Michael Jordan wrote:Here's a sad reality, WNBA would be more profitable if they wore skimpier outfits IMO
People choose NBA > WNBA cause it's the best players in the world. For WNBA to gain more viewership I think they'd need something other than talent
That may be the reality for some, but I haven't stopped watching the NBA because the short shorts of the 1980s have been replaced with less attractive, more loose longer ones. Maintaining a high standard is where it should be, on the central purpose which is quality of the game.
The many opinions about the state and fate and entertainment level of the WNBA do not intersect enough. The WNBA, as the video bondom34 provided reiterates, is a relatively young league compared to the NBA and even more so to other professional leagues. Where was the NBA in its first twenty or so years? Was there not heavy criticism of players and drugs and I think even tattoos at some point? What about when the NBA was introduced in Canada? Remember the quality of the product initially? Resistance of players to play in another country? Problems with the metric system, as if Canada is the odd one when most countries in the world use it (including those of foreign players)? The cold, as if the Bucks or Pistons or Knicks, etc., haven't had the same. Calls for disbanding the WNBA at a time when the talent is the best its ever been, when social media can help spread the game (and it has, more on this a bit later), when it's more organized than it has ever been misses its point and place in history.
The WNBA players obviously realize they can't be making what the NBA players do and why. They do want a bigger share of the revenue, which currently stands at around 25%. So that's one aspect of it. As for disbanding because of lack of popularity, you'd have to look at what younger generations are saying about the WNBA players. I was following Basketball Without Borders in Serbia this summer which had the best European boys and girls participating, and the girls were thrilled about seeing the coaches (men and women), talked about their favourite pro players, and about how they looked up to them and were happy that they could pursue careers at a pro level in the game they love. You have to wait until development trickles down to more subsequent generations. It's already having an impact so the game is growing even if it takes time for seeds planted nationally and internationally to grow.
In addition, when players finish their pro careers, they go on to have opportunities in new levels. Becky Hammon, for instance, was able to pursue a coaching career which was undoubtedly informed by her playing career.
Also, the attention that players get means their causes get attention, too. Breanna Stewart wrote a deeply personal and moving
article in the Players' Tribune about being sexually abused and how basketball was an escape and focus for her which she translated into a career. You have to appreciate the impact and reach that that may have, and it's because of what she does.
A lot the NBA players support the WNBA, too. I don't think it's just pandering, but an appreciation for the grind behind the game; they know what it takes to get to this level.
So if someone doesn't like it, please think twice before suggesting for the women to look cuter or for the uniforms to be sexier or whatever. You don't have to watch if you aren't into it, but respect that they take it seriously and want to contribute and have a voice in growing the game. It's not yet where it could be, but there needs to be a space for it to keep expanding as it already has an important presence both on and off the court.
