Watched the Bill Burr at Red Rocks stand up where he talks about women not supporting the WNBA, got me thinking. My girlfriend and other female friends like to watch the NFL and some the NBA, would maybe go to a PGA tour event because its outside, but they seem to have no interest in the WNBA as well.
I would like to hear some insights or ideas about what it would take for someone to actually become a fan. Bigger tailgates, better atmosphere, better team branding?
| +84 | GF doesn’t care about her looks | 49 | 20h | |
| +55 | Affair with my Associate… In Desperate Need for Advice | 23 | 12h | |
| +43 | How to sound more eloquent? | 17 | 26m | |
| +39 | Insurance as High Finance? | 10 | 2d | |
| +38 | 400k/year in HVAC sales? | 26 | 1d | |
| +33 | Would you rather live alone in an outer borough or with roommates in Manhattan? | 23 | 2d | |
| +28 | WSO Ranking On Resume??? | 6 | 14h | |
| +27 | Why do people listen to Jim Cramer Investing Advice? | 10 | 15h | |
| +26 | Is my boss gaslighting me? | 3 | 14h | |
| +25 | Carnivore Diet | 9 | 15h |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
$200
A sex change. I'd still like women, but then I'd have an ulterior motive to watch WNBA since we all know the "proclivities" of members of that sport. Just have to be careful about being around other actual athletes like volleyball players and make a point of that I'm not into the whole softball players too. Women's soccer players would be a bit of a challenge, but as a ma...strong indepedent woman...I'd like a challenge.
/s for those who can't grasp it. The WNBA is just uninteresting. I mean hell, this made me think about chatting up a bud to go watch a women's roller derby night this weekend if there is one because that'd be more interesting. Otherwise go to the dog park with the on-again-off-again gf and then dinner. Watching WNBA is bottom of the list because I'd rather watch another rerun of Big Bang Theory and their dog-ass retread jokes than their game. If I wanted to watch low scoring uninteresting basketball I'd just...oh wait, March Madness is coming up so I answered my own question!
If men played in it instead
I don't think I'll ever watch the WNBA but I don't really watch the NBA either and my general sports fandom has dwindled as I've gotten older. I do watch college sports, so the argument against not watching the WNBA isn't just "they aren't as good as X men's sports".
That said, what the WNBA is missing for me is any semblance of meaning, tradition, high stakes. I won't follow tennis all year but I'll watch every set of Elena Rybakina vs. Ons Jabeur in the Ladies' Wimbeldon final because I can appreciate the gravitas of the event, it's sick. Same thing for soccer, Everton vs. Arsenal was on early Saturday morning and I watched because I quickly appreciated the significance (as much as possible involving a top and bottom ranked team) of the match. I'll watch every game during the World Cup, olympics, etc.
I guess my critique is that there is no meaning, there is no meaning because there is no tradition, there is no tradition because there is minimal fans to build it up. It all becomes circular. "If you build it, they will come" I guess you could say, but realistically it's, "I don't really think you can build it and, even if you do, I probably won't come".
Less clothes.
This guy knows
Welcome to the LFL
.
I saw a comedian do a clip on the street of offering people $100 cash now or two front seat tickets to a WNBA game that night. Everyone took the cash. They all laughingly took the cash. lol
lol pretty sure it was $1 not $100, which made it even funnier
haha you could be right
Serious answer: they should lower the rim a foot so that you could actually see some dunks. Also try to market 1-3 stars in the league that new fans can rally behind, kind of like what the NBA did in the 80s with Magic and Larry Bird.
I get that. They really just need to take a page out of every other league's playbook and develop themselves. The NFL and NBA proved that people stars probably more so than they enjoy teams or entertainment. Yet, the WNBA virtually has no stars. I watch a decent amount of golf, same thing with the LPGA, they don't have stars really, and the stars they do have all retire before they are 30.
Think the problem is male stars are usually stars because of performance. Women stars are usually because of looks. Danica Patrick, Alex Morgan, and Maria Sharapova are obviously talented, but their looks are why they are household names
ESPN tried that with college by forcing Paige Buekers into the sports conversation for any great athlete talks, just comes across as forced - which it is
I got into watching the WNBA b/c a cousin of mine in a huge DC Mystics fan and it helps me keep up with some friends from college who follow it (mind you these people are generally sports fanatics, not your everyday sports watcher).
I've even been court-side at Mystics games before with my cousin and she gets to know the players and other famous fans. Got to meet Jennifer King (Washington Commanders woman running-backs coach) and Winnie Harlow (fashion model w/ over 10mm Instagram followers) at that game sitting among the seats.
That part (getting to meet the players and other famous fans) is literally the only interesting part to me though. The games themselves unfortunately couldn't be more average. They're not bad in fact. They're just excessively bleh. Very few interesting shots, no dunking, very standard plays. Nothing to really get that excited about in a basketball game. This doesn't make the game bad, it just makes me and others want to watch other things as above posters have mentioned.
Why are famous people going to WNBA games
Honestly, I have not the slightest clue. I think Jennifer King probably likes women in basketball in general being a coach herself but Winnie Harlow was totally out of left field appearance.
Why do they even do it? It loses money and is subsidized by the NBA. I suppose one could argue that it's a loss leader, maybe you have a few more females/families watching NBA because the equality aspect of the WNBA appeals to them or something. Maybe, just guessing.
My current theory on this is that they are supporting the league to avoid generally scrutiny by doing something that looks socially positive and/or prevent any women's oriented league sport from becoming big and somehow diluting the share of collective screen-time that the NBA currently gets. The latter point I'm more skeptical about, but I've heard many say that having the WNBA definitely "makes things easier" for the NBA in certain instances for a decent chunk of cash but something that is worth it (the WNBA runs on average at a $10mm net loss from $60mm revenue in 2019, which is not esp. significant to the NBA which has a net income of $70mm and $10bn in revenue; if you do the math on that, that means that about 14% of all NBA net income goes to subsidizing WNBA).
If the chicks ran around dribbling and dunking on each other in scanty bikinis, I would consider it.
They already do thankfully, but it's called FIVB/AVP beach volleyball.
Only people who support the WNBA are those who are being paid to do so, or weird effiminate liberal men who try to overhype women in everything in an snake in the grass effort to get laid. That and maybe a small percentage of actual women athletes.
Most of sports is a complete time waster, sooner you realize this the better your life will be. Womens sports, where the quality in play is drastically and visually inferior, is beyond that. You shouldnt be able to watch a pro sporting event and think 'I could do that', if you are then its crap entertainment. Well thats how it feels watching WNBA. At least with womens tennis and some other sports I know I would be outclassed. But basketball? Again, doesnt pass the eye test.
So to answer your question OP if I was dating a professional womens basketball player for whatever reason then sure. Otherwise, cant envision it
Pay me $300/hr and maybe I'll waste my afternoon on it. The WNBA is just a pity/charity program for tall women. It's never turned a profit because nobody can/should be bothered to care.
Et qui ea qui et eos cupiditate. Excepturi perspiciatis modi aut libero id autem id. Et iure molestiae dolorem consequatur eos. Saepe accusantium qui est animi. Iste nihil labore illum itaque sequi eveniet maiores voluptatem. Expedita aut sunt similique occaecati consequatur.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Possimus et eaque voluptas atque. Aspernatur ducimus dolore ut iure molestiae dicta. Illum ratione repudiandae mollitia dignissimos dicta aliquam. Optio autem consectetur veniam incidunt aut rerum esse.