# 1 Calling It
As He Sees It
It takes guts
to say the emperor has no clothes. Adam
Silver, who took over as NBA commissioner in February 2014, said the equivalent
regarding the WNBA just prior to the 2015 WNBA Playoffs, when he called into
question the fans, the media and the foundation upon which the league is based.
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Brittney Griner dunking at the 2015 WNBA All-Star game held at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville CT By Danny Karwoski (Karwoski Facebook) CC BY-SA 3.0 |
His comments
were direct, honest and reflective. He said the league has not lived up to its
potential, criticized the lack of press coverage and pointed to poor
profitability. The things he said did not sit well with some in the media, some
of the fan base and were seen by many as a lack of endorsement for then-WNBA President
Laurel
Richie. It was no surprise when Richie
stepped down later in the year.
Ex-commissioner
David Stern had propped up and kept the league alive, but now Sliver can raise questions
without the challenges of being the founding father, as it were. An added
element of credibility for Silver is he one of the league’s behind-the-scenes
architects. But the WNBA needs to a new
wardrobe!
WNBA Average Game Attendance
2015: 7,318
2014: 7,578
1998: 10,864
1997: 9,662
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