The WNBA had three bad options for the conclusion of the 2026 WNBA Finals. Somehow, it picked the worst one.
Faced with another incomprehensible scheduling conflict, the league could have played Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries on Thursday night as planned, with the potential to crown a champion in prime time in an Atlanta arena that seats just 3,500 people. It could have pushed the dates for Games 6 and 7 back a day or two to play them in NBA arenas, on prime-time TV.
Or the WNBA could do what it ultimately chose: Stage the most consequential game of its season so far in the middle of Thursday afternoon in an NBA arena that will be hosting an early-season Atlanta Hawks game a few hours later.
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None of the options were ideal. That's what happens when a league is backed into a corner by what appears to be a stunning lack of foresight. But only one choice prioritized the atmosphere of a championship event and the larger television audience that comes with a prime-time window.
So of course, the WNBA ignored it.
"It's better than having it at the YMCA that night, in front of 75 people," Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked Monday night when asked about the decision. "They're doing what they gotta do."
There are surely YMCA leagues run better than this, though.
That the WNBA even allowed the situation to reach this point should be most maddening of all to women's basketball fans hoping the sport can continue to grow.
Multiple people with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports the potential scheduling issues for the Dream's Finals games were raised "weeks ago" when it became apparent Atlanta would likely make the playoffs. It's USA TODAY's understanding that concerns with the Dream's arena size were then brought up again after the team secured its postseason spot. It then came to the forefront ahead of the start to the WNBA Finals, when the Dream and the league needed multiple entities to cooperate in order to move Games 3 and 4 from the Gateway Center to the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena.
So the WNBA knew this conflict was possible and was still caught unprepared for Game 6, even after the scheduling challenges for Games 1 and 2 made the issue hard to ignore. Just like it got caught unprepared to handle the exploding spotlight that accompanied the arrival of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. It has thrived despite all this self-inflicted damage. But how long can that last if the WNBA's own decision makers can't get out of their own way?
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These just aren't problems a league in its 30th season should be enduring, and it's why the WNBA desperately needs to get its next commissioner hire right. Current commissioner Cathy Engelbert is stepping down at the end of the year.
The Dream and Valkyries have produced a compelling Finals with sellout crowds in both cities. WNBA franchise values are exploding, while corporate partners and fans are investing in the league like never before. The story should be basketball right now, and this time the WNBA can't even blame the bad-faith actors who have turned Clark's popularity into a political referendum.
The league made sure with its inaction the sports world would be talking about the Dream's arena situation rather than Reese's pursuit of a title during her first season in Atlanta or the Valkyries' improbably fast rise to the cusp of a championship.
Eventually success can't cover the stench of incompetence. And this will stink if the Valkyries are crowned WNBA champion during lunch break on the West Coast on Thursday, then get escorted to a practice court because State Farm Arena workers in Atlanta have to change out the floor in time for the NBA game that night.
The league picked that over a scenario that would have given it access to casual sports fans on fall nights (Friday and Tuesday) not dominated by football. Instead, Game 7 will remain on Halloween night and directly compete for casual sports viewers with college football and a potential World Series Game 7 (The Brewers are on the cusp of making this a moot point).
Playing Friday in State Farm Arena wasn't perfect. It would have created an awkward WNBA Finals schedule with three off days preceding Games 6 and 7. But it was the only solution that preserved both the in-person experience and the casual sports fan television audience.
It's mind-boggling the WNBA was willing to sacrifice either.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA Finals have become a showcase for the league's incompetence | Opinion
