Sports Illustrated - USA (2021-12)

(Antfer) #1
A WILDLY SUCCESSFUL FINALS MADE CLEAR THAT
THE WNBA HAS THE TALENT TO FILL MORE TEAMS

THINK BIGGER


SCORECARD

K


NEWSMAKERS


AHLEAH COPPER was
the victor and wanted to
enjoy the spoils, which in
her mind did not mean talking to the
media. The Sky had won their first
WNBA title, beating the Mercury
in four games. Copper, 27, was the
Finals MVP. But when she ducked
into the press conference room at
Chicago’s Wintrust Arena wearing
champagne-resistant goggles and
was asked to stay, she asked, “Right
now?” She had celebrating to do.
Right now is a good summation
of when the WNBA should
expand, for both business and
basketball reasons. It has had
12 teams since 2010, which is

too small for a major U.S. sports
league. Four of the nine largest TV
markets do not have a WNBA team.
That includes Copper’s hometown
of Philadelphia, which is No. 4,
is as passionate about sports as
any city in the U.S. and has a rich
basketball history.
In its 25th season, the WNBA has
both the product and the surfeit
of talent to expand. This year, for
the first time since the league’s
early days, the regular-season MVP
(Sun forward Jonquel Jones) and
the Finals MVP (Copper) were
players drafted outside the top five,
affirming the WNBA’s depth.
In the Finals, Chicago faced
a star-laden Phoenix team that
featured guard Diana Taurasi,
recently named Greatest of All Time

in a fan vote; the league’s dominant
inside force, Brittney Griner; and
a first-team All-WNBA guard,
Skylar Diggins-Smith. Yet the Sky
soundly beat the Mercury with
a quicker, deeper, defensively
superior and more skilled team.
It was beautiful basketball.
Real hoopheads know. Before
Game 2 in Phoenix, the NBA’s
Suns and Trail Blazers played a
preseason game on the same court;
afterward, not only did the Suns
stay to watch the WNBA, but the
visitors from Portland did as well.
There was some grumbling
from WNBA players and coaches
about respect during the playoffs.
They complained about f lying
commercial, on separate planes.
During his press conference before
Game 2, as the Zoom link failed,
Chicago coach James Wade said,
“Is there such a thing as NBA
cameras? They probably work.” The
frustration was understandable,
but the solutions are not simple.
What the WNBA needs more
than anything is an aggressive
expansion and marketing plan that
spreads a fantastic product around
the country. The WNBA’s approach
to the media and merchandise
sales still lags far behind other
leagues’; the Mercury skipped
their postgame media session after
losing the championship and were
fined just $10,000.
Copper showed that the elite
talent pool is deeper than ever.
The Sky showed that a city that did
not have a team for the league’s
first decade could fall in love with
one. The WNBA has the product.
It is time to sell it more effectively,
and in more places.

BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG

CHI HIGH
Finals MVP Copper averaged
17.0 points and 5.5 assists, leading
the Sky to their first championship.

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