscribed investment, they were valued at $340 million. According to SI, Unrivaled is on track to eclipse $40 million in league revenue this season, which is more than a 48% increase from last season’s $27 million revenue.

The investors include high-profile entities like Serena Williams, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Michelle Wie West, Billie Jean King, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Michael Phelps, among the corporate bigwigs. They expanded to two new teams in season 2, Breeze and Hive.

The broadcasting advantage

Unrivaled has a multi-year broadcasting deal with TNT and truTV, but many want more.

“So many people have dropped cable TV. I want to watch, but I don’t have access to TNT or TruTV without adding another streaming service. ESPN has so many available channels, I’d like to see them get associated with them,” suggested a fan.

While TNT is a major NBA partner and airs parts of March Madness as well, ESPN has a bigger and more diverse slate. Still, the league has done a great job in international accessibility, streaming online for free on YouTube.

Unrivaled’s diverse revenue streams suggest foresight

Unrivaled’s finances are not completely dependent on viewership ratings. The leadership is playing the long game by expanding merchandise sales, as every opening weekend game was sold out. They are up 54% compared to the same period last season. Even if it is for one weekend, the Philadelphia venture is profitable and a good test run of how a possible expansion might be received.

“We’re building Unrivaled for the long game, and we’re confident in our outlook, keeping in mind the same core principles and goals we set forth when establishing the league,” Unrivaled CEO Alex Bazzell told Front Office Sports.”Leagues aren’t built overnight.”

They have the revenue coming in from the media rights deal and the in-house attendance as well. Unrivaled has a solid sponsor list consisting of Samsung, Ally, and Under Armour, along with multiple other brands. 95% of year-one partners returned for the second season, and several expanded their commitments, including Xfinity, TOGETHXR, and Maker’s Mark.

EssentiallySports Verdict

There’s a point in the future where Unrivaled works exactly the way it’s supposed to. The money is there, the infrastructure is already built at its home base, and the league has real players signed for good. So, the rest is simple. Put out high-quality women’s basketball for fans who actually want to watch it.

The problem, though, is everything happening around it.

Potential alone doesn’t keep you safe, not with Project B on the horizon, WNBA salaries climbing, and star players having more options than ever. Unrivaled’s future will depend on whether it can grow faster than its challenges. Right now, the league is fighting uphill, not cruising ahead