The 2020 WNBA Schedule: Facts and Opinion
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By Richard Cohen
In all the euphoria over the WNBA’s recently announced new Collective Bargaining Agreement, it almost went overlooked that the league is making some changes to their regular season. When the full schedule was released on Thursday a more complete picture of how this is going to play out emerged. Despite 2020 being an Olympic year - which means a month-long break in the middle of the season and a compacted schedule to fit all the games in - the league is increasing the number of regular-season games per team from 34 to 36. That means cramming 36 games into a 93-day schedule. By way of comparison, last year’s 34-game regular season was 15 days longer, at 108.
In fact, the other notable change to the schedule means that players could be asked to compete in 37 games before even reaching the postseason. In an effort to provide both another trophy and another cash pool for the players to fight over, an additional competition called the Commissioner’s Cup has been created. Maybe in an effort to bring back some meaning to the league’s Eastern and Western Conferences, the first home and away games against each of the five opponents from a team’s own conference will be designated as ‘Cup games’. Whoever finishes at the top of the two tables those games will create gets to rush back a little early from the Olympic break and play in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game as a curtain-raiser to the second half of the season.
It’s a strange format, asking regular-season games to perform double-duty, and feels like it was heavily influenced by the NBA’s recently circulating concept for a similar competition. It remains to be seen whether fans will care about a cup final thrown into the middle of the regular season and if an extra set of standings will cause confusion. Apparently it was the players who introduced the idea in CBA negotiations, so they at least appear to like the concept. It’s a reasonable experiment which might become more interesting in future years when the greater room in the schedule could allow it to become more of a separate competition.
Olympic years have always been a scheduling nightmare for the WNBA (with World Cup years a close second). While the new CBA is hoping to entice more players to prioritize the WNBA over their overseas teams, for now the league still has to keep in mind that European and Asian seasons give them a limited window to work with - along with the restrictions created by arena availability, TV demands and not wanting to compete with the major winter sports. Every four years they also have to carve out a month in the middle of the season so that Team USA has at least a little time to prepare for the Games. There’s also the hope that international players might miss as little time as possible, although it’s common to see them skip the WNBA in Olympic years, or at least wait until after the Games to show up. However, this year is even worse than in the recent past. 2016 was a 94-day regular season, and 2012 was 96 days - both for 34 games per team rather than 36 (or 37). Perhaps next year, when the only international tournament affecting the league at all would be a few players leaving midseason for EuroBasket Women 2021, it might’ve been a better time to start phasing in extra games.
One of the celebrated items in the new CBA was the improvement in travel and accommodation for the players after that became a bone of contention in recent years. It even led to a canceled game in 2018 when the Las Vegas Aces were severely delayed and chose not to play on health and safety grounds. Inevitably, the 2020 schedule has the potential to bring some of these issues back to the fore. After reducing back-to-backs to just five league-wide last season, there are 18 on the 2020 schedule. Every team has to suffer through at least one, with the Los Angeles Sparks and New York Liberty worst hit with three apiece. Only two of the 18 see the team staying in the same city for both games, so expect more Instagram stories of tired players sleepwalking through airports and dragging themselves to new destinations.
Back-to-backs obviously aren’t the only issue. A quick look at the New York Liberty schedule, for example, shows a brutal run-in to the Olympic break, playing 17 games in 37 days. It’s finished off with a stretch of four games in six days, the final clash against Dallas coming just two weeks before the Opening Ceremony in Tokyo. The hypothetical Liberty roster has at least eight players who will be hoping to be part of squads for the Games. While some tough competition might be a good way to prepare, playing to exhaustion almost certainly isn’t. Several players may leave to join their national team’s training camp before the WNBA officially breaks, or just not bother showing up at all.
One of the likely Liberty players who may be heading to Japan is presumptive 2020 #1 pick, Sabrina Ionescu, who now looks an outsider for the main squad but could be part of Team USA’s 3x3 team (if they manage to qualify). The schedule also leaves something to be desired specifically in regard to her. One of the most lauded and publicized college prospects in years, she’ll almost certainly be heading for the biggest media market in America as that top pick. There’s a strong chance she’ll be coming off a deep run in the NCAA Tournament with Oregon as she did last year. Why not showcase her on national TV in a WNBA jersey as quickly as possible to capitalize on that momentum? Well, ESPN networks have 17 games scheduled, but the Liberty don’t make an appearance until June 16. Even that’s an ESPN2 game rather than one of the five higher-profile ABC contests. The WNBA never seems to do enough to try to bring NCAA fans on board, even with the inbuilt advantage of starting their season reasonably soon after college has finished. Hopefully, CBS Sports, NBA TV, and Twitter games can help fill the gap, but this feels like yet another missed opportunity.
All of that said, from a fan’s perspective you’re simply getting more basketball. We may see some ‘load management’ as teams try to keep their players healthy, but it’s two more games to watch your favorite team, or 12 more games to watch league-wide if you’re a completist. Of course, it’s also an extra home game to attend, but make sure they’re going to let you in. If you already bought your season ticket the teams will have to decide whether the extra regular-season games are included, so there could still be another game to pay for.
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