The 2024 WNBA season shattered league data for attendance and viewership. It culminated with an immediate basic WNBA Finals sequence between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx that produced 5 superb video games of high-level basketball.
The Liberty took house an extra time win within the decisive Recreation 5 on Sunday evening to assert their first championship in franchise historical past. The Liberty had been the most effective staff all season, which ought to make them really feel like a becoming champion. There’s solely downside: the ultimate sport had so many controversial calls go New York’s approach in crunch-time that nobody felt glad with the ending.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve (who additionally coached Staff USA to a gold medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics) completely obliterated the refs after the sport, saying the sport was “stolen” from her staff by the officers. There have been a number of unquestionable calls down the stretch, beginning with a late foul name on Minnesota towards Breanna Stewart that allowed New York to tie the sport (the foul was tender and it additionally regarded like Stewart traveled). There have been a number of cases of Lynx celebrity Napheesa Collier getting hit with out a foul being referred to as. The refs additionally selected to not name a transparent path foul on the Liberty in extra time after a evaluation. The Liberty ended the sport with a 25-8 free throw benefit.
It’s lame to complain in regards to the refs after such a basic sequence. Minnesota led by 12 factors earlier within the sport, and shouldn’t have wanted a dramatic end to beat the Liberty. On the identical time, the top of that sport and this season simply didn’t really feel proper. That sentiment went into overdrive when WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert got here out to current the championship trophy to the Liberty.
Engelbert confirmed as much as the sport carrying a gown with the New York Metropolis skyline on it. That’s a horrible search for somebody who is meant to be goal heading right into a decisive Recreation 5. The WNBA even deleted a tweet exhibiting Engelbert’s gown that everybody was criticizing within the quotes. Right here’s a take a look at the commish’s gown:
And right here’s a number of the criticism, solely including to the concept the league needed New York to win the championship:
Typically occasions the entire “the league needs Market X to win” is only a paranoid take from followers. However for the commissioner of the league to actually put on the NY skyline on her gown at Recreation 5, that is not an ideal look. https://t.co/AjgXQ5QsQW
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 21, 2024
why did cathy engelbert put on that gown
— Claire Watkins (@ScoutRipley) October 21, 2024
Think about Roger Goodell confirmed as much as a Vikings vs Jets Tremendous Bowl with one thing like an NYPD hat on.. soccer followers throughout America would go nuts!
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert needs to be embarrassed! Folks can be calling for Roger to resign and apologize for the bias. pic.twitter.com/ov76XRx3Ce
— Shea Butter (@ButtaSports) October 21, 2024
WNBA participant Sydney Colson of the Las Vegas Aces even discovered the gown and tried it on because the controversy was brewing Monday.
The WNBAPA opted out of the CBA on Monday afternoon following the top of the season. Solidarity with the gamers.
That is doubtless going to be a messy labor affair. Curiosity in girls’s basketball is thru the roof. Two years in the past, beneath 400K folks watched the WNBA Finals. This 12 months, that quantity was at 1.7 million. It’s solely going to maintain going up as a result of the product is improbable. The league nonetheless feels prefer it’s run like a minor league in some ways, with a lot low-hanging fruit to wash up on the enterprise and advertising facet. Engelbert doesn’t really feel match to steer the league into the long run if she’s going to make a mistake as foolish as carrying that New York gown.
The WNBA is in an ideal place, and nonetheless has a lot room to develop. Did the league actually rig the championship finale for New York? We’ll by no means know, however everybody already has their thoughts made up.
