Gentleman Savage wrote:
Which league is in overall better financial health and basic public popularity, WNBA or MLS?
The WNBA is probably in overall better financial health due to them essentially being bankrolled by the NBA which is a multi billion dollar business....The NBA can pay salaries and helps the WNBA by including them in the TV deal(s) when they are negotiating. Really, the networks (ESPN/ABC) are concerned with getting the NBA..the WNBA is more of a "fine we'll include them so we don't look like male chauvinists or are accused of not caring about women's sports"
As far as popularity, MLS is more popular.
They are both still bit players compared to professional men's basketball (NBA), the NFL, MLB and the NHL
How small is MLS's footprint in the national sports landscape? From one article "MLS earns a criminally low $90 million per year from its TV rights. In 2018, per the Green Bay Packers’ financial reports, the NFL earned $8.1 billion from national revenue, which includes TV deals, merchandising and licensing deals." (Source mlsmultiplex(dot)com/2020/06/02/mls-looming-2023-tv-deal-vital-league-survival/)