The 2018 All-Star Game: A newcomer’s view of the WNBA’s mid-season party

2018 WNBA All-Star Game, Minneapolis (Photo by Phil Walsh)

I signed up with Her Hoop Stats to help with technical issues— databases, web-servers, Python coding, etc. While doing that, I’ve been able to watch a group of people who have intersecting interests in sports and mathematics use the one (math) to advance our understanding of the other (sports), and I’ve gotten to rub digital shoulders with people who are passionate about this particular corner of the cultural landscape. It’s been consistently challenging, occasionally intimidating, and constantly fun. This past weekend, thanks to nothing more than plain, old-fashioned luck, I had the great fortune of being able to attend the WNBA All-Star game on behalf of Her Hoop Stats.

Below are some observations and reflections, first on the All-Star Game in particular, and then on the WNBA.

On Saturday’s All-Star Game

• This was a genuinely fun event. I’ve been in arenas and stadiums where the marketing department was committed to the illusion of excitement whether the fans were buying it or not (think half-empty baseball stadiums with blaring music and a painfully loud announcer); in Minneapolis on Saturday fans were walking into the arena already lit up and ready to enjoy. Looking around the arena half an hour before tipoff I saw smiling faces, people greeting each other with shouts and high-fives, people obviously excited to be there. There was a lot of positive energy all throughout the arena.
• Not only were the fans smiling, practically everyone on the court was smiling, too. I have to admit that, being a pro basketball newbie, I came to the All-Star game thinking it was going to be competitive, a la MLB’s All-Star game. The immediately relaxed pace, the silly grins as defenders waved halfheartedly at shots, the bigs taking turns lofting three-pointers, all made it apparent this game was a lark— a fun day for people to show up, show off, and enjoy.
• On her very first trip up the court, 6'8" Liz Cambage waved off her teammates and took point-guard responsibilities, making it clear the mood was going to be irreverent.
• Speaking of Cambage, she might have won the Most Comic Play of the Day award for her mock indignation after being (maybe) fouled on a shot. She turned toward a ref and gave an over-the-top scowl and scream, apparently begging for a T, then broke into a huge grin. Fans on that end of the court were delighted.
• Some truly compelling competition did occur, and it came at halftime in the three-point shooting contest. It took an overtime round between the Aces’ Kayla McBride and the Sky’s Allie Quigley to settle things. Watching how hard they had worked during the championship round, I think a lot of people (read: me) expected some falloff in performance in the overtime. Instead, Quigley put up an astounding 29, at one point sinking nine long-balls in a row. Even McBride seemed to say “Wow.”
• My summer has been a crash-course in WNBA viewing (hurray for League Pass!) on computer and TV screens. It was a real treat to see the game live.

On following the WNBA

• What a great time to start following the WNBA. Almost every day (or at least every other day), I check the schedule and find that there are two or three or even four games to choose from to watch. And given the way the summer has gone, you almost expect at least one of those games to be decided at the buzzer. Great games to choose from every time you sit down to watch.
• There are players with compelling backstories everywhere you look. Want to feel inspired by seasoned veterans who have been-there-done-that and continue dominating the game in spite of their age? I give you Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. Want to watch players just now reaching their prime, really coming into their own as forces to be reckoned with? Let me introduce you to Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner, and Elena Delle Donne. Are you fascinated by the idea of players walking out of their college locker rooms and directly into WNBA locker rooms, almost impossibly quickly elevating their games to the next level and making immediate impacts? This year’s rookie class features half-a-dozen players who are all garnering significant playing time, from Victoria Vivians at Indiana to A’ja Wilson at Las Vegas. For additional interesting story-lines, see also: Liz Cambage. Allie Quigley. Sylvia Fowles. Breanna Stewart. (Really, just draw a name out of a hat.)
• I tried to periodically remind myself how fortunate I was to be there and what a privilege it was. I had lunch with a group of people who are all working hard to earn a living covering this game. They were both gracious and generous in allowing me to hang out with them and I appreciated it greatly (hey @cmcasarez, @themikepeden, @howardmegdal, @akiembailum, Onika Craven, Sophia Hantzes: thanks). But not only were they gracious, they were actually welcoming. The conversation bounced from sports to gender to race and back again, in an atmosphere where everyone clearly trusted and respected everyone else. It was pretty refreshing.
• Speaking of gender and race and sports: to my eyes, the WNBA exists in a very unique space at the intersection of sports, entertainment, culture, and politics. The league and its fans (maybe, crucially, especially its fans) are leading the way for allowing people in all professional sports leagues to live out their real selves.

The 2018 All-Star Game was a great showcase for the WNBA, and I’m really pleased to have had the opportunity to be there for it.

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