I think everyone knew some kid while they were growing up who managed to have perfect attendance in elementary school. A lot of times, this kid managed to get an award. And in that moment, what did you think of that kid?
Radley Balko was at the MCI Center Monday night for the Pacers/Wizards game:
I can't ever visit the MCI Center without giggling at those "Washington Mystics, WNBA Attendance Champions" banners. There are five of them now . . .I don't have anything against women's professional sports, so long as it's a sport there's a market for. The WNBA has been crammed down our throats from its inception. It's never made any money, and networks, advertisers, and sports media have essentially been guilted into promoting and supporting it.
I've been to MCI Center more times than I can count, and on each and every visit, someone in my group of friends always points out those banners with a snicker or worse. Color me guilty too, because I laugh every time.
But to Radley's larger point: Indeed, this league needs to be able to stand on its own, and be a business success in its own right in order to be taken seriously. That means a radical improvement in the quality of play, while at the same time attempting to appeal to a larger fan base and continuing to offer a night out at a reasonable price.
Can they do it? I don't know, but some of the league's most loyal fans are also its harshest critics.
