The WNBA has been in existence since 1996. When the league began, there were eight teams – the Charlotte Sting, the Cleveland Rockers, the Houston Comets, the New York Liberty, the Los Angeles Sparks, the Phoenix Mercury, the Sacramento Monarchs and the Utah Starzz (not a typo). Over the course of its history, the league has nearly disbanded multiple times, faced near bankruptcy, and had more than its fill of critics.
At the time of this writing, there are now 12 teams in the league. Of the original eight, only three remain. The new* additions are a mixture of teams that have relocated and rebranded along with expansion teams (hence the asterisk). They are the Indiana Fever, the Seattle Storm, the Connecticut Sun, the Atlanta Dream, the Las Vegas Aces, Dallas Wings, the Chicago Sky, the Washington Mystics and the Minnesota Lynx. The point of this piece isn’t to just give you a history lesson, it’s to make a case. Let’s begin the proceedings, shall we?
First, let’s be clear – the WNBA is not a group of women who spend their days waiting at home to make sandwiches for their significant others. They are not a group of women that exist so you can take sexist jabs behind a screen. And no, this is not a subtle feminist article. These are just the facts.
The WNBA may have a ‘W’ in front of their league, but most will hone in on the “Women’s” part of the league’s name. While the league is comprised of women, it’s not “women’s basketball.” It’s just basketball.
That last sentence wasn’t just tossed in – think about it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a casual fan of the NBA or obsessed with it (like yours truly), you don’t call Kevin Durant a men’s basketball player. He’s a basketball player.
In that same vein, Sue Bird is a basketball player. Diana Taurasi is a basketball player. The young woman pictured above (A’ja Wilson, this year’s no. 1 draft pick and WNBA All-Star) is a basketball player. They, like many of their league-mates, aren’t just good at basketball – they’re great.
A’ja Wilson is a rookie, and is fifth league-wide in scoring, checking in at 20.3 PPG.
Liz Cambage, the league’s second-leading scorer (22.5 PPG) recently just set a WNBA record for points in a game with 53. The women play 10-minute quarters, and Cambage shot 17-22 from the field, to pair with her four 3-point makes.
Scoring not your thing? Maybe you’ll appreciate assists from gifted passers, like this one (starting at 0:53) from Seattle Storm (and WNBA) legend Sue Bird:
11 PTS
11 ASTFor the 11X All-Star @S10Bird #StormWins pic.twitter.com/LIPAbBxkEY
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) July 25, 2018
One of the most common complaints I hear/read is that the WNBA is boring. It lacks excitement, pizzazz, etc.
.@cappa23 ➡️ @CandiceDupree_4 ➡️ @VictoriaVivians for 3⃣! #WatchMeWork
Watch LIVE on @NBATV 📺 pic.twitter.com/Sc3CvpR6Vr
— WNBA (@WNBA) August 2, 2018
I’m sorry, what was that? I can’t hear you, my ears are clogged from the sauce.
Maybe you’ve read this far, and aren’t impressed nor convinced. Sure, those were some nice plays, but there’s no substance to the argument. Here’s my question: for those of you out there that bash the WNBA, have you watched a whole game? I’m not trying to troll, but honestly, have you sat down and even given it a shot? Don’t tell me geography or money is an issue – the WNBA League Pass is $16.99 for the whole season.
That’s right folks. It’ll cost you sacrificing two trips to Chipotle to watch the WNBA. If you watch a few games and don’t like it, fine. I think you can sacrifice a slice of heaven to watch some of the best basketball players on the planet. If you’re thinking about doing it and are cheap/don’t want to spend the money, the WNBA offers a free trial. Just watch one game. While all the teams are legitimately enjoyable to watch, here are some suggestions for you to get into watching:
- A lot of games are aired on ESPN2. If you have a subscription to some sort of basic cable package, you’re technically already paying for the game, so why not give it a shot? The NBA, NFL, and NHL are all in their offseasons; and with all due respect to the MLB, not many of you are likely watching baseball games at home.
- Watch the L.A. Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx; especially when they play each other. The aforementioned teams have met in the past two WNBA Finals (no, they aren’t the Warriors and the Cavs – the Sparks and the Lynx both have multiple stars), but it segways into some interesting facts about the league you probably didn’t know.
- The WNBA’s playoff teams are decided by winning percentage, not conferences. In other words, the eight teams that hold the best winning percentage advance to the playoffs, regardless of conference.
- Furthermore, the league’s playoff structure is way different than the NBA’s. For starters, the top two seeds receive a bye until the semifinals. Put differently, there’s more incentive to win, which discourages tanking.
- In addition, the third and fourth seeds receive a bye until the second round. Again, more incentive to win.
- Finally, the teams are re-seeded after each round. To the best of my understanding, the re-seeding is based solely off the results of each round.
Another thing the WNBA has going for them is that they play during the summer. Not everyone truly gets a summer vacation, but most of their games are played at the same time NBA games are (7-8 P.M. range). Most people find time in their ‘busy’ lives to watch those games.
If you just skipped down to the bottom to see if I made any type of compelling argument or want the TL:DR version, here it is: give the WNBA a shot.
No, WNBA players do not make a ton of money. Players like A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum (both Las Vegas Aces) have brought attention to that fact recently, but that doesn’t automatically translate to that they don’t play as hard. In fact, they consistently work their butts off.
Most WNBA players don’t really have an offseason, as most head overseas to compensate for the disparity in pay. NBA players normally do that to get a shot in the league and then hopefully make a living. WNBA players do it to make a living.
Maybe none of this was convincing. Maybe it’s just another voice lost in the World Wide Web. For those of you reading this that felt something stirring in you or had your interest piqued, don’t lose that. My username on Twitter is below, and you can find me on Instagram under the same username. I’d love to interact with you and discuss it further. For now, though, give the WNBA a shot. I promise you won’t be disappointed.