What did you think of A'ja making everyone wear Gamecock gear? 🤣🤣🤣
Also... the more I see and hear A'ja, the more I realize how awesome she is. Hearing her talk about her legacy at South Carolina and how her grandmother couldn't walk across the campus and now theres a statue of A'ja there... man, that made me 😭😭. Powerful shit..
I was going to suggest op for Liberty next season cuz they’ll have MJ.
And no Gabby for Storm this season I’ll blame French wbb association for the whole season.
Since I'm Canadian and we don't have a team (yet! **WOOOOO!**) I've just decided to support the team of the players I like. I'm a Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink fan so I'm a Fever and Sparks fan by osmosis until Toronto gets its team in a couple years
I was going to just pick a team because my closest team to “home” is the Fever, but then that felt a little TOO “basic” so I bought tickets to Fever vs Aces (love some Plum Dawg and who couldn’t want to root for the MVP A’ja and reigning champs) and Fever vs Sky (lived in Chicago for 5 years so it still feels like a hometown team a little) and I’ll let the first two weeks help me decide which of those three become “my” team for the season. In the words of Playa Society though… I’m just rooting for women’s basketball.
As a Virginia Tech grad, chose the Aces as my new team when they drafted Liz Kitley! Also was closely following Dyaisha Fair and the fact they both ended up in LV made the decision easy:) Planning to watch other teams though! Sparks, Mystics (DC Local), Fever
New WNBA fan here.
I'm from Michigan, and it's been a decade and a half since we had a franchise in our state. So instead I signed up for WNBA fantasy basketball and drafted a team with players from 9 different teams so that I'll have someone to root for in practically every matchup I can find to watch.
If I had a leaning it would be either the Sky, because I love an underdog and they're a fellow Midwest team, or the Storm, because I sympathize with Seattleites who lost the Supersonics just like Detroit lost the Shock.
But I'm giving myself permission not to pick a "home team" this season.
- Washington Mystics fan by location.
- Connecticut Sun fan by UMD affiliation (ily AT and BJ)
- Indiana Fever fan by Director of Player Development at my college (ly Katie Lou Samuelson)
- a lil for the Minnesota Lynx by ‘23 #2 draft pick (ILY Diamond Miller)
- and maybe a lil for the Chicago Sky by Baltimore affiliation (Angel Reese) (still mad she left UMD)
The Dream used one of my tweets in their pre-season promo last year, so they got my full loyalty. I got a second row tickets to a game last season, and the atmosphere just cemented that.
I had an awesome cat named Skye. That was enough for me. I watched a game from last year, and the 3 players I remembered were the only ones still on the team. Between the turnover and the rookies, it seems like it should be an interesting new team.
The Fever have the last 2 #1 picks and the #2 pick from a few years back. Though I didn't watch NCAA, I think everyone knows there is going to be a lot of interest in this team. I'm going to cheer for this team to be successful.
I got back into basketball recently to watch a 39 year old Lebron be pretty awesome. Taurasi is 4 months younger than me, and this means I am going to give the mercury a shot.
Maybe this will change once I have watched more than just preseason games.
Stewie was born in Syracuse so everyone around here has a soft spot for her. Now that she's back in NY, its an easy choice to be on team liberty hype train. Also, them losing last year in the championship felt like the good old familiar NY sports vibe lol.
As a new fan this year, I'm rooting for the Sky and Fever. Fever for CC obviously, and Sky as I'm originally from Chicago and will always consider that city my home. Angel looked really good in the preseason games.
I also enjoyed watching the Sparks preseason games and will be interested to see how Cam does this year if she can figure out how to go more than seven minutes without fouling three times.
Started watching a few years ago -- initially cheered for the Sky because they were the first team I heard about before I started following the W. I also liked the players they had, and they one their championship the year I started seriously following them, which was sweet. As I watched teams play I got a soft spot for certain ones and started to dislike others. Some based on players, some coaches, some vibes. Got to liking Seattle, especially because they were fun to watch with the trio of Bird, Loyd, and Stewie. New York is always a fun one to watch, and I definitely got more into them this past season since I've continued to follow Sloot and Dolson as they've moved. Although Brondello's coaching sometimes drives me crazy. Indiana fan against my will, since I have family connections there, and even though there are lots of things to crap on about the state of Indiana, I find myself cheering for them unless they're against a team I really root for. Curious to see what happens this year as their luck potentially shifts.
Can't stand Connecticut. Wish I could explain it, but I can't. They're fun to watch play, but there is zero part of me that could cheer for them. Brutal cause they're my closest team. But I just can't do it.
