Washington Capitals fans are WBB savvy.
Sort of.
The Caps are on the cusp of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history, only the Washington Mystics were scheduled to play at home on Thursday night, also the evening of Game 5. The Capitals will be at Vegas for that one, but Capital One Arena showcased two marvelous watch parties last week for Games 1 and 2, which drew thousands in search of a shared viewing experience. Seems it’s fun to be near the ice, even if the Caps are thousands of miles away from it.
The Mystics changed tipoff time from 7 p.m. to 4 p.m., to accommodate the upcoming watch party. Smart move, we say, and if the thinking caps are still on, Monumental Sports, which owns and operates both teams, won’t stop there. The Mystics game is now free, a response to all the folks who suddenly ate up tickets in hopes of snagging a prime seat for the ensuing watch party The Capitals and Ticketmaster will be distributing tickets/vouchers for Game 5 watch party entry with no exit or re-entry allowed between the Mystics game and the start of the Caps game.
That’s a lot of sports fans in your building even if admittedly, most of them aren’t there for the Mystics vs. the Minnesota Lynx. The trick — getting that crowd, a sizable slice of it, at least, to come back and watch the WNBA.
We’ve read a lot lately (and written very little; sorry guys. We’re slowly getting back in the swing) about the lack of coverage in women’s sports. Us LadySwishers have a realistic perspective about this, women’s hoops, in particular. Coverage isn’t a Title IX issue. The Washington Post dedicating a special section to the Mystics every week is not likely to make much more than a ripple to the fan base. People like what they like, and like it or not, women’s basketball continues to attract a niche audience largely of older men and women. Where’s everybody else? Where are young women, in particular, many of whom play ball themselves? This much is clear. They’re often not at a WNBA game and minus certain hot spots (kudos to Dawn for all she’s done at South Carolina), they’re not supporting their college team, either.
Pointing fingers at media and bashing men aren’t going to create enough buzz about the game to fill an arena. Women’s basketball needs to consider what it can do, not what the media can do, to generate interest in its sport. Rolling out the ball and watching them play, even if they are the best players in the world, is good enough for us. But we’re not the problem. Playing the best women’s basketball in the world doesn’t consistently get butts in the seats. Too many college teams continue to play in empty buildings, postseason included. Some of our schools have thought out of the box in the past, efforts we applaud. Remember Hot Dog night when Tennessee visited John Paul Jones Arena on Nov. 22, 2009? A free ‘dog and a Pepsi brought in a record 11,895 to see a women’s game. That was nearly a decade ago. Can we do it a second time? How about annually? Can anyone argue with the success of Old Dominion’s Education Day or Duke Dawg Reading Day at JMU’s Convo?
The Caps will have the place filled on Thursday and even if most of the fans are wearing Ovechkin’s No. 8 jersey instead of Delle Donne’s No. 11, this is an opportunity for the WNBA and women’s basketball to be part of the fabric of DC sports. Ideally these Mystics are part of the watch party, interacting with fans, donning Caps gear, cheering for Washington’s “other” team. The DMV needs its own, Kristi Toliver! How about announcing a Capitals giveaway of some sort Thursday night to bring ’em back for the next Mystics game? Build the fan base brick by brick if that’s what it takes. But don’t complain about people not coming. People like what they like. They don’t want to be told they should be attending a sporting event. Leisure is about choice. Slamming men and blaming media aren’t way to complement your fan base. In fact, that alienates it. We’re told what to do at work all day. We don’t want to be told what we should be doing in our spare time.
Women’s basketball needs to come up with innovative ideas to get people to the games, among the reasons that returning NCAA Tournament games to home sites for early rounds is an outdated idea. Find a way to get them in the door, get fans invested in the storylines and maybe a few will come back.
New blood. New fans. The Caps, even when they aren’t in the arena, are the hottest ticket in town in DC. It’s going to be a big night in Washington on Thursday. Let’s hope the Mystics can snag just a piece of it for themselves and their sport.