A lot has happened since the last time I’ve attended a WNBA game. For starters, my ongoing skepticism with The Fever has proven to be founded on mostly bad timing. While I appreciate Caitlin Clark putting in effort that close to an injury, it’s been awkward ever since being like, “Imagine if my nieces were at THIS game” so that they could see one of their favorite players absolutely reflect why she’s considered one of the league’s best. As it stands, I’m mostly grateful to have seen her in the same way I was to see a young Sabrina Ionescu or Rhyne Howard before they started building heavy-hitters around her.
I wish the same could be said for The Sparks, the team I’ve been touting for months now as the underdogs with the potential to go further and reach higher than they had. In 2025, they were one game shy of making the playoffs. By acquiring Nneka Ogwumike again, I reached a hallucinatory state where I thought, maybe this will happen. First the 30th anniversary game came down to the thrilling final shot. They went on to beat The Fever as well. Outside of personal attendance, something optimistic to consider is that they recently just beat The Lynx, who I’d argue has a much more connected roster (Olivia Miles is fun to watch). Then again, recent news of The Aces throwing a game makes it easy to believe that we’re at that point where coasting will happen more often (*editors note: I haven’t seen the previous two games mentioned).
But the most disconcerting thing is being a Sparks fan and knowing that, for the time being, the bubble is where you’ll live. Prior to this game, Los Angeles was ranked number nine and was six games back from number eight. Not the worst margin, but given how many teams are within fractions of overtaking them, miracle wins need to start piling up… and I honestly am nervous to believe they will in 2026.
On some level, doing stats before going to a game is an easy way to buzzkill. I chose to analyze the two teams’ previous 20 games to see how the averages were doing. The Valkyries, along with being one of the league’s best teams right now, has only lost 4 games. Meanwhile, The Sparks are triple that at 12. I know we can get into details around margin of loss, but the records show a string of bad luck that, quite simply, isn’t giving us padding BEFORE you factor in the trade of their best shooter, Kelsey Plum, for somebody who entered said game as the only injured player on either team (though it is to be believed that Alissa Pili never stood a chance of playing since she wasn’t in uniform).
The fact of the matter is that I have a soft spot for The Valkyries. They were the first major expansion team since I became a regular fan of the league. I got to watch them grow from an idea into one of the greatest Freshman teams in history. People were going to Sparks games a year in advance wearing their merch. In an era where it feels like every team has latched onto star players, it’s been a relief to see GSV basically develop from the ground up, where they have great players, but they’re not A’ja Wilson status. They made their bones the hard way. It’s unfortunate that The Tempo and The Fire haven’t resonated as much, especially when Cleveland has already usurped them with the A+ name of The Sirens. Still, I like players on each team, but this is getting too tangential.
But yes, I went to support The Valkyries in part because law of averages had them ahead (a random unprompted notification on my phone said The Sparks had a 30% chance of winning), but also because they’re a team I’m enthusiastic about. There’s something more homegrown about the rivalry (a feeling I don’t have in Los Angeles outside The Aces, though the talent disparity is real), and it’s easier to get immersed in the minutiae. They both wear purple and sit as the sister team of NBA titans. Both, for differing reasons, are underdogs… though it’s upsetting that GSV has had more winning seasons than LAS in the past three years.
Also, by some strange luck, both had Kate Martin as a recipient. My hope in 2025 was that the move would allow her to stand out on the roster now that she had a more equally qualified team. I’d say she was a really good player, even if she averaged 0% in the game we attended. Then again, that was during a time before we got Julie Vanloo temporarily (underrated) from them and before they hired one of my bigger rallying cries of the time.
Kaitlyn Chen was one of those bubble players for The Valkyries who wasn’t properly drafted to the team until after our game. Given that I liked what I saw of her in March Madness, she was on a shortlist of people I wanted to see. She seemed so likable and it made no sense to not have her on the team.