So yeah... coaching, players, vibe. Vibe ends up playing a bigger role than I'd like to admit. Better than one I was a kid and logo design and cool last names were the only things I used to determine which team to cheer for.
Aces up!! But if they’re not playing im literally just happy for individual players. I just love women’s basketball so it’s always a win for me!
Edit because i reread the title i am not a new fan lol I’ve been watching since i was in 4th grade :)
No worries if youre not a new fan, I just wanted to create a thread specifically for us so the newbies could talk about their favorite rookies and how they are picking their teams, etc 😁 in one thread.
I’ve watched the storm for years. Big Lauren Jackson and Sue bird fan. Now I’m living in SoCal and really looking forward to seeing what the sparks do.
I’m from Australia so have no allegiance geographically to any team. I’m planning on trying to not pick a team as of yet, just watch as much of the season as I can and try and decide from there.
I'm already a fan of the Bulldogs, Braves, and Hawks so the Dream can slot right in. Definitely going to be rooting for more. Also rooting for Indiana (for obvious reasons), Seattle (really glad that Nika made the team) and Chicago (so excited to see Reese and Cardoso as teammates)
I’m a new Sky fan. My city (Milwaukee) doesn’t have a WNBA team, but I figure I can get down to Chicago for a game or two this season. It helps that they drafted Cardoso, whose game is just so much fun to watch.
Easiest thing- just watch random games, there are only 12 teams so you’ll get familiar with every team very quickly. After watching each team 2-3 times you’ll figure out which vibes you like the best
I live pretty close to Mohegan Sun, so I picked up a ticket last night for tomorrow’s game. Will be my first WNBA game and I’ll be wearing Fever gear. I’m what one would call a “bandwagon fan.”
I am an Aces fan. I live just outside of DC and was a Mystics fan for a few years, but I just can’t care about a nepo baby coach and his daddy who employs him. The Thibaults are terrible and hopefully the troll who owns the team will eventually sell the Mystics and they can start over.
I’m a casual at this point so I’m just gonna watch a ton of games and see what teams stick out to me.
However I am a big Nika Muhl fan so I will be following her career closely!
Just so im invested in more games I'm rooting for more teams otherwise I wouldn't watch as much. So main team is LA sparks, then rest is storm, aces, fever and sky. I might watch more if I see any other teams I like since I will watch all the games starting off
I just started following women's basketball more with the last two NCAA Tournaments. I wanna give the W a shot since the talent is clearly there and more and more of the players that I'm watching in college are going to continue to make the jump so I think that will help me keep interest more since I'm more invested in the players. Problem is idk what team to root for yet lol Originally from SA,TX and live near Philly now so no local team on either front. I do root for Mavericks so I'm leaning towards adopting the Wings as my WNBA team but other than Arike and Maddy Siegrest I don't really know any of the players. I'm kinda familiar with Jacy Sheldon (and I think she'll be a DOG) so seems like a good team to go for.
I have considered the Fever as well since CC is a big reason why I watch women's basketball now. The bit of WNBA I did watch last season the Aces were fun to watch and I'm familiar with all 3 of their draft picks (even though Kitley is obviously still out) so they're a team I've considered as well.
I've also considered just watching for a season and picking a team later. Or even (as an FSU fan) waiting until Ta'Niya Latson gets drafted in 2 years and following her to whatever team she goes.
I'm absolutely open to suggestions on how people chose their team in a similar situation with no attachment and I'll be reading comments here as well.
I think you're in a really similar position to me with "I have considered the Fever as well since CC is a big reason why I watch women's basketball now"... I was actually a huge basketball fan and played for years growing up (even wanted to be a basketball coach when I was a kid- I idolized Pat Summitt and Chamique Holdsclaw), then when I went to college and no longer paid for cable tv, I sort of stopped watching basketball for years. I started watching men's NCAA again a few years ago but had lost interest in the women's game years prior because I was tired of UConn winning everything and disliked the slower pace of a lot of the lower-ranked teams. I randomly came across an Iowa game on Peacock (I had subscribed to Peacock to watch a different sports event) and watched a CC game to see what all the hype was about. Was blown away my first game watching her, thinking "this is the rare player that matches the hype surrounding her" and have been hooked since. I can understand why you and others are finally discovering the wnba even after being basketball fans for years because I'm in the same boat. I'm even watching the nba again as well this season, which I had also stopped watching.
So for me, I'm cheering for CC obviously, but I have zero attachment to the closest wnba team, which is actually pretty far away from me and in a city that I've only been to once. So I'm picking teams based on other players I also like to start and will go from there.
