May 5th 2024.
The WNBA's highly anticipated preseason game between the Lynx and the Sky had many fans excited to see the league's newest draft picks in action. However, a last-minute change in broadcasting plans left fans disappointed and frustrated.
Originally, the game was supposed to be available on the WNBA's League Pass service, offering fans a chance to see rising stars like Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, and Alissa Pili square off. However, on game day, fans were informed that the game would only be live streamed on Twitter/X. To make matters worse, the WNBA also failed to make the game available on YouTube, as promised. This left fans like Alli Schneider, who was in attendance at the game, feeling let down.
Despite the WNBA's mishap, Schneider took matters into her own hands and live streamed the game for her friends. Little did she know, her stream ended up pulling in over 2 million views. As The Athletic reported, coaches from both teams, Cheryl Reeve of the Lynx and Theresa Weatherspoon of the Sky, expressed their excitement for the game's growth and their disappointment in the WNBA's missed opportunity to capitalize on the early momentum.
Reeve, in particular, spoke about the league's outdated ways of broadcasting. "The growth is happening so fast, it's so accelerated. Business as usual isn't going to work anymore, you're going to get left behind," she said. "This is an example. We have to capitalize on those things."
Weatherspoon, on the other hand, offered a more positive outlook, acknowledging the high demand for the game even though the WNBA seemed unprepared to handle it. "We would love for us to be on and for everyone to take a look, especially for this team," she said. "You have a great group of young women who are exciting to watch play. Tonight, we had an opportunity to kind of get a feel for where we are and what we need to do. It's awesome to know that a lot of people really tuned in."
The game itself showcased the talents of the Sky's newly acquired draft picks, Kamila Cardoso from South Carolina and Angel Reese from LSU. Reese almost logged a double-double in just 24 minutes, scoring 13 points and securing nine rebounds. Cardoso, playing in a bench role, contributed six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes. Pili, drafted by the Lynx, struggled from the field, only making one of her seven attempts.
The WNBA later apologized for the mistake on social media, attributing it to an error on their website. However, this did not sit well with fans, who were also upset by the league's promotion of Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who made her WNBA debut the same night. Many interpreted Reeve's use of the hashtag #theWismorethanoneplayer as a dig at the WNBA's focus on Clark to the detriment of other talented players and their respective fan bases.
The Athletic also spoke to Schneider, who was surprised by the overwhelming engagement on her live stream compared to the previous year's numbers. "I actually did it last year too because the Lynx had a preseason game that was again not selected for any sort of coverage," she said. "So I did it last year for a couple of friends and I had maybe 80 people total watch, so I figured I'd try again this year and see if maybe that's something people want. And apparently it was."
Schneider continued, "I was just flabbergasted. We were watching the numbers climb while the game went on, but I couldn't look at Twitter while the live stream was happening, so I just saw all of it afterward. I had no idea that it had been retweeted that many times or that Sue Bird had quote-tweeted me. I had to slowly catch up to so many people reaching out to me in my DMs, there were so many notifications."
Some have also brought attention to the WNBA's lack of promotion for its Black players, who make up a majority of the league's players. Even A'ja Wilson, the league's current top player, has not been immune to this issue. As USA Today columnist Mike Freeman points out, shoe deals and endorsements play a significant role in driving stardom, and the WNBA's lack of attention to its Black players is concerning. As he writes in his column, "If you believe the only reason three white women are getting the shoes because they just happen to be more marketable, well, you're a fool."
It's clear that the WNBA has some work to do in terms of marketing and promoting its players and games. But one thing is for sure, the demand for women's basketball is on the rise, and the league must adapt and capitalize on this growth to stay ahead. As Reeve wisely said, "The W is more than one player."
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