She Gone

A good professional athlete is someone who gets the job done, so to speak.  From the perspective of management and the media, the better professional athlete looks good getting the job done.  Best of all is the athlete who looks good getting the job done, addressing the media at the post-game news conference, and then appearing at a downtown restaurant for dinner.  Think Michael Jordan.

Up until now, I also would’ve said Elena Delle Donne of the WNBA Chicago Sky, but maybe not.  It has nothing to do with Delle Donne’s performance on the court or off; she excels at both.  Still, the Sky is reportedly trading her to the Washington Mystics, where she’ll be closer to her Delaware roots.  Delle Donne is particularly close with a special-needs sister.

But you have to wonder why the photogenic Delle Donne didn’t make more of an impression here, in what is one of the three or four best sports’ markets in the U.S.  Delle Donne reportedly wasn’t happy with the commitment to winning shown by Sky ownership.  What that team and what the WNBA need more than anything is ownership with deep pockets willing to advertise and showcase the talent no matter the cost.  Without it, women’s sports will continue to limp along until the day a female athlete finally makes it in a man’s world.

And by then it’ll be too late.