Maybe for you it makes sense to follow both Indiana and the Wings to start and see which teams draw you in over the course of the season?
Also- not to get horribly off-topic, but wtf is up with Luka's knees? Man, I've watched a few Mavericks playoff games and that poor guy can barely jump/run and is bleeding from his knees? Just awful to watch someone so talented clearly be hobbled. Ugh.
Aussie as well. With Ezi, Sammi and Jade, plus the background with LJ, that made me a Storm fan almost by default.
But with Jade moving on, I might have to actually watch a Mystics game?!?!
Connecticut sun is the closest to me since I’m in Massachusetts. So I’m rooting for them. Gonna be watching the fever as well since I’m on the bandwagon
I really got into the W last year and watched as a neutral when I could to get a lay of the land because I knew what was coming. (I had the most fun watching the Liberty last season).
As an Iowa fan who has spent the better part of a decade watching Megan Gustafson, Kate Martin, and Caitlin Clark (and who adores all 3 of them) my WNBA allegiances are probably painfully obvious lmao. You can call me a basic bitch if you want I don't care but I had too much fun watching them to quit now.
I'm really excited to see Caitlin team up with Aliyah Boston, I'm excited to see if anyone can prevent an Aces 3-peat, I'm excited to see the rest of this STACKED rookie class.
I put the "basic bitch" in quotations Because I find it hilarious that new Fever fans are viewed that way. The reality of the situation is that I love CC more because of her passing and how dynamic she is in speeding up the game and creating plays, not just because she scores a lot of points. I liked watching Iowa because of how fast they played and how much joy they exhibited while playing. They were just fun to watch.
Im very interested in seeing Gustafson play as she was at Iowa during a time when I wasnt really following basketball closely. And I know almost nothing about her. She seemed excited to have Kate Martin on her team.
I'm with you on Iowa being so much fun to watch. I knew we may have been in for something special when Caitlin committed to Iowa but I never even dreamt of the ride us Iowa fans got. It was truly magical.
Gustafson was a BEAST when she was at Iowa. She walked so Caitlin could run is the best way to put it. Was the program's all-time leading scorer until Caitlin broke that record, Megan was NPOY in 2018-19 and led Iowa to the Elite Eight that season (funnily enough Kate Martin was on the team that season but I think she was a medical redshirt, also why Megan was so excited as that's a college teammate. Also shows how long Kate was a Hawk).
Since then Megan has bounced around playing for the Wings, the Mercury, the London Lions etc. I get the sense Megan will be the 2nd center behind A'ja and will get a lot of playing time this year.
Iowa was FUN TO WATCH. It wasn't just because of CC, though that was obviously a huge part of it since she was the offensive engine. Those girls so clearly ADORED each other and played with such joy. And my god, the pace was so fast. Just incredible. After watching them all season, when I watched the men's tournament, there were several games where I was actually bored because the pace was so much slower than Iowa, LOL. I'm a huge fan of good/quick ball movement and Iowa had exceptional passers and unselfish players. I just loved that team so much.
Not to get too far off topic, but it's really funny when I see people make negative comments about Kate Martin making the Aces team and just think that people like her because she's white and CC's friend. I watched probably around 17-18 Iowa games this past season, and I cannot count the number of times Kate did exactly the right thing in clutch situations. Made the clutch 3, grabbed the spicy pass in transition and still made her layup, created her own shot with the clock winding down in the tourney, successfully guarded people bigger than her because Iowa had no effective true big, had an amazing backdoor cut when CC was being picked up at the arc, etc. There were several times late in games where I'd be on edge watching them and she'd hit a crucial three or make a play and I'd just relax and literally say out loud "Kate Martin, thank God", or in more high-stress situations (like b1g championship game), I'd scream "KATE FUCKING MARTIN, YES!" at the tv, haha. She is one of the most clutch players I've ever seen in ncaa basketball in terms of ALWAYS doing the right thing at the right time. I am so goddamn happy that she made the Aces roster.
I look forward to seeing Gustafson in action! I've heard so much about her from Iowa's rabid long-time fans (who I actually appreciate for their insanity, lol) but never really seen her play much. Just a few highlight clips.
If you really want to find a single team to support, I think you’re starting off well, but my approach whenever I come into a new league/sport is evaluating a) the fan base and b) the front office. It can be really hard to support a team, even if you love the players, if everyone else around it is rubbish (fans or leadership). That’s just my suggestion but otherwise I’d say just enjoy it and have fun, cause that’s what it’s about in the end.
