Will brawl bring viewers to the WNBA?

Of course, the brawl’s been in the news over the last few days. Hell, I had a discussion about the brawl with a recruiter I met with while here at the UNITY convention in Chicago. Anyway, Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News asked the question, and here’s his answer.

But here’s what the skirmish proved: There is passion in the women’s game. For many, the WNBA is a below-the-basket game played by the old girls club. The brawl has revealed the players to be competitive athletes who would not be more at home on the Ladies PGA Tour. No one is advocating turning the WNBA into the WWE, but an outpouring of pure emotion is never bad for a sport. 

The fact that a bunch of people are talking about the league now can’t necessarily hurt, but the question has to be asked whether a fanbase that includes some alienation from other more prone-to-violence sports might risk turning off some viewers if these fights become more commonplace.