Women's United Soccer Association on television

TNT[9] broadcast the very first[10] WUSA game on April 21, 2001, which was contest between the Atlanta Beat and New York Power[11] at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.[12] Former U.S. national team member Wendy Gebauer Palladino helped called the game alongside broadcaster JP Dellacamera[13] and American soccer great Michelle Akers. About 22 games[14][15] were scheduled to be broadcast nationally on TNT or CNN/SI[16] in 2001. 15 games were initially expected to be shown on TNT[17] and seven games[18] on CNN/SI over the course of June to August.[19] The deal included broadcast of playoffs and the championship game,[20][21] the Founders Cup.[22] During a four year span, TNT and CNN/SI were due to televise at least 88 games,[23] under a $3 million TV contract.[24]

Ratings were not available for CNN/SI[25] for the 2001 season as the cable TV provider did not reach enough households to be a statistical factor.

After the 2001 season, the WUSA opted out[26] of its four-year[27] agreement to go with a two year pact[28] with the Pax network.[29][30][31][32] The WUSA's reasoning that Pax's offer for a 4 p.m. Saturday timeslot was more desirable[33] than the noon[34] timeslot that TNT offered.

The change[35] from TNT and CNN/SI to Pax however, may have immediately depressed ratings by confusing fans.[36] To be more specific, the WUSA's ratings plunged from the 0.4[37] to 0.2[38] average it got on TNT to a 0.1 average on Pax. In other words, where as an average of 425,000 households tuned in to watch the games on TNT, fewer than 100,000 watched them on Pax. Keep in mind that Pax was a station available in 90 million,[39] 5 million more than TNT.[40] The move to Pax also came as AOL Time Warner[41] considered morphing CNN/SI into a basketball channel that would be co-owned with the National Basketball Association.

Pax's coverage in itself, concerned the broadcast of the WUSA Game of the Week, on 19 consecutive Saturdays[42] beginning in April at 4:00 p.m.[43] (ET). In 2003, the league wouldn't decide on the opponents for the final Pax Game of the Week on August 9 in order to provide soccer fans with the best possible matchup with playoff implications. The decision on the two opponents for the August 9 game would be made in early August. In total,[44] Pax was scheduled to televise 18[45] regular season games and one WUSA Playoff Semifinal in the second week of August.

Pax would receive certain cross-promotional opportunities with the league, including signs at each team venue, although the WUSA would handle ad sales for the games. The agreement carried a reported value of $2 million.[46][47]

For the WUSA's third and final season,[48][49] they announced that ESPN2[50] would join Pax in broadcasting 23 league games in 2003. This would begin with a rematch of Founders Cup II[51] with the Washington Freedom visit the Carolina Courage on April 5. ESPN2 was scheduled to broadcast only four of the 23 nationally televised games. This included the All-Star Game[52] on June 19 and the Founders Cup[53] on August 24. Beth Mowins[54] and Anson Dorrance handled WUSA games on not just Pax[55][56] but ESPN2 also.

The WUSA ultimately scored a 0.1 percent rating on Pax and 0.2 percent on ESPN2.[57]