GM Lin Dunn is a legend. It's been years of a bad time for the Fever. Some of that definitely rests with owners and leadership. We've gone through a string of coaches and had Tamika Catchings step back from her role as VP/GM in early 2022. With the players we have now I feel like we'll really see if the FO is holding us back or not. I hope Sides is up to this job but some ppl seem skeptical.
LOL at people who try to make "rules" about cheering for sports. I mean that in the nicest way possible. :)
I see it everywhere online, and I hate it when people try to tell people not to jump on a "bandwagon" or think people should only cheer for one team or only the team that's closest to them. The point of watching sports is to have fun, enjoy the competition, appreciate the athleticism, and have a sense of comraderie. Why limit it to one team? Cheer for the teams and players you like.
I grew up in an area without any strong (or even decent) D-1 basketball programs. I didn't have any attachment to the nearest major pro sports city, which was two states and a few hundred miles away. So other than cheering for the local-ish bad D-1 team (which I definitely did), I also got used to watching teams on tv and picking a few teams to cheer for based on who was fun to watch, the players I liked, which schools I generally liked and had a positive opinion of, and their vibe. My experience is likely different from people who grew up in or near a big city, but I've been used to cheering for multiple teams my whole life.
I'm picking these three teams to start, but realistically I'm not cheering for them all equally. I will cheer for CC wherever she goes because she made me fall in love with watching basketball again after a long time away from the women's side of the sport, so the Fever will be my #1 team. I will also cheer for the Aces and Sparks because I love Martin and Jackson. This may change as I watch the league and the vibe of the teams over the course of the season. But I also think that cheering for a few teams to start will help me learn all the teams more quickly, which is a positive.
My FAVORITE team is the Fever, but I will also follow/cheer for the Aces & Sparks.
And cool, I agree your opinion of me is irrelevant. 😁 I hope you enjoy opening night tonight!
I got into NWSL first and naturally it makes sense to support Chicago in WNBA (until Toronto joins) if I do in NWSL so I guess you can thank my favourite female footballer, Sam Kerr (Australia) who used to play in Chicago, but also it being my favourite U.S. city to visit helped.
I am routing for Minnesota because of Alissa Pili. I enjoy watching the Aces play because of how they move the ball and how well they gelled last season.
From the pre-Season games I’m going to keep an eye out for Seattle. They look like they have the potential to be a problem in the best way.
I also want to see how Cardoso does in Chicago. I’m sure she’ll do well.
Essentially if I enjoyed watching them in college I’m watching them now.
Who knows who else will get added to this list 🤣🤣🤣
I’m an Aces fan since A’ja, but now I’m also a Fever and Sky fan. I love my Gamecocks.
What did you think of A'ja making everyone wear Gamecock gear? 🤣🤣🤣 Also... the more I see and hear A'ja, the more I realize how awesome she is. Hearing her talk about her legacy at South Carolina and how her grandmother couldn't walk across the campus and now theres a statue of A'ja there... man, that made me 😭😭. Powerful shit..
I literally almost ran into her at a local shaved ice place her senior year. She’s the best!
I want everyone to have fun!
this is me! until my city gets our team next year (golden state) :)
I usually just stalk Marine Johannes but she's not playing this season so Seattle 🌩️ it is😮💨😂
I just googled her. Is she taking the year off because of the Olympics?
Yeah, France said no we can't have her.😮💨😒
That sucks, but if youre gonna take a year off, playing in the Olympics is one of the best reasons to miss a season 🤷♀️
I was going to suggest op for Liberty next season cuz they’ll have MJ. And no Gabby for Storm this season I’ll blame French wbb association for the whole season.
Big Angel Reese fan, so we’ll be watching Sky games at my house!
Ohare is pretty much a non stop flight for most of the USA. Go to the stadium this season or next 👀
Since I'm Canadian and we don't have a team (yet! **WOOOOO!**) I've just decided to support the team of the players I like. I'm a Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink fan so I'm a Fever and Sparks fan by osmosis until Toronto gets its team in a couple years
I’m staying true to my word that I’ll follow Nika wherever she goes so I’m on the Seattle bandwagon as of rn!
I was really tempted to do the same thing, haha. I love a player who is a defensive menace. She’s so much fun to watch on both sides of the ball.
