Which Women’s Sports Do You Genuinely Enjoy?

Sonja Henning, President of the WNBA Players' Association, said recently about a meeting held with 100 of their players, "We discussed the idea of getting comfortable with a strike." The Players' Association's agreement concludes at the end of this season, so there is no deal for 2026.

Sonja, this may come as quite a surprise to you, but the American public is quite comfortable with the idea of a strike as well. In the last few years, more people have become aware of the WNBA, but mostly for negative reasons.

There was Britney Griner, imprisoned in Russia for breaking Russian drug laws. She wasn't a political prisoner. There are a number of other Americans in Russian prisons. But because she was black and a woman and "famous," Joe Biden released Viktor Bout, a dangerous arms dealer. (It probably is worth noting that in the six months he's been in office, President Trump has achieved the release of quite a number of Americans from foreign prisons. Much better deals.)

Caitlan Clark has brought some positive notice to the league. She's an excellent player, but she also has a winning personality that appeals to fans. She does the important work of being nice to fans.

In the minds of many other WNBA players, it's unfortunate that she's also white and straight. In the minds of many in the league, it is racist and somehow sexist for people to admire Caitlan Clark. So, quite a few people who don't watch WNBA games do see videos online of Clark being flagrantly fouled and the officials ignoring it. And then calling fouls on Clark. They see footage of other WNBA players bad-mouthing Clark. The league itself doesn't seem to want to honor Clark's achievements in any way.

So, yeah, go ahead. Strike! Strike! Strike!

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What makes us want to watch a sport? If we like a sport, we like seeing it played at a level of excellence. Or we watch because there are people we like playing and we want to support them. That's why we watch our kids' games, but quit watching after they're done playing.

The hard fact is that the WNBA doesn't present an excellent product. Men play basketball at a higher level, so most people would rather watch that. And, frankly, many players in the WNBA are showing themselves as quite unlikable people.

But there are sports where there is a broad audience for female athletes. When the Olympics come around, people want to see women's gymnastics, because they perform at the highest level. Yes, in some events at a higher level than men. There is an audience for women's figure skating because it's a beautiful thing. There is an audience for women's beach volleyball because these fit women wear skimpy outfits. And they do play excellent volleyball.

I'm curious about sports fans among the Ricochet readership; are there women's sports you avidly follow, even without family members involved?