WNBA Uniforms: Selling Out?

No, just the right move for the right league. Everyone loves to bash the WNBA because of what it is not. Rather than poking holes in women's basketball, though, let me take a quick moment to point out what it does well.

First off, it allows females to make a living through athletics in a team sport. Second point-- the WNBA inspires young women to play organized sports. And the third plus of the WNBA is that it keeps women's college basketball strong, in providing a professional outlet. Yes, it would still exist without the WNBA, but the health of women's college athletics is directly related to the health of the WNBA.

This leads me back to the original topic: the WNBA is selling advertisements on their jerseys, with team names taking a back seat (logos are still visible, but less dominant). Purists will cry foul, that it is a desecration of national sport. But right now, the WNBA is in financial trouble--slightly better than GM, but tough times abound. Teams have folded, and the NBA will not be able to prop up the franchises the way they have in the past. Thus, the need for more sponsorships has lead to this. Critics will point to the fact that teams become less identifiable. And truth be told, most avid sports fans probably couldn't name more than five or six teams. But the jerseys aren't the problem.

Obviously, teams in Europe (and the MLS) already do this, I don't hear Manchester United fans crying foul over corporate sponsors. Or, take NASCAR for example--if there is a visible square inch on a car, chances are it has a sticker. Not to mention individual athletes, men and women.

Michael Wilbon made a good comparison today-- WNBA and newspapers. His point was simple enough: desperate times call for desperate measures. So you can decry crumbling values and stand by your principles all you want. However, business ethics are a give and take. So kudos to the WNBA for taking what they could get, and hopefully they will stick around...