The WNBA Outdoor Classic

I’m not sure if it’s because of the lack of advertising or anything, but this is the first I’ve heard of this.

This Saturday, July 19th, the New York Liberty and the Indiana Fever will play the WNBA’s first regular season outdoor game at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The game is being billed as the Outdoor Classic and is the first non-tennis sporting event to take place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The game is going to be televised, much like the Ice Bowl or Winter Classic that was played at Ralph Wilson Stadium between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins back in January. That game drew a huge audience of both hockey lovers and non-hockey lovers because it was something new and exciting, an event that made you want to tune in if only for a period.

The Outdoor Classic could have worked the same magic for the WNBA, boosting television ratings and drawing in a new crowd of onlookers … if only the advertising and marketing had been there. I haven’t seen one commercial about the game and I even watch WNBA games. So how can they reach people who don’t pay attention to the WNBA when they aren’t reaching those who do?

This game is more than just an outdoor basketball game. There are so many parallels between the accomplishments of Billie Jean King and women professional basketball players it isn’t even funny. The significance of playing on an outdoor court, in the sun on the streets of New York City can touch home for any baller, professional or otherwise.

It’s a game that will be fun to watch and even more fun to attend. I only wish the WNBA would have capitalized more on its potential.

Photo provided Newscom