Well, I’ve got to start this week’s newsletter off talking about some bullshit. It was announced today that Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries—which could be the championship-deciding game in the series—will be on Thursday at 12:30 pm ET at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Yes, a WNBA Finals game that would potentially crown a first-time champion regardless of who wins will be played in the middle of a workday, and at 9:30 am for fans on the West Coast.
State Farm Arena is where the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks play, and they have a home game against the Cavaliers on Thursday night. Thus, a scramble ensued to find a solution. Per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, it seems like the league and other stakeholders (the teams, the NBA, broadcast partners) were considering two options to keep Game 6 during primetime: 1) Move the venue back to where the Dream normally play, Gateway Center, which only seats 3,500 fans, or 2) Move it to Friday, and a potential Game 7 to Tuesday. Tuesday is Election Day, and there were concerns about long gaps between games and the logistics of moving two Finals games. And in the end, it seems the WNBA prioritized potential attendance over viewership and went with the matinee showing at State Farm, which can seat 17,000 fans.
There is a lot I don’t agree with in that decision—how many people can realistically get to a game at 12:30 in the afternoon? And I don’t want to downplay the logistical complexity of this situation. But they shouldn’t have had to make this call at all. It is the 30th year of the WNBA. Viewership and attendance are at record highs and have been improving year over year. And yet, women athletes and their fans are treated as tenants, as B teams. I refuse to believe a better solution was impossible to find, especially given how long we’ve known that the Dream are serious contenders. I refuse to believe that an early-season NBA game couldn’t be rescheduled or moved to a different venue to allow for Game 6 to have the primetime slot. Shelburne wrote that moving the Hawks-Cavs game to Friday would have created bad back-to-back games for both teams, but that if the requests had come weeks or even a week earlier, more could likely have been done. Women’s sports have had to contort and compromise around men’s sports for… ever. Getting some well-paid operations folks to take a crack at this situation under the premise that a WNBA Finals series simply cannot be decided at 12:30 pm on a workday sounds like a good place to start to me! So when folks say this was the best of bad options, I can’t help but feel exasperated. Get that lesser-of-two-evils energy away from me and my home girls. It’s a lazy way to analyze how we got here.
There is much more to be said on this by people with more information and expertise than I have. But the bottom line, in my opinion, is that investment in women’s sports is measured in more than just money and TV ratings and butts in seats. It’s also about respect and dignity. Operational excellence is a part of that. Shelburne said on NBA Today that a championship celebration after Game 6 might have to move to a practice court so the arena can turn over in time. A team could win its first title and not celebrate on the court where it happened. I don’t want to see the players on the Dream or Golden State get their moment on a random court while I watch from my office TV. If Angel Reese gets her ring, I’ll have to cry at work! I hate that kids in school will miss it, and people who have less cushy jobs than me will miss it.
And yet. Time to go have a beer and watch Game 5. Here’s the rest of your newsletter.
Event Alert: Good Sport NYC is collaborating with READING 101—a quarterly reading series—to present Reading 4 Sport on November 11th at Night Club 101. It’ll be a night of athletics-related readings from five local writers, with music by DJ Big Dumb Baby. Get your free ticket here.
NYC women’s sports news & culture
Here’s what you should know this week.
The WNBA Finals series is tied at 2-2. The Golden State Valkyries leveled it during Game 4 on Saturday, led by Gabby Williams, who had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. The Valks managed to shut down Angel Reese, holding her to 8 points and 9 rebounds. Full Finals schedule below.
Can we make a lil noise for Midge Purce? In addition to being a charismatic baddie, Gotham FC’s Midge Purce is very good at soccer. In Gotham’s key matchup against the Orlando Pride in their chase for the NWSL Shield, Purce scored in the 22nd minute with a header from 10 yards out after Guro Reiten sent a well-placed ball into the box. ’Twas a beauty. Then captain Tierna Davidson scored in the 62nd minute, and the game ended with a 2-1 win over the Pride. I love when a defender scores. Gotham can secure the Shield in their last regular-season game against Utah, happening this Sunday.
I hate WNBA gay Halloween. Thank you, WNBA Gay, for bringing this Marine Johannes clip to my attention via your Halloween meme. I have never heard “baddie” in a French accent before. Très magnifique.
Credit to WNBA Gay on Instagram
What to watch this week
Monday 10/26
🏀 WNBA Finals, Game 5 (series tied 2-2): The Golden State Valkyries host the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center at 8:00 pm ET. Watch on USA or Peacock.
Thursday 10/29
🏀 WNBA Finals, Game 6: The Valkyries are at the Atlanta Dream at 12:30 pm ET. Watch on USA or Peacock.
Saturday 10/31
🏀 WNBA Finals, Game 7 (if necessary): The Valkyries host the Atlanta Dream at Chase Center at 8:00 pm ET. Watch on USA or Peacock.
Sunday 11/1
⚽ Gotham FC hosts the Utah Royals FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium at 5:00 pm ET. It’s the last regular-season home match before the playoffs.
That’s a wrap…
Thanks, as always, for reading. A new podcast episode will hit your inbox later this week. Bye!