Welcome to our exploration of how media conversations have influenced national enthusiasm and support for the WNBA. This project combines quantitative data analysis, thoughtful narrative, and engaging web design to tell the story of fan engagement in the modern era.
We’re a team of Digital Humanities students at UC Berkeley, and our goal is to map the rise of the WNBA through media outlets sentiment, historical context, and feminist data analysis. By making our research accessible and interactive, we hope to spark new conversations about equity in sports.
Our mission of the project is to unravel the intricate relationship between media coverage and how it affects the attendance rate of WNBA games. As avid sports fans and advocates for women’s athletics, we’ve watched the WNBA’s journey and the growing online conversations around it with excitement. We believe that by analyzing social media, we can not only quantify fan support but also highlight the voices and stories that fuel the league’s momentum.
Data Feminism at the Core. We approach the WNBA not just as fans or analysts, but through a Data Feminism lens: asking who holds power, whose data is amplified, and whose stories get erased. This framework compelled us to center our research on social-media discourse, where athletes and fans alike shape narratives and contest traditional media biases.
Accessibility as a Moral Imperative. Beyond critique, we’re committed to building tools that anyone can use. From a high-contrast, screen-reader–friendly dashboards to color-toggle options for color-blind users, accessibility isn’t an afterthought but it’s the backbone of our design process.