Stephen A. Smith, Billie Jean King, Clay Travis, Evan Roberts, Mike Greenberg, Charles Barkley, LaMelo Ball and on and on it goes. What do they all have in common? Engaged in narratives about the WNBA, its players and so forth. Some of it is the same old debate we have heard around entitled stars, villainous upstarts, media access, social media engagement, lack of understating about media access, ‘shut up and dribble,’ ‘not ready for prime time’ etc. etc.  

Here’s the real important thing. They ARE TALKING abut the athletes of the WNBA because they are interesting, they get clicks, and the data says their audience…an audience that has ignored or trivialized sports played by women for years…is worth their time.

Player access, refereeing challenges, brand growth, answering the same questions over and over, fan engagement, people complaining abut this and that…are all GREAT problems to have because they scream relevancy to an audience beyond the core, so long as the issues are addressed.  For those who may be relatively new to this business of sports…or those who may have left and come back…let’s remember that leagues like the NBA, the NHL, NASCAR, the PGA Tour, MLB…baseball… yikes, baseball… the most traditional of all sports that would NEVER CHANGE…have all had their access, viewing issues, lack of relevancy periods…and all, by listening, engaging, driving personality and brand partnerships and finding media partners who are invested in the product, have found their way to billions of dollars in value and healthy, productive products. Their problems are ones that thousands of large companies would love to have, because they are relevant to an audience on a daily basis who is invested in the outcome. Do they have to constantly evolve and provide value? Of course, but that’s what good leadership and all smart businesses have to do to stay relevant to this global audience they crave for the future.

The ’problems’ the WNBA…or for that matter the NWSL, or the LPGA r any growth property…have to deal with are all addressable. Player access comes from having a greater amount of seasoned folks to better explain and engage with ‘media’ of all   sizes, including those ‘traditional;’ types that have large followings who are now coming aboard. It’s a relationship business, so let’s build bridges   not walls. Infrastructure issues will come with experience and time…and investment that keeps improving the walls and the floor of the decision-making and experience pyramid.  By the way the WNBA is not new at this game at all…it can be said that their players, their coaches, their leadership, have been the MOST engaged and socially conscious of any league in the world for quite some time. Many are just noticing it for the first time in a while, and isn’t it great they are now ringing the bell and asking for some additional information? Bring it on! The storylines may have been opened to some by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese and Aja Wilson, but they have been there for years, and if the path in comes from some media members who were enraptured by the star from Iowa, well let’s keep them round to see what else is out there…and there is a great deal.

Is any of this easy? No. Are there missteps that will happen? Yes, and they have happened before. Can an emerging property embrace, adapt and work to find answers to issues real or perceived? For sure, by leaning in, listening and finding compromises, answers and alternatives. That’s the beauty of this industry. You can spend a lot of time building storylines that fall short, but when the match strikes, it can be a great deal of fun and growth, so long as all work together, have a bit of a thick skin, and evolve with the changes.

Problems! Controversy! Finger pointing! Social dustups! Bring em on. Relevancy is fun, keep it growing, all will be fine. Learn from the experiences of others, ask questions and keep feeding the interest monster. What great problems to have.