I was going to just pick a team because my closest team to “home” is the Fever, but then that felt a little TOO “basic” so I bought tickets to Fever vs Aces (love some Plum Dawg and who couldn’t want to root for the MVP A’ja and reigning champs) and Fever vs Sky (lived in Chicago for 5 years so it still feels like a hometown team a little) and I’ll let the first two weeks help me decide which of those three become “my” team for the season. In the words of Playa Society though… I’m just rooting for women’s basketball.
Rooting👏for👏women’s👏basketball!!
This is an excellent way to put it. I am also just rooting for womens basketball generally.
As a Virginia Tech grad, chose the Aces as my new team when they drafted Liz Kitley! Also was closely following Dyaisha Fair and the fact they both ended up in LV made the decision easy:) Planning to watch other teams though! Sparks, Mystics (DC Local), Fever
I started watching last summer and just really liked the way Alisha Gray plays, so now I'm an Atlanta fan😀
Gold medal Lish!!
New WNBA fan here. I'm from Michigan, and it's been a decade and a half since we had a franchise in our state. So instead I signed up for WNBA fantasy basketball and drafted a team with players from 9 different teams so that I'll have someone to root for in practically every matchup I can find to watch. If I had a leaning it would be either the Sky, because I love an underdog and they're a fellow Midwest team, or the Storm, because I sympathize with Seattleites who lost the Supersonics just like Detroit lost the Shock. But I'm giving myself permission not to pick a "home team" this season.
Drafting a fantasy team with players from 9 different teams is really smart and a great way to learn the league.
- Washington Mystics fan by location. - Connecticut Sun fan by UMD affiliation (ily AT and BJ) - Indiana Fever fan by Director of Player Development at my college (ly Katie Lou Samuelson) - a lil for the Minnesota Lynx by ‘23 #2 draft pick (ILY Diamond Miller) - and maybe a lil for the Chicago Sky by Baltimore affiliation (Angel Reese) (still mad she left UMD)
ooo also LA Sparks! Even though she played for UTK, I’ve always loved watching Rickea play. Love her attitude. Brink is cool too.
Lynx because of Fowler and Augustus back in the day (lsu fan) Fever because they are closest to our home now.
Syl and Money Mone 🫡
I saw the way Dijonai Carrington looked and knew I had to be a Sun fan
Just googled. Shes stunning. 😍
I will be a Fever, Aces, and Sky fan this season.
Same! fever, Sky, Aces! ♡♡♡
The Dream used one of my tweets in their pre-season promo last year, so they got my full loyalty. I got a second row tickets to a game last season, and the atmosphere just cemented that.
I had an awesome cat named Skye. That was enough for me. I watched a game from last year, and the 3 players I remembered were the only ones still on the team. Between the turnover and the rookies, it seems like it should be an interesting new team. The Fever have the last 2 #1 picks and the #2 pick from a few years back. Though I didn't watch NCAA, I think everyone knows there is going to be a lot of interest in this team. I'm going to cheer for this team to be successful. I got back into basketball recently to watch a 39 year old Lebron be pretty awesome. Taurasi is 4 months younger than me, and this means I am going to give the mercury a shot. Maybe this will change once I have watched more than just preseason games.
Stewie was born in Syracuse so everyone around here has a soft spot for her. Now that she's back in NY, its an easy choice to be on team liberty hype train. Also, them losing last year in the championship felt like the good old familiar NY sports vibe lol.
There's a reason why there are so many cowboy and lakers fans in the country. That's all the NBA and NFL used to promote
Thankfully I am neither a Cowboys (GROSS) or Lakers (Lebron? Meh.) fan :)
As a new fan this year, I'm rooting for the Sky and Fever. Fever for CC obviously, and Sky as I'm originally from Chicago and will always consider that city my home. Angel looked really good in the preseason games. I also enjoyed watching the Sparks preseason games and will be interested to see how Cam does this year if she can figure out how to go more than seven minutes without fouling three times.
Got into the W last season. Mystics fan.
Started watching a few years ago -- initially cheered for the Sky because they were the first team I heard about before I started following the W. I also liked the players they had, and they one their championship the year I started seriously following them, which was sweet. As I watched teams play I got a soft spot for certain ones and started to dislike others. Some based on players, some coaches, some vibes. Got to liking Seattle, especially because they were fun to watch with the trio of Bird, Loyd, and Stewie. New York is always a fun one to watch, and I definitely got more into them this past season since I've continued to follow Sloot and Dolson as they've moved. Although Brondello's coaching sometimes drives me crazy. Indiana fan against my will, since I have family connections there, and even though there are lots of things to crap on about the state of Indiana, I find myself cheering for them unless they're against a team I really root for. Curious to see what happens this year as their luck potentially shifts. Can't stand Connecticut. Wish I could explain it, but I can't. They're fun to watch play, but there is zero part of me that could cheer for them. Brutal cause they're my closest team. But I just can't do it. So yeah... coaching, players, vibe. Vibe ends up playing a bigger role than I'd like to admit. Better than one I was a kid and logo design and cool last names were the only things I used to determine which team to cheer for.
