Running off at the typewriter. …
The WNBA may have stumbled onto a trifecta of some of the most profitable commodities in American society today:
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Controversy.
Divisiveness.
Polarization.
Race, sex, transgender politics, Caitlin Clark, hard fouls, perceived favoritism — almost every cultural fault line in America now seems to run directly through women’s basketball. And crazy as it may sound, this may be a boon for the league.
Consider the latest eruptions that happened within hours of each other a few days ago, when the league quickly rescinded a technical foul assessed to Clark that would have put her at the threshold for a suspension. Then came the big explosion when the Chicago Sky’s DiJonai Carrington was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul on the Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, Right after her ejection, Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on social media and tagged the Fever.
Of course, Cunningham created her own controversy several days earlier when she told ESPN she supported barring transgender athletes from competing in organized girls and women’s sports (only within the confines of the WNBA soap opera could a stance supported by the vast majority of Americans — Democrats and Republicans — be considered controversial).
Predictably, the combustible questions returned. Is Clark receiving preferential treatment because she is the league’s biggest — and whitest — star? Are some black players resentful of the extraordinary attention she receives? Is Clark being targeted physically? And the most outlandish of all: Is the WNBA leaving the door open for biological men to compete in the league simply by saying they identify as women?
Or are the cable news networks interpreting ordinary basketball through a racial and sexual lens because they know controversy sells?
The remarkable thing is that all of these questions are now being debated nationally. Fox News regularly discusses the WNBA, often critically. People who once couldn’t name three WNBA players suddenly have opinions about officiating, flagrant fouls and league discipline.
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That isn’t necessarily a crisis. That’s relevance.
For decades, the WNBA fought for attention. Now people are fighting over the WNBA.
Professional sports have always thrived on heroes, villains, rivalries and grievances. The WNBA has added America’s culture wars to the mix.
Some of the coverage may be ugly and unfair, but isn’t obscurity worse? …
SHORT STUFF: With Orlando standing pat amid all of the player movement this offseason, it’s safe to say the Magic will go into the upcoming season flying so far under the radar that the belly of their team plane will be scraping the tree tops. … Hallelujah, the Magic will be on free TV this season thanks to a partnership with Cox Media Group, which will broadcast games on WRDQ-TV 27 and WFTV-Channel 9. Translation: The Magic are on free TV again because their regional sports network — FanDuel Sports — went broke. Somewhere, a cord-cutter is raising a banner. … Can you believe the AL-best Tampa Bay Rays just became the second East Coast team in major league history to go 9-0 on a West Coast trip? Tampa politicians will likely celebrate by delaying a vote on the Rays’ proposed new stadium by another few months. …
The Los Angeles Lakers have been sold for the second time in a year — this time for a record $12.5 billion to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. Considering the feds are currently investigating outgoing owner Mark Walters’ business empire for fraud, let’s hope Kushner and Iger asked for a clean title. … Russell Westbrook announced his retirement earlier this week. True to form, he made the announcement with 19 seconds still left on the shot clock. … Former Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels is upset that LSU is letting another player wear his No. 5 jersey. Who knew that NIL now stands for Name, Image and Legendary ego. … Tony Romo’s future as an NFL analyst at CBS is in doubt due to a recent arrest on DUI charges. Apparently, Romo can predict a blitz before the ball is snapped, but he can’t predict when an Uber is the right play call. …
The Minnesota Vikings have named Kyler Murray their starting quarterback. The Vikes are said to be excited because they finally have a quarterback who can see eye-to-eye with the Lombardi Trophy. … One of the main reasons the Save College Sports Act can’t seem to gain a whole lot of traction in Congress is because it has been blindsided by political posturing. For instance, the Congressional Black Caucus doesn’t want to deal with the bill because of voting rights issues. Likewise there are some Republican politicians who are against the bill because it doesn’t specifically address transgender participation in college sports. Translation: The Save College Sports Act is being held up by unrelated political battles. In Washington, this is known as business as usual. … Did you see where a high school football player in Arkansas practiced for an hour despite feeling an unusual movement inside his helmet that turned out to be a poisionous cottonmouth snake? This is believed to be the first slithering creature seen at a football practice since Drew Rosenhaus. … A moment of silence, please. Don Nelson has gone to That Big Small Ball Lineup In the Sky. …
LAST WORD: With Friday being folk-rock legend David Crosby’s birthday, let us never forget this immortal Crosby lyric: “Say, can I have some of your purple berries?”
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