Cut to a year later and a whole bunch of shuffling, and I finally got to see Chen rock the court. It should be noted that a lot of the team definitely reflects why they’re having the better averages. Their three point shooting is better. Whenever a ball would need rebounding, they were often there just putzing around and keeping it centralized. I am happy to say that as a Chen fan, I got the kind of action from her that I wanted. If there’s a downside, it’s that I unfortunately can’t recall everyone’s name at the moment, but do know it was complete smiles from the minute the ball flew in the air. There may have been some missteps and steam was sometimes lost, but The Valkyries have endurance.
Another player that I was excited to see was Cameron Brink. It’s hard to believe, but this is my first time seeing her this year. I’ve been grateful to have seen her each of the three seasons (I want to say I’m up to… six times?), and she continues to be a delight to watch even if earning two fouls within your first minutes on the court is no bueno. As much as I wish they kept players like Rickea Jackson and Sarah Ashlee Barker (though she’s doing her thing in Portland), it’s nice to know they kept Brink, whose dominance can be exciting when she locks in and rebounds. I also got to see some excellent shooting from her, which is nice given that I always fear her small injury history has impacted development slightly (no mask today, so… win?).
If there’s any criticism (beyond the Plum thing, which I’ve already discussed), it’s that The Sparks didn’t really have the fight all four quarters. As someone who has seen them lose by 30+ points, I had bad vibes going into the second quarter where they were already down by double digits fighting a runaway train. The reliables were doing decent, but Nneka Ogwumike took a long time to heat up. Erica Wheeler put up a decent sneak attack. Dearica Hamby continues to dominate the lay-ups. If there was one downside, it’s that one of my current favorites (Rae Burrell) didn’t have an amazing night. Good enough to keep the score close, but I’ve seen her talent more pronounced before.
To address what is arguably my biggest frustration right now as a Sparks fan (mind you, I’m an inconsistent watcher but split time between them and The Dream), it’s that they’re bench-heavy this season. I can’t speak to logistics of why that is, but there’s a different kind of anticipation when you are attending games than watching on TV. I respect Caitlin Clark for going out and putting in a few minutes even though she wasn’t 100% because she knew there was that audience. I’m not even blaming the players on this, but it has felt like major players have taken turns being the odd man out, where they’re benched for some odd reason.
At this game, it was a mixture of Alissa Pili and Kate Martin. I think my love for Pili has kept me eager to see her play in every possible game (she was really good against The Fever) even though it’s been just as humbling to see her find her role within The Sparks after whiffing her time on The Lynx. I guess as someone who has seen her 3x, I’m not as bothered by her absence given that this was nail-biter central towards the end.
I am, however, part of a small collective who was annoyed that Martin couldn’t play. It’s partially because I was excited to put her on a rarified list of players I’ve seen on three separate teams… a list that, ironically, now has Odyssey Sims and (because of this game) Tiffany Hayes. While I could argue Martin was *available* to play, it’s dirty pool to use a warm-up session as credit. The disappointment was also because, for such a respected player, it’s been alarming to see her waste so much of this year, especially post-development contract, on the bench. Let me tell you that Martin looks like she loves that team. She’s out there cheering them on and making the most of her immobility. I can’t be sure what is gained by having someone so valuable not play more than five minutes in a month’s time and then not even get a glorified cameo DURING RIVALRY WEEK against her old team. As much as I have been on the side of “this is the best coach The Sparks have had,” it’s compared to those who have used the team less effectively. Also, with decisions like this (among others), it’s hard not to question the motives of keeping your really good team from maintaining what could make them great.
But, for as skeptical as I have been, one thing remains true. When The Sparks give you hope, they give you hope. That fourth quarter had moments of levitation. You know when they get that one shot that puts them down by one? The place was deafening. Faith was all of the sudden back despite being almost down by 20 not that long ago. The hustle was intense, and you thank The Valkyries for having moments of shortsightedness. Ultimately, LAS lost, but those final three minutes had moments where it felt like hope was still alive, where every decision was going to shatter my skepticism once and for all.
Even so, it’s times like that where you understand why being a Sparks fan is worthwhile. There is something to the community and atmosphere, where everyone gathers in the name of sport and roots for Ogwumike as we had for years. Plum was our girl, but we didn’t let the bitterness keep us from recognizing the other teammates who got us this far.
