Next up on ‘The Decision’: Diana Taurasi
It’s not everyday that I get the great opportunity to write about the WNBA. Let’s face the facts. The league has been around and surviving since 1997, but league attendance per game has been dropping steadily since the height of popularity (10,869 fans per game in 1998). This year, just over 7,500 fans pack WNBA stadiums.
Problems getting people into the stands is one problem. Skits like this one from Family Guy depicting the WNBA don’t help either. To make matters even more dire for the league comes a report from FanHouse that states league scoring champ, MVP and Finals MVP Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury is contemplating taking a year off from the game.
The report of Taurasi’s leaving done by Milton Kent cited the grueling schedule she has been a part of since she left UConn. Taurasi has played for European teams, the WNBA as well as the U.S. National team for either Olympic competition or World Championships. Some years, Taurasi has to play non-stop without a break.
While it hasn’t been cited as a direct reason, salary could be an issue as most things revolve around dollar signs these days. Taurasi’s base salary tops out at just over $100,000, but after hitting some incentive clauses that number is closer to $125,000. When Taurasi played in Turkey, she made more than five times that amount. She’s the WNBA’s best player, their most recognizable player and their most marketable player, yet she has to do so much more work to make what she did as a European player.
Making matters that much more daunting for a WNBA player is the typical WNBA roster, which is now 11 — something Taurasi takes umbrage with. An NBA team consists of 12 active players as well as an additional three inactive. The WNBA doesn’t have that which means that if a player gets injured, the team has to carry that player without any kind of way to fill her spot. If you’re part of a team that gets riddled with injuries, your minutes per game may significantly increase, causing even more stress on your body along with the increased risk of getting injured. Just this past Sunday, Taurasi crashed hard on her tailbone in a game against the Washington Mystics.
If Taurasi were to leave the WNBA, would it be a big blow to the WNBA?
In short … Yes!
Taurasi entered the league as the number one overall pick in the 2004 Draft after leading UConn to three straight NCAA titles (‘02-’04) and picking up plenty of accolades and postseason hardware. Because of her notoriety and fame at the collegiate level, Taurasi easily became the most recognizable player the WNBA had on its payroll in a few years.
She won the league’s Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 17-points-a-game for a team that went 8-26 the year before she arrived. In ‘05, she averaged 16 points, four assists and four rebounds and picked up her first All-Star nomination. A year later, former NBA coach Paul Westhead came to Phoenix and brought his up-tempo style to the Mercury. Taurasi flourished by averaging 25 points per game and breaking the record for most points scored in a season (741), previously held by Katie Smith of the Detroit Shock.
Taurasi’s jersey currently ranks as the number two most-selling jersey, behind Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks. She’s the reigning Most Valuable Player. She’s a Finals MVP. She’s a scoring champion — and current league leader.
What happens if the WNBA loses her for a year? Sure it’s just a year, but with attendance down across the board and interest fading fast, this could be a cataclysmic blow to the league.
“The WNBA was here before me and it will be here after me,” Taurasi told FanHouse. “This league isn’t based on one person. It never was and it never will be. There’s still going to be a lot of great players out there. The level of play will still be high.”
That may or may not be true, but one thing is certain. Taurasi leaving the WNBA wouldn’t help.
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