I think it’s time media companies took WNBA coverage seriously.
Before you protest, “Of course she is saying that, she’s an WNBA writer,” I’ll tell you what I ALSO am—a NBA writer.
Everyday, I see every network, newspaper and media outlet employ people on a full-time basis to tell the NBA’s stories. That’s great; it takes full-time effort to cover a sport as complex, popular and nuanced as basketball—men’s or women’s.
I could probably count on one hand the number of people I know who write about and cover the WNBA on a full-time basis. Even so, some of the best and most brilliant minds that create the WNBA coverage that is deep, powerful and awe-inspiring are writing these stories on a part-time basis. Not to say NBA bloggers aren’t also doing that, because some of the best stories I’ve read about the NBA have also come from part-time writers as well. That’s also not to say people who write about the NBA have it easy either; I’ve seen layoff after layoff, place after place not understand the importance writers have in the sports media landscape.
