Elite Storyline: Two WNBA Players Who Are Dating Are Now Playing Each Other In The Playoffs
Brian Fluharty. Getty Images.Professional sports are an entertainment product. And while the actual athleticism on display is a large portion of that entertainment, people also love storylines. It's what drives some of the biggest leagues in the world. You need to get people interested and invested in the players in order for them to actually care. Some leagues are great at marketing their players, and others struggle mightily. But a great storyline is always going to be like a free money printing machine.
So when you get two athletes who are dating off the court but become opponents on the court in the playoffs? That's a million dollar storyline.
SportingNews -- Sun teammates and significant others DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas will play together in the first-round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs, but Connecticut's DiJonai Carrington and Indiana's NaLyssa Smith won't be as lucky.
The WNBA stars have reportedly been dating since Carrington transferred from Stanford to Baylor for her senior year. Smith was a junior for the Bears during that 2020-21 season.
It's brilliant. Obviously you don't want to fabricate storylines and would prefer them to come about more organically. But if I'm any other league right now, I'm at least taking notes on what the WNBA is accomplishing here.
I mean how much more invested would you be in the Stanley Cup Final last year if Connor McDavid and Matthew Tkachuk were fucking? Could you imagine the ratings record the Super Bowl would set if Patrick Mahomes and Nick Bosa were hooking up?
You see it happen all the time across sports. One league starts to figure out something that becomes wildly successful, and every other league starts to follow suit. Like the RedZone channel, for instance. This year the NHL is going to be testing out a RedZone-style channel of their own. The MLB brought the shot clock over from basketball for the pitch clock. All the different leagues grab little bits and pieces from each other to make a more entertaining product for everyone. So maybe more sports just need to have players all hooking up with each other throughout the league. Really ramp up the drama. I could care less if Travis Kelce is dating Taylor Swift. But if Travis Kelce and George Kittle are getting it on? You could talk about those not-so-tight ends all broadcast long.