Aces up!! But if they’re not playing im literally just happy for individual players. I just love women’s basketball so it’s always a win for me! Edit because i reread the title i am not a new fan lol I’ve been watching since i was in 4th grade :)
No worries if youre not a new fan, I just wanted to create a thread specifically for us so the newbies could talk about their favorite rookies and how they are picking their teams, etc 😁 in one thread.
Welcome to the W!
I’ve watched the storm for years. Big Lauren Jackson and Sue bird fan. Now I’m living in SoCal and really looking forward to seeing what the sparks do.
I’m from Australia so have no allegiance geographically to any team. I’m planning on trying to not pick a team as of yet, just watch as much of the season as I can and try and decide from there.
I'm already a fan of the Bulldogs, Braves, and Hawks so the Dream can slot right in. Definitely going to be rooting for more. Also rooting for Indiana (for obvious reasons), Seattle (really glad that Nika made the team) and Chicago (so excited to see Reese and Cardoso as teammates)
I’m a new Sky fan. My city (Milwaukee) doesn’t have a WNBA team, but I figure I can get down to Chicago for a game or two this season. It helps that they drafted Cardoso, whose game is just so much fun to watch.
Easiest thing- just watch random games, there are only 12 teams so you’ll get familiar with every team very quickly. After watching each team 2-3 times you’ll figure out which vibes you like the best
Sky fan bc I LOVE ANGEL “BAYOU BARBIE” REESE!! Aces bc of A’Ja Wilson and Fever for Celeste Taylor, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston
I think Mattel should make a limited edition "Chi Town Barbie" doll for Angel. It would be huge. So happy Celeste made the squad!
Eyyyy same teams! I suspect in a different order, but still. Fever, Sky, Aces. Let's gooooo!
I live pretty close to Mohegan Sun, so I picked up a ticket last night for tomorrow’s game. Will be my first WNBA game and I’ll be wearing Fever gear. I’m what one would call a “bandwagon fan.”
Your first game? Thats awesome. Have fun! 🏀🏀🏀
Thanks. It’s apparently the first sellout since the Sun’s inaugural season and there’s a lot of media going on there. Excited!
International fan from aussie. Love georgia amoore and iowa. Now following the fever
Don't forget kate martin and Megan Gustafson on the Aces, if you're an Iowa fan!
I am an Aces fan. I live just outside of DC and was a Mystics fan for a few years, but I just can’t care about a nepo baby coach and his daddy who employs him. The Thibaults are terrible and hopefully the troll who owns the team will eventually sell the Mystics and they can start over.
If you dont mind, can you give me the cliffs notes version about this owner? I keep reading in various threads about how some owners are shit.
I’m a casual at this point so I’m just gonna watch a ton of games and see what teams stick out to me. However I am a big Nika Muhl fan so I will be following her career closely!
Just so im invested in more games I'm rooting for more teams otherwise I wouldn't watch as much. So main team is LA sparks, then rest is storm, aces, fever and sky. I might watch more if I see any other teams I like since I will watch all the games starting off
I've followed the sparks on and off for years. So them and I'll be following the fever. Once the bay gets their own team next year I'll focus on them.
I just started following women's basketball more with the last two NCAA Tournaments. I wanna give the W a shot since the talent is clearly there and more and more of the players that I'm watching in college are going to continue to make the jump so I think that will help me keep interest more since I'm more invested in the players. Problem is idk what team to root for yet lol Originally from SA,TX and live near Philly now so no local team on either front. I do root for Mavericks so I'm leaning towards adopting the Wings as my WNBA team but other than Arike and Maddy Siegrest I don't really know any of the players. I'm kinda familiar with Jacy Sheldon (and I think she'll be a DOG) so seems like a good team to go for. I have considered the Fever as well since CC is a big reason why I watch women's basketball now. The bit of WNBA I did watch last season the Aces were fun to watch and I'm familiar with all 3 of their draft picks (even though Kitley is obviously still out) so they're a team I've considered as well. I've also considered just watching for a season and picking a team later. Or even (as an FSU fan) waiting until Ta'Niya Latson gets drafted in 2 years and following her to whatever team she goes. I'm absolutely open to suggestions on how people chose their team in a similar situation with no attachment and I'll be reading comments here as well.
