(In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the recent explosive growth of the WNBA. In this second part, we look at the development of women in basketball sports media.)
With the growth of the WNBA, or “The W,” has also come the development of women in basketball sports media. This season, the explosion of the W called for reporters, analysts and announcers who were familiar and knowledgeable about the league and as players. Sports outlets needing to cover the W had to change their approach to covering the league.
Meghan Hall, now writing for USA Today’s “For The Win,” started her career in advertising and was looking for a way to integrate her storytelling skill to sell products into sports journalism to sell the play and personalities of players. She was steered toward the W by a trusted friend and confidant and received free rein to produce WNBA stories, as the outlet had little to no presence in that arena on their site, Hall says.
“I really wanted to go to a place that needed more sports, more authentic sports stories,” Hall says. “I asked a good friend of mine who’s now family and I was like, ‘Hey, where can I go?’ And he said, ‘The WNBA, they’re in your backyard, start there.’ So, I started with the Atlanta Dream, reached out to them, told them who I was, what I was trying to do.”
Hall’s story is common. Plenty of women have been able to expand their careers or take the next step as a result of the growth of the W. This league has been a niche league for so long that only a core group of people are genuinely qualified to give thoughtful analysis and commentary on the games and the players and coaches that are executing on the court.
Hall mentioned a tweet from WNBA reporter Ari Chambers showing her journey.
I really wanted to go to a place that needed more sports, more authentic sports stories.
“Take Ari Chambers, for example, who just posted a photo which I thought was like, mind-blowing, right? She was on the New York Liberty,” she says. “I think it’s a hype team. I’m so sorry if this is the wrong terminology, but essentially kind of the New York Liberty hype team. There’s a photo of her throwing out a t-shirt, right? And then the next photo is her doing sideline reporting during a WNBA playoff at a New York Liberty game. Like, that is just mind-blowing.”
BASKETBALL I.Q.
It is hard for any reputable sports outlet to be taken seriously talking about the W while showing they are not genuinely versed in the subject. Currently, we are seeing the difference between those who have WNBA reporters and commentators and the outlets that do not. The ones with knowledgeable contributors typically tell more stories outside the Clark-Reese media bubble. Part of this issue is due to the engagement-based income model used by most social media and journalist outlets.
New WNBA fans experienced physical basketball games, challenging and spirited rivalries, fun and exciting personalities, pregame fashion shows, and a more popular mascot than its players. They have experienced a sport they were used to in a new light. They have new favorite players, created nicknames, bought merchandise, attended games, and facilitated the league’s growth.
It is hard for any reputable sports outlet to be taken seriously talking about the W while showing they are not genuinely versed in the subject.
Allison White is no stranger to being emotionally and financially invested in sports franchises. A longtime season ticket holder for the Atlanta Falcons and New Orlean Pelicans, she knows something about what drives fans to integrate their teams into their lives to the point where it becomes a financial obligation.
Single-game tickets can be difficult to sell for lackluster franchises with little fanfare. Season tickets are much more challenging to sell as long-term investments require multiple payment installments.
“It combines my love of sports and my love of going out and being around people,” White says. “It provides me a fun, safe place to be while cheering on my favorite teams.”
Sports are so crucial to White that when she faced relocating to New Orleans for work, she became a New Orleans Pelicans season ticket holder with some co-workers to continue enjoying sporting events outside of her home market.
The W provides an additional outlet for her love of sports and her city and allows her to support women’s sports in a way she never thought. White grew to love the game and looked forward to Atlanta Dream game nights, learning the schedule and subscribing to a league pass to ensure she does not miss her new favorite player, Allisha Gray. She exclaimed that her goal for next season is to get to Gateway Center Arena, even if she cannot become a season ticket holder.
“I heard it’s electric,” she says. “That it’s fun. It is electric. The house is full. You have stars in the house. I just hear it’s a fun atmosphere.”
White has also found a few areas she would like to see the league improve over time.
“They need to do better with the viewing times, she says. “[They’re] doing things like, you have a Sunday game at 3 p.m., or you’re having a playoff game, starting a playoff championship game on Thursday Night Football that is clashing.”
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The 2024 season was the last time the home team hosted the first two games in the first round’s best two-of-three format. The finals are also changing format, going from a five-game series to a seven-game series.
After losing to the Atlanta Dream to end the regular season, the No. 1 seed, New York Liberty, would play the eighth-seed Atlanta Dream again to open the first round. The Liberty’s only loss to the Dream helped clinch the eighth seed in a spot in the playoffs. The Liberty subsequently bounced the Dream out of the playoffs after two quick wins at home.
In the second round, the Liberty used its home court to its advantage to beat the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces. For their part, the Aces had difficulty finding consistency in play all season. They showed against the big three, former MVP Brianna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones, as well as their supporting cast. Two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum put up a great fight to win game 3, but ultimately, the Liberty were too much, ending the Aces’ run for a three-peat.
The WNBA Finals battle between the three-point-bombing New York Liberty and the stout, defensively led Minnesota Lynx was the perfect back-and-forth, test-of-wills game that will propel the WNBA and its superstars to a new era of excitement, profitability and visibility within the world of sports.
WNBA — MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
The WNBA was growing at a rate that was moving the league in the right direction. With The Aces, Liberty and Lynx – the league’s powerhouses – all having marquee players in A’ja Wilson, Brianna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, respectively, the league was undoubtedly in a great place.
The Clark-Reese factor of it all has exploded women’s basketball on the college and pro levels in a way that could finally help the WNBA see its full potential.
It has not all been positive, though. A climate of racism and misogyny has integrated itself into the league with its new growth, using players to further agendas that have nothing to do with the game of basketball.
The WNBA players and players association dedicates themselves to improving the online interactions of players and fans to the best of their ability. A few disingenuous characters, however, should not damper the joy and the growth that is happening right now in the W.
The numbers are starting to show that everyone watches women’s sports.
