NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The excitement for this upcoming WNBA season is unlike any other. Yes, there has been widespread joy before, but what this season holds is an opportunity to be historic. And the reason for this is– what could be. The WNBA needs an Atlanta Dream vs Indiana Fever Finals.
Yes, while the teams will make the scoreboard, the advertising billboard will read Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark. I mean, that’s what the league should be hoping for, right?
With Clark healthy and the Fever coming off the season they had last year, they should be one of the top teams favored to be in the mix. Now, with the trade, the Dream, fresh off a great run themselves last season, is now paired with Reese, so this is not a far-fetched idea.
For the Dream, this is not just about Reese vs. Clark but also about redemption. Entering the playoffs as the No. 3 seed, it was the shorthanded Fever who upset the Dream and sent them home. Now they could be headed for another collision course, but this time, the stakes will be higher.
Aja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces repeating is a great story, but we’ve been there before. Naphessa Collier staking her claim as the WNBA’s best is good news as well. And the movement going down with the Dallas Wings and their former UConn backcourt of Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers should also make for great headlines. However, what would be better than two fresh-faced rivals picking up where they left off in college?
Think about the ratings that would draw. Think about the storylines that would be created. But most of all, think about the impact the WNBA could make on that stage. All eyes would be on the WNBA Finals. Managers and Agents would go crazy with endorsement phone calls. Reese vs. Clark. Two players with different backgrounds and games. Atlanta vs. Indiana. Two cities standing on different foundations. Rural vs. City. It’s a match made in heaven. It’s the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Boston Celtics all over again. It’s the bright lights vs. porch lights.
But along the way, it will be great basketball played. Say whatever you like about their relationship, but what you can’t say is that neither of them has any desire not to win a WNBA Championship before the other. Much like Bird, he wanted what Magic had, and that was a title. Clark and Bird couldn’t accomplish that in college. So to the pros their rivalry went. Caitlin Clark vs Angel Reese is headed down that same path.
Yes, the color of their skin will be brought into question. Right or wrong, this is the world we live in. It’s not black vs white. That’s not the press the WNBA needs, but we’re foolish to think it doesn’t exist and that it won’t make a difference if this matchup were to happen.
Reese was stuck on a Chicago Sky team that was going nowhere. She is now paired with vets who know how to win and with an organization that knows how to treat their players. The Fever have shown they are more than just Clark’s sidekicks.
All in all, this is what the WNBA needs, and if we’re being honest here, this is also what the sports world needs. A rivalry is missing in the WNBA, and these two teams are ready to step up to the challenge.
