As I've mentioned in this space before, I've always been pretty critical of the WNBA, though earlier this year I spent an afternoon watching some WNBA action on TV and enjoyed it way more than I expected to. As I know all too well, however, watching games on TV is way different from seeing them live; while many are far superior in person (NHL hockey), others I actually prefer watching from my living room (NFL football). While I had been to a couple of New York Liberty games at Madison Square Garden during seasons past through work, I had never gone and tried to simply enjoy a game as a basketball fan. I had the opportunity to do just that this past weekend, and I have to admit that the game transformed an otherwise lazy (and extremely hot and humid) Sunday into a fun afternoon.
Because nothing is too good for the loyal readers of Caught Looking, I decided to go one step further than simply attend a WNBA game. With a lot of help from an inside source, I secured tickets for three of my most judgmental buddies to join me at the game. Virtually every time I see these guys, they greet me with a disparaging comment about the WNBA. When I emailed them to see if they wanted to see the Liberty battle the Indiana Fever, one of them responded that it had always been his dream to "get drunk and run on the court during a WNBA game." Clearly, this group isn't the most tolerant or open-minded; anything better than an "it sucked" from them following the game could be considered an impressive achievement.
Rather than bore you with all the details, let me get to the point; the game was a lot of fun. While we all agreed that it wasn't as fast-paced as NBA or men's NCAA basketball, everyone was impressed by how talented the players were, particular as shooters. My buddies marveled at the fact that neither team missed a free throw until the fourth quarter, and both teams were shooting over 50% from beyond the arc for the bulk of the game. The contest was highlighted by a particularly impressive individual performance by New York's Cappie Pondexter, which shifted the conversation from "How well would we do if we played in a WNBA game?" to "Could some of these women hold their own against men's college players?" During the fourth quarter of the tightly contested game, with the lead changing hands on almost every possession and the passionate (albeit pretty small) crowd on it's feet, one of my initially skeptical friends admitted that "people would watch this if they knew more about it."
And I think that's where the WNBA is right now. The games are fun, the players are (mostly) very good and the fan-friendly environment is welcoming and affordable. The league's success is going to continue to be dependent on whether or not management can convince people to give the product a chance. I don't know how many die-hard fans or season ticket holders the league can realistically attract - there's a big difference between occasionally going to a game and following the league religiously - but there should be enough open-minded and intrigued people out there to justify the WNBA's existence (assuming the league stays small and relatively low key, rather than trying to compete with larger men's sports). To the extent that I can do my part to spread the WNBA gospel and encourage people to go to games, I will. If four male twenty-somethings can openly enjoy a few hours watching the WNBA, you should be willing to give it a chance, too.
5 comments:
Where did you sit? For example, front row seats to any sporting event makes things more interesting.
Does it make you nervous about the backlash to write that positive piece about the WNBA? ;)
Seriously though you just discovered what most of the existing fans already knew. These girls can actually ball, the tickets are affordable, and it can be a pretty fun evening. Oh yeah and Cappie is awesome!
I think I good point about WNBA games is that there really are no "bad" seats. The worst you're usually going to get in the regular season in most arenas in the upper part of the lower bowl. If you want to see some affordable basketball up close, this is the ticket to get.
I did have good seats, and that admittedly adds to the experience. At the same time, though, one of the best parts of WNBA games (which I've noticed in the past) is watching the school / camp groups enthusiastically cheering from the cheap seats. It's definitely a great bang-for-the-buck for fans regardless of seat location. I look forward to getting back before the season is out!
If you take any sport and look at in a vacuum, and realize that those playing are the best in their category (these are the best female basketball players in the world), then people will realize how good the sport is. As people continue to stop comparing the WNBA to the NBA, and look at it on its own, the sport will continue to grow. It will break through the glass ceiling typically inherent to women's leagues, and the sky will be the limit.
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