48 Words and Counting

 The Sky lost game two of their WNBA West semifinals matchup against the LA Sparks last night by a score of 99-84, not that anyone in Chicago noticed.

The sports’ segment of the 10 o’clock news I watched had maybe a 20-second snippet of video; it was more important to show clips of the Cubs beating the Reds in what the announcer kept referring to as an exhibition game (that nothing counts until the playoffs start is a very unbaseball-like notion), while the papers showed even less interest.  The Tribune devoted 48 words—and that includes the seven-word headline—to the game while the Sun-Times merely listed it as a “late” game and therefore not worthy of attention.  (By way of contrast, the NYT did a full story.)  How much space do you think the Bears or Cubs will get for their next loss?  Even the White Sox are given some due.

If the WNBA wants to survive, it’s going to have to find ways to call attention to itself.  For openers, I’d suggest a picket line of star players in front of the Tribune offices and a television station or two.  Playing nice is a ticket to the ash bin of failed sports’ enterprises.