WNBA’s rise in popularity brings increased scrutiny [Video]

INDIANAPOLIS — For Djaniele Taylor, attending WNBA games was the perfect way to rediscover a sense of community coming out of the long slog of pandemic-era lockdowns.

The 38-year-old Evanston, Illinois, resident has regularly attended Chicago Sky games for the last three seasons, after she watched the team win its first championship in 2021. As a queer Black fan, she felt the games were a supportive and safe sporting environment.

“I was hooked and I loved the atmosphere — it was very queer-friendly, very family-oriented, very diverse,” she said.

As the popularity of the WNBA skyrocketed this year, Taylor watched the price of her season tickets more than double since 2022. With the growth, she noted a “darker vibe shift,” too: What always felt like a positive setting started to take a more hostile turn at times.

As women’s …