Sports: The WNBA as WWE has become unwatchable – John Cardullo

by John Cardullo, sportswriter

So bad it’s unwatchable!

It was only a couple of seasons ago that the WNBA showed the world that it could live up to it’s potential, that it was ready to become a stable of America’s sports fabric.

As they turned 25 years old, the WNBA just could not grab and hold onto fans attention. Having women basketball starts such as Diana Taurasi, and Rebecca Lobo from the New England region aka as the University of Connecticut where their college teams won the National Championship, going “pro” and playing in the WNBA. As a matter of fact, many Lady UCONN alumni went onto play in the WNBA, and you would have thought that no way would the WNBA fail as a national draw. The sport was so popular in this region, the Connecticut Sun was born to be house at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino.

Title IX was created to give women sports the same advantages as the men’s programs in all of college sports, but the WNBA couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were “also rans!” Their season would begin after the NBA completed their long, never-ending season. Many WNBA teams were owned by NBA owners who were desperate to have something to do with their empty arenas. Instead of having a Monster Jam, or the Circus coming in on those hot summer months, their answer was to have a WNBA come in and open the arena in those months. For those franchises that benefit from solid NBA owners and NBA support, they are thriving. Then there are teams that do not have that same support, who come in excited and in a few years they move and move and move and move and move again!

Then enter Caitlin Clark from Iowa State – entering the league after setting the all-time college scoring record for both men and women – drafted into the WNBA as the number one selection of Indiana Fever. Suddenly the interest level in the “W” as the WNBA reinvented their brand, went sky high. But right out of the gate the average fan sensed that there was something very wrong. While the average NBA male player was making a salary in the low millions, Clark signed for $65,000. Her endorsement deals would put her in the millions, true, but the “W”?  Not even close! Even while every arena her team played sold out every night, including the Boston Garden who hosted a game between the Fever and Sun sold out.

But instead of building on that success what has the “W” done? Shoot themselves in the foot!  Open season was declared on Clark by every team in the league. Officials looked the other way on blatant fouls that would otherwise be considered assault and battery charges on opponents. But game after game since Clark entered the league it gets worse to the point that as a fan, it has become unbearable to watch anymore!

Let’s start off with the players, shall we? Every time there is a foul called on a player no matter who it is called on, the player always throws their arms up with the “who me?” look on their faces. This happens on every call and yes, Clark is one of the worst offenders of these theatrics. As much as she is on the receiving end, she also dishes it out and when she is called for a foul or a violation, the whining and bitching start, EVERY WNBA player does this.

The rules do not make any sense. A reset timeout allows a team to call a timeout before throwing the ball inbounds, they call for a reset, and the ball get put in play 2/3’s up the court – it is one of the most foolish rules created. The officials are completely incompetent!

Sophie Cunningham, who was playing for the Pheonix Mercury came to Indiana mostly to protect Clark. Trading cheap shot for cheap shot, to warn off opponents to leave Clark alone. Cunningham known for inflicting “hard” fouls to send a message to opponents has recently become a victim herself.

In a recent game, Cunningham was going for a lay-up, when DiJonai Carrington of the Chicago Sky grabbed Cunningham around the neck and threw her to the floor. At first no call was issued, but after a review of the play by the officials – yes, I said the officials had to review the play before it was deemed a foul – a call was made. Even with the official’s ability to go and review a play, they just can’t seem to get the calls correct. In a recent game, a player was called for a foul when they were not even involved with the play and were nowhere near the shooter, and the officials even after reviewing the play, could not get the call correct.

It has become so bad, the average fan must wonder if there is something else going on here? At this pace, the WNBA is nothing more than a WWE event.

Player flopping is rampant! If you thought that flopping was bad in the NBA, the “W” has made it an art! Something that most fans fail to realize is that the WNBA is nothing more than a summer basketball league for the players. Most players real teams are overseas in Europe. They play a longer season at a considerably higher salary. This is one of the reasons that there are more European players and coaches playing their summer ball here. It’s what I did on my summer vacation moment. Come to America and see the United States and get paid to do it!

The concept of the WNBA is nice, but we don’t live in never-never land, and the reality is that the “W” could be so much more and entertaining. Right now, they are a public relations nightmare, teams relocate on a whim. Players and coaches have zero commitment to the franchise they are playing for, because if they did how would you explain the move from Connecticut to Houston that’s coming in 2027? Leaving no WNBA franchise in New England?  A commitment to the community? Sure! A commitment to the Benjamin’s is more like it.

At the Mohegan Resort & Casino the fans do not pay for parking, they have a mall to walk through before they reach the arena, they bring in about 10,000 people every home game and they do not pay rent for the arena. The guess is that after the team moves out, their exclusive right to have the only WNBA franchise in New England will be null and void, leaving a new expansion franchise ready to move – into the Boston Garden. When someone says it is not about the money – rest assure it is ALWAYS about the money! In the meantime, the “W” needs to clean up their product because it is a very bad product and not worth our time to watch.

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Photo illustration, top: Original photographs by John McClellan/John Mac, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons—Clark and Wikimedia Commons—Cunningham; combined and modified for RINewsToday.com.

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John Cardullo, sportswriter. John is a lifelong Rhode Islander. His sports experience is extensive, as a player, coach and sponsor of youth and high school sports. He has been the Public Address Announcer for the CCRI Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams. Both the Cranston East and Cranston West football, Cranston East Boys and Girls basketball for 12 years before moving onto the Central, Juanita Sanchez and Mt. Pleasant football teams. Also, Central HS Boys and Girls Basketball, Scituate High School Boys and Girls Basketball, Johnston High School Girls Basketball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Softball, Boys and Girls Soccer teams, and CLCF football.

John has been involved in Men’s softball for 61 years, starting as a batboy for his father’s team in 1964. He moved to the teams scorekeeper then became a player in 1975, and created the men’s team, Players Corner Pub, that went on to win 20 State Championships in their 35 year history. In the 1990’s he published the statewide softball magazine “The Fielders Choice”which was dedicated to all topics related to adult softball. As a feature writer, John and the publication won several media awards. In 2019 he was elected and inducted into the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame which he also helped create. 

In his spare time John golfs with his life long friends in season. After retiring from the printing Industry after a 45-year career, he now writes specialty sports columns for RINewsToday.com, and has been actively engaged in the high school sports scene and athletic administration, and in July became General Manager of the Cranston Veterans Memorial Ice Rink – coming to the rink 50 years after he began at the rink in his first job as a youth.