Sports

/

ArcaMax

La Velle E. Neal III: It's time the WNBA gets the respect it deserves

La Velle E. Neal III, Star Tribune on

Published in Basketball

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s time for me to get into the cryptocurrency game. My coin will be called smokeyscribe. I will promote it by throwing cigars and disrupting play at sporting events throughout the country.

What could go wrong? If it hits a fan, he or she can light it up. If it hits a young fan, hey, it will be his or her introduction to tobacco.

I’m certain it will be better, and less exploitative, than what has happened in WNBA arenas in recent weeks. At least three games have been disrupted by sex toys being tossed onto the court. In other instances, the toys have failed to reach the court, including a game on Tuesday in which it struck a man and his niece.

The group behind these events, reportedly, is trying to market cryptocurrency. Really? By being misogynistic? By mocking and ridiculing a surging women’s sport?

They could have brought attention to their cause by tossing teddy bears. It looks like a bunch of Neanderthals are interested in more than promoting currency to me.

These are exciting times for women’s sports. The national soccer team has been a force for decades. In recent years, a women’s professional league has been established. And its popularity here is evident as the Aurora, which competes in a pre-professional league, plays in front of capacity crowds at TCO Stadium.

And the WNBA is exploding. However you view the polarizing Caitlin Clark, she is an excellent player and has drawn eyes to the league. A minority owner of the Celtics wants to plunk down more than $300 million to purchase the Connecticut Sun.

These sports have earned our attention. But, apparently, not respect from some folks looking to make a fast buck.

 

It doesn’t help when one of the most powerful families in the country makes light of the situation. Donald Trump Jr. on Thursday posted an Instagram meme in which his father, the President of the United States, appears to toss a sex toy onto a court of WNBA players.

And there has been a spike in sales of that particular cryptocurrency since these incidents started. You should not profit off being sexist.

The WNBA will continue to grow and earn its place as one of the top leagues in the world. The brand of basketball is improving. There are young stars. Franchise values are rising.

My other concern is that this will lead to more things being thrown on playing surfaces for the sake of promoting a product or cause. That’s not safe for anyone watching or working at sporting events.

So this must be clamped down immediately. Any fan throwing objects onto playing surfaces should be arrested and prosecuted. More than that, they should be banned from any event in that area or stadium for good. That includes concerts, job fairs, conventions, etc.

These are the moments that cause me to fret about where society is headed. There are better ways to promote something than doing so at the expense of WNBA players.

I like my cigar idea better. But I promise not to throw them, just hand them out.


©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus