FanDuel is partnering up with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) on what’s being described as the first-ever one-day DFS leagues involving a professional women’s sports league.
It’s a big step for both the WNBA and FanDuel, but will there be enough fan support to keep the idea afloat?
The advent of one-day WNBA fantasy games was announced earlier this week and coincides with the beginning of the league’s season.
WNBA President WNBA president Lisa Borders was excited about the deal telling ESPN.com:
This partnership with FanDuel and our new one-day fantasy game will be a fresh, unique way for fans to further connect with their favorite WNBA players and teams throughout our season.
The problem here is that while the WNBA puts out a great product with very talented athletes, the league really doesn’t have a lot of fans. That’s something that league officials, like CEO Jay Parry, are hoping their new relationship with FanDuel will help rectify.
In an interview with ESPN.com, Parry described FanDuel’s potential to bring in new fans saying:
We’ve seen fantasy sports as one of the most engaging ways for fans to interact with the game…We see this as a way to engage with new fans. … We’re happy that FanDuel recognized the potential and growing interest in women’s sport.
Nonetheless, the question of whether new fans will embrace the WNBA because of DFS remains to be seen.
It’s believed that FanDuel’s main competitor, and future partner, Draft Kings will be offering a similar WNBA product later this summer.