Has the WNBA Outgrown the Matinee Madness of Camp Days?

WNBA camp days are notorious among the league’s players, coaches, and media members. 

They have a reputation for reaching ear-splitting decibels courtesy of the preteen screams of the fans who fill the WNBA’s arenas on these special days. But how exactly did these events become so popular in the league? And are these morning and early afternoon games, scheduled specifically to accommodate campers, still conducive to the WNBA’s growth? 

“There is some value to it,” Chicago Sky forward Elizabeth Williams said after her team’s 81–79 loss to the Washington Mystics on Tuesday, a designated camp day in the DMV. “Getting young boys and girls to see us in a position where a lot of times they would never get to see professional people play, especially professional women, that’s important.” 

WNBA camp days predate many existing executives’ tenure in the league, but the goal of scheduling them was to expose children attending summer camps to professional sports. As a result, the league was simultaneously building its next generation of fans. 

These games are scheduled just like any other. Teams first decide whether they want to host one. From there, they suggest dates to the league that could work in their schedule. This week, the WNBA had multiple camp days starting with the Sky-Mystics 11 a.m. ET tip-off on Tuesday at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va. Wednesday features two matinee games, starting with the Seattle Storm against the Connecticut Sun at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, followed by the Indiana Fever hosting the Golden State Valkyries at noon. The latter game is expected to feature Caitlin Clark’s return after an injury-related absence.

In past years, some teams would host multiple camp days in one season. Today, some franchises don’t play host at all. 

The Sky are hosting one in 2025 on July 16 at 11 a.m. against the Atlanta Dream. The team’s camp-day registration website shares that last year’s designated camp-day games sold out. Once standard seating is accounted for, groups are added to a waitlist that gives them the opportunity to purchase tickets at the camp-day pricing. 

In recent years, however, some have questioned the midday start times, whether it be fans or players who have to adjust to the early tip-off. 

Multiple team presidents told Front Office Sports that the games still have value to their franchises, citing direct feedback from fans who have shared that these games were when they first became WNBA fans. 

“It’s just another opportunity to get eyes on us and for people to see us as the professional athletes that we are,” Williams added.