On this edition of Ball Up Top, the crew breaks down the biggest recent WNBA trades, check out the hottest teams in the league heading into August and a new rivalry between Indiana and Phoenix.
Super appreciate the discussion about DB and especially about fandom/rivalry and Fever fans. I am a born and raised Ohio State football fan, so I feel like I know how to handle being in a hated fandom, but the stuff thrown against Fever fans this year has felt really unfair and made me wonder what I was missing about this whole thing that justified some of the vitriol. And you’re right, I do feel some type of way about the Mercury now that I have never felt about the Sky!
Good podcast! I was interested in your thoughts on the DB stuff and Sophie's podcast. One of my biggest complaints about W coverage for years is what you all honed in on -- the lack of true insider reporting/access or a willingness on the part of the players to speak on it. Sophie isn't my cup of tea politically, but I thought sharing what she did about DB's departure was fair (and did shed new light on the situation).
My only note on that is that in the case of the CBA, Sophie is the Fever's player rep so people asking her about that issue makes sense. And from the PA's perspective, it's not a bad thing that her platform helps raise awareness of the issues the players are concerned about with the upcoming negotiations.
Also, agree all around on the need for more true rivalries/sports hate in the W! It builds interest and a competitive spirit that drives engagement.
I was at the Sparks-Fever game last night and I cannot overstate how impressed I was with the Sparks! This pains me a bit as a Fever fan but the Sparks are going to be a problem for every team in the league in no time. Hats off to both Kelsey’s, Acura, and most of all Rickea Jackson for great performances.
Agree re the Sparks. Everyone was clowning on them at the beginning of the year, but once they got everyone back and had some time to build chemistry, you could see the vision. Lots of people thought the Plum trade was short sighted, but I think she injected the team with some much-needed toughness and veteran leadership. She wanted a more central role and she's delivering.
Not even just speaking as a hater, but Paige being 1st Team All-WNBA would be wild. I can definitely see 2nd Team - that's usually where folks with good individual stats on bad teams fall. But 1st Team All-WNBA implies being tops in MVP voting, and I don't think you can be tops in MVP voting and on the second worst team in the league. Everyone else in All-W contention is on a a legit contender, except for Plum, and she's putting up uniquely exceptional individual numbers.
The only logic I could see for that is if people buy into the "she's having a better rookie year than CC!!" hype, but Caitlin was putting up MVP numbers in the second half of last season, both individually and also in the team record sense.
Super appreciate the discussion about DB and especially about fandom/rivalry and Fever fans. I am a born and raised Ohio State football fan, so I feel like I know how to handle being in a hated fandom, but the stuff thrown against Fever fans this year has felt really unfair and made me wonder what I was missing about this whole thing that justified some of the vitriol. And you’re right, I do feel some type of way about the Mercury now that I have never felt about the Sky!
Good podcast! I was interested in your thoughts on the DB stuff and Sophie's podcast. One of my biggest complaints about W coverage for years is what you all honed in on -- the lack of true insider reporting/access or a willingness on the part of the players to speak on it. Sophie isn't my cup of tea politically, but I thought sharing what she did about DB's departure was fair (and did shed new light on the situation).
My only note on that is that in the case of the CBA, Sophie is the Fever's player rep so people asking her about that issue makes sense. And from the PA's perspective, it's not a bad thing that her platform helps raise awareness of the issues the players are concerned about with the upcoming negotiations.
Also, agree all around on the need for more true rivalries/sports hate in the W! It builds interest and a competitive spirit that drives engagement.
I was at the Sparks-Fever game last night and I cannot overstate how impressed I was with the Sparks! This pains me a bit as a Fever fan but the Sparks are going to be a problem for every team in the league in no time. Hats off to both Kelsey’s, Acura, and most of all Rickea Jackson for great performances.
Agree re the Sparks. Everyone was clowning on them at the beginning of the year, but once they got everyone back and had some time to build chemistry, you could see the vision. Lots of people thought the Plum trade was short sighted, but I think she injected the team with some much-needed toughness and veteran leadership. She wanted a more central role and she's delivering.
Not even just speaking as a hater, but Paige being 1st Team All-WNBA would be wild. I can definitely see 2nd Team - that's usually where folks with good individual stats on bad teams fall. But 1st Team All-WNBA implies being tops in MVP voting, and I don't think you can be tops in MVP voting and on the second worst team in the league. Everyone else in All-W contention is on a a legit contender, except for Plum, and she's putting up uniquely exceptional individual numbers.
The only logic I could see for that is if people buy into the "she's having a better rookie year than CC!!" hype, but Caitlin was putting up MVP numbers in the second half of last season, both individually and also in the team record sense.