The old way of doing business won’t suffice for the WNBA anymore

The regular season matchup between the Connecticut Sun and the Los Angeles Sparks earlier this week was more than just a game. It was a historic event. The TD Garden in downtown Boston, the very same arena where the Celtics just won their 18th title, was packed full. The sold out crowd — 19,125 people , to be exact — was the third largest in WNBA history.

And the fans did not disappoint.

The game itself was a high-energy basketball extravaganza, as the players fed off the electricity circulating around the arena. Three-point buckets, hustle plays, hard fouls and Sparks head coach Curt Miller’s ejection kept the onlookers dutifully entertained. Naturally, as Boston sports fans are wont to do, chants of “Beat LA” resounded late in the fourth quarter. After the Sparks made a run to tie the game, the Sun took it from there, putting the game effectively out of reach with a 90 seconds left to play, winning 69-61.

Once the game ended, fans lingered. And so did my thoughts about what the game meant beyond the court.

From the beginning, the game on Boston wasn’t meant to be a test run for a possible franchise move. The Sun organization has been intent on expanding the team’s fanbase outside the boundaries of Connecticut, banking on the appeal of being “New England’s team.” The fan turnout, and anticipation even before the game tipped off,  more than proved there is indeed an appetite for women’s basketball outside of Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.  It’s also important to note that the game sold out despite Caitlin Clark’s name not being on the marquee.

“Boston has always had a really great sports culture,” says CBS Sports women’s basketball analyst and Connecticut Sun sideline reporter, Terrika Foster-Brasby.  “Connecticut fans travel. Over the years covering this team, I have spoken to quite a few fans at Mohegan Sun Arena and quite a few of them travel from Massachusetts to Connecticut to watch the games. So in a way, it made sense this game would sell. The impressive part was seeing how they sold out without heightened promotion from the league itself.”

The lack of promotion leading up to the game was lackluster at best. Even though the league had planned the game well in advance, it wasn’t slotted in a primetime national television spot. Instead, it was only televised locally in the New England area, and streamed lived on WNBA League Pass and X.  It’s fair to wonder if the league underestimated the appeal. Did they not expect a sellout? Is it because the Sparks aren’t having a great season and the matchup wasn’t against New York or Las Vegas?

“I was incredibly disappointed that this matchup wasn’t a nationally televised the game,” adds Foster-Brasby. “Quite honestly, we’ve known of this game’s existence since at least December 2023. At that time, no one knew what either LA or Connecticut would actually look like this season. So to use the excuse that it had anything to do with the record is pretty lame in my opinion.”

Even Sun guard DiJonai Carrington took to X  to express her frustration and the post was widely shared by fans, media outlets and reporters, and players alike.

Carrington explained why she felt the game wasn’t given the platform it rightly deserved.

“Sometime, you know, if you want something done you gotta go out and there and do it yourselves. So, that’s what I did, for us,” she said in the postgame press conference . “I think there could have been a lot more publicity or promo from the top, you know?”

The lack of promotion, while puzzling and shortsighted, didn’t matter. Fans showed up in droves.  It was a huge night all around — for Boston, the players, the WNBA and women’s basketball overall. The question now is how can the league capitalize on it going forward and not fumble the bag, so to speak. It’s obvious there are untapped markets where the WNBA would be welcomed, even just for an exhibition game or two.

Showcasing additional games like the one at TD Garden should be part of the gameplan going forward. It’s a great way to test other markets while simultaneously measuring and increasing the growth. Make the Connecticut/LA matchup in Boston appointment viewing, Lean into what is already an established rivalry in basketball.  Do the same with other franchises. Hype up the games and put them on national television. We’ve already seen what happens when games are accessible. Viewers will show up.  Have foresight, not hindsight. Be proactive, not reactive.

There’s many positive things to take away from the game in Boston. But I can’t help noticing — despite entering a new era of fandom and growth — how the WNBA appears to still be functioning the same way it was a five or 10 years ago when it comes to marketing, promotion and business decisions. That old way of thinking just doesn’t fit any more.

Women’s basketball has not only bloomed, it has clearly outgrown its little pot.

It’s already shown it can thrive in a much bigger and expansive garden.

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