The Athletic has launched a new series of sports debates in which two writers break down a specific topic. In this WNBA edition, Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman discuss the league’s rivalries.
Ben Pickman: Sabreena, did you know it was rivalry weekend last weekend in the WNBA? A stretch in which the league scheduled matchups, or at least markets, that are actual rivalries. Let’s use that as a jumping off point for this week’s conversation. Was there a rivalry game last week that caught your attention?
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Sabreena Merchant: If you’re referring to Skylar Diggins-Smith’s first return to Phoenix, absolutely. I’d argue that prior to 2023, when Sue Bird retired, the Storm-Mercury games had a good run as the best rivalry in the WNBA. The 2018 semifinals: What a time!
Pickman: I think the recent Storm-Aces playoff series rivaled (no pun intended) that, too. I guess we’ll see what happens now, though, with Seattle and Phoenix.
Let’s really jump in, though, with another rivalry that some key participants —notably Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides — say has been around for a few years: Fever-Sky.
Merchant: Enlighten me, Ben. Prior to the arrival of this rookie class, when have Chicago-Indiana games been hotly contested?
Pickman: Well, I assume geography plays into it, and we know that the WNBA has deemed the Chicago-Indianapolis commute as one of two in the entire league that shouldn’t have charter flights. To your question, the Fever and Sky did play in three consecutive playoffs from 2013-15, but it seems more heightened now.
Merchant: The characters at play seem like the deciding factor. Seattle-Phoenix was a fun matchup because of Bird and Diana Taurasi, best friends turned foes on the court. Now, Indiana-Chicago has two high-profile rookies in Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese who would draw attention no matter what markets they played in given their superstar followings and collegiate history.
#IndianaFever’s Caitlin Clark on her matchups with Angel Reese drawing so many eyes:
“It’s just the emotion and passion that we play with. I think people love to see that. … It’s gonna get a little feisty.”
“What she’s done with her platform has been absolutely incredible.” pic.twitter.com/3VfGD4gVbH
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) June 16, 2024
Clark and Reese battled for Big Ten titles when Reese was at Maryland and then NCAA Tournament titles (or at least Final Four berths) after her transfer to LSU. They’ve been playing against each other on big stages for years, they’ve both experienced success, and they’re both highly competitive, making it an ideal matchup to tune in for.
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Pickman: Beyond all that, the playoff implications these games already have are adding to the intrigue. Despite being just over a quarter into the season, it’s clear that both teams will be in the hunt for the final playoff berth (or berths) this year. The Fever moved to 2-0 against Chicago after Sunday’s win to leapfrog them over Chicago in the standings. That’s not for nothing. These early-season games matter!
In general, what do you think makes a good rivalry?
Merchant: We’ve already alluded to some of the elements: compelling athletes, high stakes and repeated meetings in the postseason. Geography was more of a factor in earlier WNBA playoff formats when teams were separated by conference before the finals — which enabled the Fever and Sky to play against each other three years in a row — but I think cross-country rivalries can be equally interesting if the other ingredients are in place.
The more important question is why do rivalries matter for the WNBA?
Pickman: I like your use of the word ingredients. Since Cathy Engelbert became the WNBA’s commissioner in 2019, she has emphasized the importance of building rivalries as a key ingredient to growing interest in the league. She has said that establishing rivalries helps to create more household names and matchups, and it enhances the storytelling and marketability of games, and in turn the league.
Merchant: People are certainly tuning in for the Chicago-Indiana rivalry these days. Sunday’s game averaged 2.25 million viewers, the most for any WNBA game in 23 years, and the previous matchup averaged 1.53 million.
Pickman: I’m no ratings expert, but I would expect another sizeable number for Sky-Fever Round 3, which takes place this Sunday in Chicago.
Merchant: At a much more charitable time to us on the West Coast: 1 p.m. PT, not 9 a.m.
Pickman: Let’s transition to another rivalry then. I’m not talking Aces versus Everybody, but instead Aces versus Liberty.
Merchant: What’s interesting about New York-Las Vegas is that this was almost a manufactured rivalry. Anyone looking at those rosters during the 2023 offseason could tell that those teams should be competing for a WNBA title by the end of the year, but both teams refused to acknowledge that there was any animus during the season. The league — and the media, by extension — essentially forced it upon them, and it was a great decision, as that story drove interest through the finals.
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Pickman: Not even just the finals, but it worked out they met in the Commissioner’s Cup title game, too, and their regular-season meetings were split 2-2. All that led to further buildup for the finals. I think both teams were cautious to put too much stock into Saturday’s 8-point Liberty win over the Aces (in part because of injuries to some key players on both sides), but the game still felt bigger and more significant than an average regular-season game.
Merchant: That game averaged 996,000 viewers on ABC, and was the highest-rated non-Clark (or Clark lead-in) WNBA game since 2008, per Sports Media Watch.
Pickman: That’s even more than last year’s clinching finals game, which averaged 889,000 viewers. For further context, the series, as a whole, averaged 728,000 viewers, making it the most-watched WNBA Finals in 20 years.
GO DEEPER
Auerbach: Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese providing fuel for a long-standing WNBA rivalry
Merchant: Anecdotally, it also seems like everyone I know is talking about these games now. People who have never shown any interest in the WNBA are sending me TikToks about Clark and Reese, so the attention exists beyond just TV viewers. The commissioner may have been onto something!
Pickman: For sure! I’m curious to try to project what other rivalries will form in the future.
Merchant: Superstars are at the core of these rivalries. For instance, if Breanna Stewart had gone anywhere but New York, I still think her individual duels with A’ja Wilson would’ve warranted a rivalry wherever she played. Going off that thread, if the 2024 draft class develops as expected, the Sky and the Los Angeles Sparks could be rivals with Reese and Kamilla Cardoso versus Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson.
Pickman: I’m glad you brought up the Sparks because I’m curious if they form a natural California rivalry with the Golden State Valkyries next season upon that franchise launching. Or in two years, do the two expansion franchises in Golden State and Toronto strike up a rivalry with each other? Or because of future expansion drafts, do more player-player storylines emerge?
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Merchant: I’d always hoped that the Sparks and Aces would be that West Coast rivalry, but they’ve never been contenders at the same time. Los Angeles and Golden State could be on more similar team-building timelines, like Chicago and Indiana.
Pickman: That seems to be key here, too. It’s why, if we’re going to look into a crystal ball and project at least one rivalry weekend matchup for next year, it seems like a safe bet that Sky-Fever will continue to be on the docket.
(Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)