OPINION:
Despite being a traditionalist senior with basically set sports interests, I guess with all the hubbub, I couldn’t ignore the WNBA forever.
And here in my second year of observing the league, I have started to wonder: Gee, has it always been like this with the sideshow antics?
Checking around, I see that no, across the 30 years of the WNBA’s existence, it hasn’t. There have been tense moments spurred largely by competitive instincts, but nothing like in the pandemic era. And fueled by social media, passions are escalating.
Today, does the soap opera overshadow the game on the court? Isn’t the athletic talent on hand strong enough to eliminate the need for that? Are the fans only there for the animosities and the alley fights?
Does the WNBA want to allow perception of its image to drift further in that direction, or is it selling high-quality basketball and wholesome role models for young women? Can it straddle the line and do both?
For clarification on these points, WNBA management and team owners must meet and ask themselves and each other these questions — then answer them.
TOM GREGG
Niles, Illinois
Please read our comment policy before commenting.