WNBA studio anchor Elle Duncan says all the negativity surrounding the league has made it “the most toxic space to cover” in sports.
During an appearance on WHYY’s Sports In America podcast, host David Greene told Elle Duncan the WNBA “is more in conversation right now around our country than I think it’s even used to because it’s really getting tangled in our politics. And before we dive into a few of the specifics, I just wonder, are you worried?”
“Uh, worried is one way to put it,” Duncan replied. “Exhausted, tired, trepidatious. It’s a cacophony of feelings, David, because I think, I remember how much passion, energy, and excitement there was for the attention that these women were finally getting and the ratings and this new crop of superstars that were gonna come into the league and help elevate this game even more. And it would finally be all of these women sowing everything or reaping everything that they had sown through all these years.
“And very quickly over the course of the last three years, it’s just turned into, as you said, a sticking point for sides to continue to politicize things that shouldn’t be, to be as divisive as possible.
“To put it frankly, David, and this is not just me speaking; this is me as a person who covers a lot of sports and has a lot of friends that cover a lot of sports. Right now, the WNBA is the most toxic space to cover, and that’s incredibly frustrating and sad.”
What does Elle Duncan mean when she calls the WNBA toxic?
When asked to elaborate on what she meant by “toxic” and why the WNBA “is even more toxic than any other sports leagues,” Duncan replied, “Because it’s so frustrating. Because when we are in the off-season, when you don’t have things, the basketball to actually talk about, I understand, right? Like we’ve got a 24-hour news cycle. I get it. I’m a broadcaster. You have to bring up literally anything to keep that conversation going.
“And there was so much conversation, David, about, you know, early on, like, ‘Hey, this is maybe not a bad thing, right?’ Like, ‘No such bad thing as publicity,’ right, like it’s all good. ‘Now we’re like the men’s sports.’ We’ve got stupid narratives and discourse, and we’ve got like false things being said- uh-oh, we’ve made it! We’re like the men!
“And I think very quickly that’s turned into, oh my goodness, everything that people revered and loved about this space is essentially being hijacked. And I mean that to say, there is really, really, really good basketball happening right now, you guys. There’s no reason to manufacture storylines.”
How can the WNBA fix these problems?
When asked how to fix things, Elle Duncan said she doesn’t have a solution, but that it will take a group effort.
“I don’t have any solutions to this, David, because if I did, God knows I would’ve pulled that lever already, because I’m tired of it. I am. I’m sick of it,” she said. “I know everybody that I work with is exhausted by this space right now, and I think the players included, but I do think that it’s not just the media to blame, just the league to blame, or just the players. Collectively, we’ve got to put our heads together and figure out how we right this ship.”