What sets the WNBA apart when it comes to marketing is that the WNBA has players hating each other, while the NBA does not. At least, this was what an NBA insider thought of the state of the two leagues.
In a feature by The Washington Post, longtime NBA reporter and industry insider Frank Isola shared his honest thoughts on why the WNBA has a better marketing pitch to the fans than the NBA.
“The WNBA today has a better marketing pitch to fans: ‘We play all the time, and we hate each other,’” he said.
“Efficiency doesn’t always equal better. Fans don’t watch basketball for the spreadsheet,” Yahoo’s senior NBA writer Vincent Goodwill said. “We need more a**holes who are actually good. We need a thug or two that can play.”
NBA legend and 12-time All-Star Magic Johnson also gave a previous statement that echoes the above sentiment, where he mentioned the “lack of hate” amongst players in the league nowadays as a reason for the decline in interest.
“They don’t hate each other,” Johnson said of the topic. “I hated Larry and every Celtic. I really don’t like you [Paul Pierce] but you’re my little brother. Now I love you because you’re out of that green & white. That’s what it was. The Celtics and Lakers hated each other. It made for great TV and people tuned in.”
“And now, I don’t know if it’s AAU, but everybody is shaking each other’s hand, everybody likes each other, they won’t go at each other really hard.”
.@MagicJohnson breaks down why we no longer have rivalries in the NBA today
“They don’t hate each other. I hated Larry [Bird] and every Celtic. I really don’t like you [Paul Pierce] but you my little brother. Now I love you because you’re out of that green & white.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/yJyum6dxGH
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) December 19, 2024
WNBA Gets Called “Zombie,” Lesbian League”
In one of the episodes of the PBD Podcast, finance expert and host Adam Sosnick called the WNBA a “zombie” and “lesbian league,” highlighting one thing he found about the league that does not make sense to him financially.
“Listen to this, audience, at your own risk,” Sosnick said. “The WNBA will never succeed—it’s never going to make money. It is a zombie organization. It does not have mass market appeal or provide value like Amazon and Jeff Bezos did. There’s limited interest—80% of sports fans are men [with] zero interest in the WNBA.”
“It’s a lesbian league that they’re trying to shove down our throats,” he added. “It’s an absolute joke, it’s absolutely absurd.”
Sosnick also pointed out how the WNBA was projected to lose $50 million for the 2024 season, but only lost $40 million, thanks to the popularity of Caitlin Clark.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
