There are two home games to go until the end of the Connecticut Sun era.
Headlines have been made both on and off the court this season, making it essential to choose which memories and moments to keep.
How much of these moments should be about each of the team’s “lasts”s?
Tuning Out the Noise
In its 30th season, the WNBA faced one of the largest and most disguised obstacles it could: noise.
More viewership, more commentary, more conversation – all of which leave a lot of room for non-sports conversation. Throughout the past few months, there was a lot of discussion online over what political or social issues should be associated with the WNBA.
Noise about the transgender athlete debate. Commentary about physicality. Back-and-forth about relationships off the court. Ultimately, these viral moments on social media detracted from the league’s authenticity and what the players produce as a whole.
Distractions from the Court
The Connecticut Sun, on the other hand, continue to deal with non-sports conversation in an equally destructive way. So many are focused on “the end” for this team that they’re failing to see what’s right in front of them: the present.
“I think the media and everybody else is talking about Houston,” CT Sun guard Saniya Rivers said in an interview. “‘Are you guys excited?’ It’s like, we still have a season to finish here.”
All season-long, several Connecticut Sun players used the phrase, “staying present”. They used the phrase to describe how they turned things around after hard losses, reflecting their mentality in the locker room and behind the scenes. They used it when talking about playing in front of a different crowd at TD Garden.
“We are focusing on our job and again on what we can control – and what we can control is the present,” Head Coach Rachid Meziane said ahead of the matchup in Boston.
Yes, the Connecticut Sun have only two home games left. Those are two chances right there to treat these upcoming matchups like any other game, despite being out of playoff contention.
“It does get a little bit bittersweet, but overall, we try to stay present,” CT Sun forward Diamond Miller said in an interview.
In It for the Game
People come to watch basketball for what happens on the court, not to dwell on it. People pay real money not to catch a “viral” moment, but to see an exciting game. A lot of this season for the Connecticut Sun is about appreciating fans.
CT Sun athletes want to appreciate fans by delivering good basketball to watch and enjoy, not a reality show. This is a smaller franchise that the media already tends to under-cover. The little coverage the team does receive doesn’t deserve to only cover its exit.
Women’s sports can be a culture as long as they’re treated as what they are: sports. As soon as something newsworthy happens off the court is when the general public finds investing in women’s sports worth it. It doesn’t have to be controversial. All it has to do is distract from the product on the floor.
Recognizing the Game
One positive of being a smaller franchise is that most of the attention they do get is basketball-based.
The CT Sun guard Leila Lacan just won a silver medal competing for France in the FIBA World Cup. CT Sun guard Charlisse Leger-Walker recently hit her career-high 17 points against the Dallas Wings. CT Sun forward Nell Angloma recently made her first career start.
Don’t let these headlines go unnoticed just because of what everyone chooses to focus on. The WNBA regular season has several weeks to go. That is several weeks where the media can balance sports coverage with sports culture. There is no point in heavily covering the destination if the journey isn’t talked about equally.
“We’re trying to finish strong and kind of just black out the outside noise,” Rivers said.
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