• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Angel Reese’s WNBA Preseason Debut Racks Up Millions of Views on Phone Stream

  • A fan decided to stream it on X and it quickly became a trending sensation.
  • Players and coaches ripped the league for its mistake.
Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Angel Reese’s WNBA debut drew an enormous audience—from a fan’s cellphone. 

The Chicago Sky’s Friday preseason game against the Minnesota Lynx was unavailable to the masses after the WNBA mistakenly said it was available on its League Pass service. So a random fan took matters into her own hands. 

Alli Schneider, who runs the X account @heyheyitsalli, offered to stream the game after seeing that it couldn’t be viewed on League Pass or YouTube. The result was two million views by Saturday (according to the app’s metrics), multiple shout-outs from the game’s legends such as Brittney Griner and Sue Bird as well as coaches using it to wonder whether the league can meet its biggest moment. 

“The growth is happening so fast, it’s so accelerated,” said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve about the broadcast limits after the game. “Business as usual isn’t going to work anymore; you’re going to get left behind,” Reeve said about the league’s broadcasting limitations. “This is an example. … We have to capitalize on those things.”

Two million views—according to X’s self-reported metrics—on a stream that can be watched at any time isn’t the same as having as many average viewers on television. Game 4 of the 2023 Finals was watched by an average of 889,000 viewers, making it the league’s most-watched game in years. But the eye-popping numbers (more than 800,000 by midnight Friday) still show an appetite for the women’s game that the league failed to serve.

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu didn’t hold back her thoughts on the situation when asked about it at the team’s media day Saturday. 

“I mean, it sucks,” Sabrina Ionescu said. “I think representation of every team is important. … Hopefully, the league can fix that because I think they dropped the ball on that part and hopefully they have a great explanation as to why that wasn’t televised. But hats off to the person that just figured it out.”

The mishap occurred while the WNBA is negotiating a new media-rights deal, in which it hopes to double its current deal, which pays the league $60 million. 

Minnesota won the game 92–81. Reese finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, while fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso had six points and four rebounds off the bench for the Sky. 

The WNBA later apologized for its mistake on a post and used it as a way to promote Caitlin Clark’s preseason debut against the Dallas Wings, which was available on League Pass and sold out to more than 6,500 fans in Arlington. 

Schneider’s deed didn’t go unrewarded. In her postgame press conference, Reeve shouted out Schneider’s broadcast and said, “We should all send three bucks. Anybody who watched it should send three bucks.” Sure enough, Schneider tweeted her Cash App account out and replied that people were sending her money for her efforts. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

WNBA Players Reject League’s First CBA Offer

Players felt the initial proposal wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their request.
Sophie Cunningham

WNBA Expansion Decisions Show League Prioritizes North, NBA Ties

One player ripped the league for its geographic choices.
exclusive

PGA Tour Slashes FedEx Cup Winner Pay From $25M to $10M

The FedExCup is reworking how it distributes its bonus money.

Featured Today

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
June 26, 2025

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger

The deal likely allows the much larger Skydance merger deal to proceed.
June 24, 2025

Fever vs. Aces Draws 5th-Largest TV Audience of 2025 WNBA Season

ESPN will carry seven more Indiana Fever games this year.
Leo Messi
June 27, 2025

TNT, Club World Cup Ride Messi to Surprisingly Solid Debut Ratings

TNT Sports carries about a third of matches in the U.S.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
June 23, 2025

NBA Finals Game 7 Is Most-Watched Since 2019, but Series Drops 9%

Game 7 drew 16.35 million viewers, the most-watched NBA game since 2019.
June 19, 2025

Pacers Force Game 7, Could Spark Big Ratings Boost for NBA Finals

Game 7 could boost NBA Finals ratings after a slow start this year.
June 17, 2025

Stanley Cup Final Delivers Drama but Struggles for Eyeballs in U.S.

U.S. viewership fell while Canadian audiences for the event rose slightly.
June 17, 2025

Streaming Tops Linear for First Time, Sports Still Key to TV’s Resilience

Streaming hits another critical milestone in an accelerating media transition.