I have always defended the WNBA and I will always defend the WNBA, but when you see someone or something that you love going into the wrong direction, you have to yank them back in the right direction. As a fan of women’s basketball, we all have been knowing about this class of players and have been waiting for their names to be called in the WNBA draft. Since the COVID years, we knew that this group of players wouldn’t save the W but would be talented enough to bring an extra something to the league. On April 2nd 2023, that something took a turn as LSU and Iowa went at it in the championship.
Stars were made that season; Rock stars were made that night as Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark took rivalry to the next level. Follow that season up with Caitlin Clark vs everybody, Kamilla Cardoso vs Angel Reese and, my friend, you have some of the best stories a draft can ever have. The stories were right there, the world tuned in for the WNBA draft to see these players, the world was ready to see these players. Viewership records were broken on WNBA Draft night as 2.45 million people tuned in to see these players get drafted. We now how the draft turned out – Caitlin Clark went to the Indiana Fever while Angel Reese and Kamila Cordoso ended up being on the same team – the Chicago Sky. Those two teams just so happened to be the teams opening up the most anticipated WNBA preseason of the league’s existence and, when it was time for those players to pick up the ball, the WNBA dropped it. You had time to plan for this and you blew it. Yes, it was only preseason, but you dropped the ball on the debut of you two biggest rookies since I don’t know when.
The story was there to be written, but the WNBA didn’t show up with an ink pen. The whole week leading up to the Indiana Fever vs Dallas Wings game, it was advertised that it would be broadcasted free on the WNBA app. I am sure it was for many, but for some like myself, it was not. I am not in Dallas and I could not get the game. Just a quick search on Twitter (I know the app has a new name, but I refuse) and you would see the disappointment from the people that couldn’t get the app to work and missed the game that they were excited to see. The other game of the night was the Chicago Sky vs Minnesota Lynx, however this game didn’t have a league pass broadcast. Once again, a quick online search will show you just how disappointed the fans were. They really wanted to see this one. As a matter of fact, the fans wanted to see this one so bad that on a Friday night while the NBA/NHL playoffs, WWE Smackdown, Major League and college baseball were all on television, over 70 thousand people tuned into a grainy live stream from a cell phone to watch the Sky vs Lynx. If 70 thousand watched a livestream just imagine how many didn’t know the link was there. Just imagine what the numbers could have been on the app with those to games.
Again, I understand it is only preseason, but I personally want this season for the WNBA to be special. This can be the season that can lead to expansion, extra roster spots and more for these players. We as fans are ready to see what these rookies can do with the ball, so we need the league not to drop it.
These are just my thoughts.