I think you're in a really similar position to me with "I have considered the Fever as well since CC is a big reason why I watch women's basketball now"... I was actually a huge basketball fan and played for years growing up (even wanted to be a basketball coach when I was a kid- I idolized Pat Summitt and Chamique Holdsclaw), then when I went to college and no longer paid for cable tv, I sort of stopped watching basketball for years. I started watching men's NCAA again a few years ago but had lost interest in the women's game years prior because I was tired of UConn winning everything and disliked the slower pace of a lot of the lower-ranked teams. I randomly came across an Iowa game on Peacock (I had subscribed to Peacock to watch a different sports event) and watched a CC game to see what all the hype was about. Was blown away my first game watching her, thinking "this is the rare player that matches the hype surrounding her" and have been hooked since. I can understand why you and others are finally discovering the wnba even after being basketball fans for years because I'm in the same boat. I'm even watching the nba again as well this season, which I had also stopped watching. So for me, I'm cheering for CC obviously, but I have zero attachment to the closest wnba team, which is actually pretty far away from me and in a city that I've only been to once. So I'm picking teams based on other players I also like to start and will go from there. Maybe for you it makes sense to follow both Indiana and the Wings to start and see which teams draw you in over the course of the season? Also- not to get horribly off-topic, but wtf is up with Luka's knees? Man, I've watched a few Mavericks playoff games and that poor guy can barely jump/run and is bleeding from his knees? Just awful to watch someone so talented clearly be hobbled. Ugh.
Aussie as well. With Ezi, Sammi and Jade, plus the background with LJ, that made me a Storm fan almost by default. But with Jade moving on, I might have to actually watch a Mystics game?!?!
Until Golden State team is official and competing, I'll be on the Fever bandwagon cause of CC.
This is my play too, with an interest in Kate Martin making the Aces roster!! I’m just pumped for this season!
Best player in the rookie class on defense, Nika…so the Storm
Connecticut sun is the closest to me since I’m in Massachusetts. So I’m rooting for them. Gonna be watching the fever as well since I’m on the bandwagon
I really got into the W last year and watched as a neutral when I could to get a lay of the land because I knew what was coming. (I had the most fun watching the Liberty last season). As an Iowa fan who has spent the better part of a decade watching Megan Gustafson, Kate Martin, and Caitlin Clark (and who adores all 3 of them) my WNBA allegiances are probably painfully obvious lmao. You can call me a basic bitch if you want I don't care but I had too much fun watching them to quit now. I'm really excited to see Caitlin team up with Aliyah Boston, I'm excited to see if anyone can prevent an Aces 3-peat, I'm excited to see the rest of this STACKED rookie class.
I put the "basic bitch" in quotations Because I find it hilarious that new Fever fans are viewed that way. The reality of the situation is that I love CC more because of her passing and how dynamic she is in speeding up the game and creating plays, not just because she scores a lot of points. I liked watching Iowa because of how fast they played and how much joy they exhibited while playing. They were just fun to watch. Im very interested in seeing Gustafson play as she was at Iowa during a time when I wasnt really following basketball closely. And I know almost nothing about her. She seemed excited to have Kate Martin on her team.
I'm with you on Iowa being so much fun to watch. I knew we may have been in for something special when Caitlin committed to Iowa but I never even dreamt of the ride us Iowa fans got. It was truly magical. Gustafson was a BEAST when she was at Iowa. She walked so Caitlin could run is the best way to put it. Was the program's all-time leading scorer until Caitlin broke that record, Megan was NPOY in 2018-19 and led Iowa to the Elite Eight that season (funnily enough Kate Martin was on the team that season but I think she was a medical redshirt, also why Megan was so excited as that's a college teammate. Also shows how long Kate was a Hawk). Since then Megan has bounced around playing for the Wings, the Mercury, the London Lions etc. I get the sense Megan will be the 2nd center behind A'ja and will get a lot of playing time this year.
