TV ratings for North America’s top women’s soccer league are up a whopping 493%. Here’s how they succeeded as other sports are losing viewers.

The NWSL is the world’s top women’s soccer league and, entering the year, was home to all 23 current US Women’s National Team players and many international stars. And thanks to a new partnership with CBS and Twitch, more people than ever were able to watch them play; the league recorded its seven most-watched games ever this year, headlined by a record 653,000 viewers tuning in to CBS for the NWSL Challenge Cup championship between the Houston Dash and the Chicago Red Stars at the end of July.

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Discussion Questions:

1. What are ratings?
2. Why are ratings important to a sports league like NWSL?
3. Why do you think there is a trend with ratings declining for popular professional sports leagues like the NFL and NBA?
4. Why do you think NWSL ratings are increasing while many other leagues are seeing a drop in viewership?
5. How might the partnership with Twitch help bring new fans to the NWSL?
6. In addition to an increase in TV viewership, what other metrics suggest the NWSL has seen a significant increase in popularity (based on information from this story)?