As much as I try to not engage with “culture wars” on public forums (they are designed by unpersuadable hatred and requires the snake to flagellate while eating its own tail), it’s been hard to not form some opinion about recent trends of over-politicization. I tried to give The Fever a chance after seeing them, and I was coming around on Sophie “Remember College?” Cunningham being silly. I don’t engage with a lot of week-to-week press/interviews, but then one story broke that completely distracted from any game. I’m unsure if she’s expressing harmful views sincerely or accidentally, but the immediate villainization being favored over educated discourse has been the downfall of modern America (you don’t have to like her answer, but it’s better than intimidating people into doubling down on mistakes). It’s unfortunate that everything needs to distract from the game, which makes me believe that the people doing it don’t care to begin with, let alone that they’re espousing views of “protect women’s sports” while they didn’t care about people throwing dildos on the court last year for the sake of sports gambling. Yes, those things are related.
I’ve personally found it upsetting when even the president is joking about making Lebron James transition to join the WNBA, where former “professional” basketball players are now doing publicity stunts to trivialize the efforts of women. Beyond the genocidal rhetoric surrounding transphobia, it’s the continuing condescension by men of being better than women that underlies the threat. It’s finding new ways to humiliate both trans and cis identifying individuals (many complaints have already been filed against The LA28 Olympics over new and invasive genetic testing along with exclusion of trans athletes) without taking time to understand deeper nuance or requirements to even qualify for said career. They believe they will outscore these players night in and night out regardless of effort said woman put into achieving their athleticism. It’s no different from telling your daughter she sucks at sports and should never try so long as the playground is coed (and even then). I can’t speak for their obsession with taking on a minority this small other than it’s the one distraction sticky enough to not just go away.
It’s a shame because the WNBA has been one of the most inclusive leagues I’ve seen. Even so, I’m not sure there’s been many examples of trans players outside of Layshia Clarendon (non-binary), who has fought tirelessly for LGBTQIA+ rights. Even during pride night, they had ads a few years back for their organization where they discussed mentoring and giving back. You know, things beyond scapegoating and fearmongering, things that sought to bridge understanding and growth. There is a connection that goes beyond culture wars and exists simply as people’s lives. There were lesbians celebrating seven years of marriage in attendance. Many walked around with various shades of rainbow-patterned attire. This is not the group deserving of your antagonism. Again, I hate how politicized the outsiders have made it ever since they realized they could capitalize on something they previously marginalized. Do you really have nothing better to do?
Which is all to say that there’s online speak and there’s the joy of in person games. There’s still something special about being there in a crowded room realizing you’re all rooting for the same team. There’s no deeper discourse designed to upset you. It’s just about the technique and history. It’s about watching the entertainment team evolve from their inaugural start earlier this year into where they are now. In a lot of ways I miss the old DJ (and GSV stole our MC, who I met and was nice to my family), but what’s impressing me is how much style has evolved. There’s way more crossfading in songs and the bumpers feel more purposeful. It’s true they’re less imposing than the old group, but I think they reflect The Sparks’ overall desire to find something new, and I’m here for that… even if I miss, “DEFENSE! COME ON, Y’ALL!” like I’m Stockholm Syndromed or something.
As the final game of attendance this season, let me just say that for every criticism I’ve made about The Sparks, they are in a decent place. There’s a lot to work on and I fear we’re further from the threshold of playoffs than last year, but I want to believe there’s still room to grow, and we’re much more equipped than losing Plum would suggest. I’m not sure how, but there’s still time to find out.
My one caveat, though this has felt like an exceptions year in a lot of ways, is that one of the teams I’ve seen will make it to the finals. As has been the case since my first year going, I have seen at least one of them and, given that I missed my favorites with The Aces this year, it has to be one of these four: The Sparks (no chance), The Liberty (longshot), The Fever (pretty good odds), and The Valkyries (maybe happy ending?). What will happen? Will this be my off year, or will Caitlin Clark finally get her moment? Only time will tell. But for now, another year in the books. Happy to have been a part of it and I look forward to seeing how the rest of the season shakes out.
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