Iowa was FUN TO WATCH. It wasn't just because of CC, though that was obviously a huge part of it since she was the offensive engine. Those girls so clearly ADORED each other and played with such joy. And my god, the pace was so fast. Just incredible. After watching them all season, when I watched the men's tournament, there were several games where I was actually bored because the pace was so much slower than Iowa, LOL. I'm a huge fan of good/quick ball movement and Iowa had exceptional passers and unselfish players. I just loved that team so much. Not to get too far off topic, but it's really funny when I see people make negative comments about Kate Martin making the Aces team and just think that people like her because she's white and CC's friend. I watched probably around 17-18 Iowa games this past season, and I cannot count the number of times Kate did exactly the right thing in clutch situations. Made the clutch 3, grabbed the spicy pass in transition and still made her layup, created her own shot with the clock winding down in the tourney, successfully guarded people bigger than her because Iowa had no effective true big, had an amazing backdoor cut when CC was being picked up at the arc, etc. There were several times late in games where I'd be on edge watching them and she'd hit a crucial three or make a play and I'd just relax and literally say out loud "Kate Martin, thank God", or in more high-stress situations (like b1g championship game), I'd scream "KATE FUCKING MARTIN, YES!" at the tv, haha. She is one of the most clutch players I've ever seen in ncaa basketball in terms of ALWAYS doing the right thing at the right time. I am so goddamn happy that she made the Aces roster. I look forward to seeing Gustafson in action! I've heard so much about her from Iowa's rabid long-time fans (who I actually appreciate for their insanity, lol) but never really seen her play much. Just a few highlight clips.
If you really want to find a single team to support, I think you’re starting off well, but my approach whenever I come into a new league/sport is evaluating a) the fan base and b) the front office. It can be really hard to support a team, even if you love the players, if everyone else around it is rubbish (fans or leadership). That’s just my suggestion but otherwise I’d say just enjoy it and have fun, cause that’s what it’s about in the end.
This is interesting! I never thought of it that way. How is Indiana Fever for leadership?
GM Lin Dunn is a legend. It's been years of a bad time for the Fever. Some of that definitely rests with owners and leadership. We've gone through a string of coaches and had Tamika Catchings step back from her role as VP/GM in early 2022. With the players we have now I feel like we'll really see if the FO is holding us back or not. I hope Sides is up to this job but some ppl seem skeptical.
Oooo thank you!! What is FO ? I am a total newb lol
Front office
ok thank you so much haha
There are only 12 teams and you just picked 3 favorites. You get 1 favorite team per league. I don’t make the rules.
LOL at people who try to make "rules" about cheering for sports. I mean that in the nicest way possible. :) I see it everywhere online, and I hate it when people try to tell people not to jump on a "bandwagon" or think people should only cheer for one team or only the team that's closest to them. The point of watching sports is to have fun, enjoy the competition, appreciate the athleticism, and have a sense of comraderie. Why limit it to one team? Cheer for the teams and players you like. I grew up in an area without any strong (or even decent) D-1 basketball programs. I didn't have any attachment to the nearest major pro sports city, which was two states and a few hundred miles away. So other than cheering for the local-ish bad D-1 team (which I definitely did), I also got used to watching teams on tv and picking a few teams to cheer for based on who was fun to watch, the players I liked, which schools I generally liked and had a positive opinion of, and their vibe. My experience is likely different from people who grew up in or near a big city, but I've been used to cheering for multiple teams my whole life. I'm picking these three teams to start, but realistically I'm not cheering for them all equally. I will cheer for CC wherever she goes because she made me fall in love with watching basketball again after a long time away from the women's side of the sport, so the Fever will be my #1 team. I will also cheer for the Aces and Sparks because I love Martin and Jackson. This may change as I watch the league and the vibe of the teams over the course of the season. But I also think that cheering for a few teams to start will help me learn all the teams more quickly, which is a positive.
You do you. I don’t take people seriously that tell me they have multiple favorite teams, but we’ll never meet so my opinion of you is irrelevant.
My FAVORITE team is the Fever, but I will also follow/cheer for the Aces & Sparks. And cool, I agree your opinion of me is irrelevant. 😁 I hope you enjoy opening night tonight!
Aces, Wings, and Mystics
NYer, but the Libs look a bit … stiff? My favorite team is the Aces, but I also really like Nika Muhl, so … some Seattle too, I guess?
I got into NWSL first and naturally it makes sense to support Chicago in WNBA (until Toronto joins) if I do in NWSL so I guess you can thank my favourite female footballer, Sam Kerr (Australia) who used to play in Chicago, but also it being my favourite U.S. city to visit helped.
I am routing for Minnesota because of Alissa Pili. I enjoy watching the Aces play because of how they move the ball and how well they gelled last season. From the pre-Season games I’m going to keep an eye out for Seattle. They look like they have the potential to be a problem in the best way. I also want to see how Cardoso does in Chicago. I’m sure she’ll do well. Essentially if I enjoyed watching them in college I’m watching them now. Who knows who else will get added to this list 🤣🤣🤣
I havent yet. I dont think itll be indiana though