By Joe Torosian
Kick it!
As the first day of my third camp in five weeks begins, I’ve had plenty of time to listen to sports and sports talk while driving north.
I didn’t believe my first thought — it couldn’t be true —but it was later confirmed when I saw the lowlights of the WNBA All-Star Game.
It was infuriating. First off, overall, while the league has a few stars, they’re just not that good, and they put on a clown show.
Second, if I were invested—not necessarily with money—but in wanting and generating goodwill toward the league, I’d be yelling at the commissioner and calling out every player on social media.
Third, as a fan who is drawn to the league by the one thing it offers—competitiveness—I would have been/and was insulted.
If you needed a demonstration of the privileged athlete, making more than they deserve, with contracts they shouldn’t have, it was on display at the WNBA All-Star game.
It’s bad enough when the NBA does it, but at least—the very least—you can fall back and appreciate to some degree the athleticism when they put on a clown-show.
The WNBA’s already a clown-show that people are investing heavily in to make work. The improved contracts the players and league have received need to be viewed for exactly what they are—investments.
Investors said, “You’re playing hard, you’ve got some talent, here take this and develop it.”
The WNBA, in the absolute delusion it lives in, actually believes it has earned its current salaries and standing in mainstream sports. So much so, it thought it could take its showcase weekend and do a weak imitation of the NBA.
I’ve worked really hard to watch, learn, and give the league the appropriate props. And I came to appreciate its best asset—beyond Caitlin Clark—and that’s a regular season that matters. Weeknight games where the players played like they knew the investors were watching.
For 16 years I was getting a paycheck writing sports for Mid Valley News when others were losing their jobs writing sports…I never missed a single deadline—never thought it was acceptable.
(And I never wrote a column listing my top sports movies of all time.)
I’ve been told going on three days a week in the offseason with “RamView” is a bit much. I asked the individual who said that what would be enough for the people who have invested in me?
Investors I need to honor with my best work possible. All the while never thinking/believing/or deluding myself into everything being cool, or that I’ve made it.
I co-direct five different camps a year for young people through our Outsiders program. We have investors, and we never—Never!—take our foot off the accelerator and chill.
The WNBA—with so many warts to call out—really biffed a major opportunity and gave its detractors massive ammunition.
#85—May the San Francisco Giants rot and lie stinking in the earth.
The Dude abides…
1,332
Romans 10:14-15
jtbank1964@yahoo.com
“RamView” M-W-F
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@Theroar,
I am one that doesn’t always like what Joe T writes and have even commented to say I’ll just skip his columns. But boy oh boy your comment to his column was quite the reach!!! While he does seem to write a lot about a league he claims to hate, nowhere in his column does he say anything about to the league being woke. Nowhere is there anything remotely close to racism or anti LGBTQ rhetoric there either.
Both sides have really turned into some crazy radicals. Conservatives will say there’s an agenda for a new world order because of a rainbow flag and liberals will call people racist for praying in public.
To prove your point Mr Roar I remind folks of that disgusting comment that the people attending Trump’s party found hilarious… Michelle Obama is a man.
@? Conservative Christian nationalists are hyper fixated on the WNBA for several reasons: they see it as “woke” (anything that they don’t like or understand is woke); that the league features several strong black women; they elevate some of the white players as a great white hope pushing back against liberals and people of color (see the “point” which is tacitly celebrated as a white, cis, straight woman putting black women and lesbians in their place, thus preserving “American” values; that the league is increasingly popular challenges their masculinity and threatens to bring this country toward some recognition of the athletic prowess of our women athletes. This hyper fixation that you’ve pointed out is a prime example of the toxic masculinity rooted in a fear of non-trad women and women of color. Look to the rhetoric of white christian nationalism and you’ll find the blueprint of this effort (e.g; desire to rescind the 19th amendment, removal of women from positions of power [see thr DOD], “quiet piggy”, and advocacy for trad women). It’s all out there in the open, and this column is no exception. It’s propaganda and contrary to real life. Textbook misogyny
From T. Peterson: Since none of these narratives are mentioned in this column, I’ll just assume that these are your beliefs. By the way, just curious, did you watch the “All-Star” game?
Opining that you don’t like the WNBA based on its all-star game is like saying you don’t like baseball after watching the Savannah Bananas. BTW you do write quite a lot about the girls league that as you say…. aren’t very good. I conclude my point with this, 90% of MVS’s schools they cover are not very good but I still like them all.
Id comment but the W doesnt deserve my time.
The W used to be fun to watch, including Swoopes as a player, but now it’s the worst of petty, envious, dangerous racist behavior! UNWATCHABLE!