What’s Next for the WNBA? #RESM560V

President Laurel Richie Steps Down Before Celebratory Season

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has constantly faced criticism from basketball fans across the globe. Many reporters, comedians, and general fans of the sport often claim the professional female athletes are not entertaining to watch due to their glaring difference in athleticism from men’s basketball. Some of my friends have stated in the past they shy away from watching the WNBA because it is a “league full of lesbians.” However, the WNBA has continued to survive year after year, and will begin its 20th season in 2016.

Laurel Richie became the third president of the WNBA in 2011, following Val Ackerman (1997–2005) and Donna Orender (2005–2010). In early November it was announced Richie would be stepping down as president after five seasons with the league to pursue other opportunities. The decision came as somewhat of a shock to most WNBA fans given the success the league has had under Richie. Attendance (while still not great) bounced back with Richie at the helm after declining under the leadership of Donna Orender. In 2013, the WNBA and ESPN agreed to extend their television contract through 2022. This agreement provided the league with 12 million dollars a year, with each of the 12 WNBA dividing the money equally. Because of the new ESPN agreement, six of the WNBA’s twelve teams were profitable after the 2013 season (the most in its 18 year history).

Additionally, the WNBA developed tremendously off the court under president Laurel Richie. The WNBA tends to attract thousands of fans in the LGBT community, and until recently the league refused to acknowledge the sexuality of many of its own athletes, which made zero sense from a marketing standpoint. However, once male athletes such as Michael Sam and Jason Collins came out, Richie created WNBA Pride as a platform to reach a larger fan base. For the 2015 WNBA Playoffs, the league released a promo video called “Watch Me.” In the video the narrator makes the comment, “You think I can’t be who I want? Love who I want?” During these words, the clip turns to Minnesota Lynx forward Seimone Augustus and her wife, who became married in May 2015. In my opinion, the video helped the WNBA connect with a variety of individuals and families in today’s society.

It is no secret the WNBA has faced financial struggles since its first season in 1997. One of the biggest difficulties for the WNBA has been it’s ability to keep franchises. Several of the WNBA’s most successful teams such as the Houston Comets (Four WNBA Championships), Sacramento Monarchs (One WNBA Championship), and the Detroit Shock (3 WNBA Championships) have either folded or relocated to different cities due to losing thousands of dollars and a lack of commitment from ownership. During the 2015 season, the WNBA had 12 teams, and six continue to be supported financially by their “brother” NBA team. For example, the San Antonio Stars are owned by the San Antonio Spurs, the Phoenix Mercury are owned by the Phoenix Suns, etc. WNBA fans have always feared that NBA teams will decide to stop wasting their time and money on WNBA teams that lose money every year.

While the timing of Laurel Richie’s departure surprised many, others were not shocked at the quick decision. NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, made several controversial comments about the state of the WNBA during the 2015 playoffs that forced several fans to question Silver’s loyalty to both Richie and the league. Silver blamed the WNBA’s financial struggles on low ratings, attendance, and marketing, which are all areas NBA Commissioner, David Stern, believed Richie would improve when he hired her in 2011.

It’s not where we hoped it would be. We thought it would have broken through by now. We thought ratings and attendance would be higher. I think we might have been ahead of ourselves 20 years ago in terms of what we were doing.

On November 2, 2015, the relocated Tulsa Shock team held a ceremony revealing their new team nickname, the “Dallas Wings.” Several league officials were present for the ceremony, but Richie was not in attendance. The reason why was revealed two days later when Richie made the announcement she was stepping down.

Adam Silver has denied his September comments were made to force out Richie. However, since the change he has since been more positive on the overall outlook for the WNBA’s future. Silver addressed media the day after Richie stepped down:

I believe that I personally can do more to grow the WNBA. I believe it is necessary, at least in the short-term, that I commit more of my time to the success of the league. But I just want to reaffirm — everybody is 100 percent behind this league. Laurel leaving is a bump in the road. But we’ll pick up exactly where she leaves off. And the only change I can commit to is, I can do more, and I will be more.

The WNBA has proved several critics wrong the past 19 years of its existence. However, for a league planning to celebrate its 20th anniversary, there are still several questions that must be answered. For starters, who will Adam Silver and other WNBA officials choose to hire for their next president? It will be interesting to see whether they hire an individual with a basketball background (Ackerman and Orender), or someone with experience in marketing and advertising (Richie). It is important the new president quickly improves attendance, television ratings, and expansion, or Adam Silver and the NBA may finally decide to pull the plug on a league many believe should have ended a decade ago.