As their amazing season progressed into the playoffs, and I started paying attention to some of the games, it amazed me how rocking Key Arena was. As someone who longs for the return of our beloved Sonics, it was cool to see the place jumping like it once did on nights the Supersonics were playing. I also gained a new found appreciation for the WNBA. Over the years I have often mocked the league, until I realized these women are ballers and I really shouldn't be talking. So congrats to the Storm on a third championship. That is big time. \
With that said, a WNBA championship is not on the level of the four major sports, and it should not be recognized as such. Before you tell me I am sexist, Sounder championships are in the same group.
When we think of the sports landscape in America, the NBA, NHL, MLB, and the NFL immediately come to mind. These are the leagues generating the most revenue, the most exposure, the most T.V. time, the biggest fan bases, and the toughest competition. One could even argue you could throw NCAA football into the group as the fifth major pro sport.
Don't get me wrong, the WNBA is the top echelon of professional women's basketball in the world. It isn't like the MLS in the sense that despite it being a major pro league, their is still much better talent and teams throughout the world. The WNBA is it for women's basketball, here and abroad. It is the pinnacle of the sport.
That does not mean it is on the same level of the other pro leagues, no matter how hard you want to try and convince yourself of this belief. The exposure is not there, the size of the fanbase isn't there, the revenue isn't there, therefore the league just is not there. Yet.
I have started to notice an uptick in coverage over the last year or so, whether it be on Twitter or in publications. Popular writers such as Shea Serrano and Natalie Weiner, among others, have helped increase the exposure and popularity. They can't stop there.
Sports writer Jeff Pearlman wrote an article in 2010 titled " Why The WNBA Isn't- And Never Will Be- A Popular League". In part, Pearlman wrote:
"In other words, the WNBA's emergence is a mathematical, sociological impossibility.
It has not happened.
It will not happen.
It cannot happen.
No matter how many women dunk, no matter how incredible the playoff action might seem, no matter if the league expands to Las Vegas and Cancun and hires the cast members of Glee to hand out $100 bills to every customer, well, the WNBA is what it is -- a fringe entity."
It would appear that Pearlman misfired on his assumption. 8 years later, the viewership numbers he cited have dramatically increased, attendance is up, and hey, guess what? Vegas did get a team! Although, unfortunately, they still aren't handing out $100 to every fan in attendance.
The point is, the league is not there yet. With the level of athleticism and competition seeming to increase every year, up goes the excitement. And with that, the general interest will continue to rise and more and more folks will get on board. Having the likes of Lebron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant constantly voicing their support for the league doesn't hurt, either.
Last night after the Storm won, it was front page news on ESPN.com. It was pulled a few hours later, but it is a start. The WNBA can't be viewed as one of North America's major sports leagues, but there is no doubt it can someday get there.
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