As a WNBA fan, I have found that information about teams, news, and big moments is exceptionally hard to come by. Fellow fans with whom we can discuss our triumphs and heartbreaks are even fewer and further between. We celebrate at the games or in front of our televisions, getting only the news posted on the WNBA app on our phones. As fans of a women's sports league in America, we have had people tell us that our team is not a "real professional sports team." We know how wrong they are, but it still stings when people say things like that. The popular media does not really help our case. On any given day, ESPN.com has little to nothing to say about the WNBA, even when the only other basketball to speak of is the NBA summer league. Even finding an injury report is difficult. This lack of voice for the strong, talented women who play in this league is horrible, and as fans, we aren't really sure what our role is in helping increase the visibility of this league. We love our team, and we want them to get the recognition they deserve. But what can we do when we have no way to connect with each other and to disseminate information about our beloved team?
This is where I hope to come in. As a Minnesota Lynx fan living in Atlanta, GA, I only have one other person with whom I can discuss the WNBA. After we won the championship last week, I wrote a Facebook status that summed up our year and what it is like to be a Lynx fan. One of my friends said that I should write for the Lynx, and I just laughed it off. But it got me thinking. What was stopping me from creating a place for Lynx fans to talk and read about our team? Sure, we have On the Lynx, the Star Tribune blog dedicated to our team, but I wanted to create a space where we can really feel the presence of other fans. I want to take on the big issues in the WNBA (the pay gap between the NBA and WNBA, visibility (or lack thereof), Diana Taurasi sitting out the 2015 season, Shoni Schimmel making the All-Star Team again despite not actually being that good when people play defense, The Foul and the problems we've had with referees, and so much more). I also want to talk about the little moments that only matter to Lynx Fans. I want to immortalize Devereaux Peters' block from earlier this season. I want to talk about the contributions of Anna Cruz (and maybe finally figure out how to pronounce her name...). I want to discuss how Seimone suddenly can't hit threes anymore. I want to ponder why Lindsay no longer gets calls when she drives to the basket. I want to make an argument for Rebekkah Brunson as the most underrated player in the league. I want to talk about Maya and everything she stands for.
This is a place for Lynx Nation, but it is also a place for WNBA fans as a whole. We all need to band together to increase visibility for the league we love. The Lynx have a few sayings about roaring as one and being forever unified. I think that if we apply that mentality to the entire WNBA, we have the chance to effect great change.
For now, I will leave you with this quote from the amazing Maya Moore: "If we want to grow the women's game, we've got to grow the visibility...I take it with great responsibility to do just that." Maya can't do it all on her own. She needs our help to make the WNBA the best it can possibly be.
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