Sports rivalries are one of the best aspects of being a fan. They transcend the game itself and create a unique opportunity for the construction of the community for both parties. However, the best rivalries are those that have been cultivated naturally in the legs over the years, instead of being crushed to face the equipment with each other, either for views or ticket sales or whatever. While the WNBA is full of funny and long data rivalries, the recent impulse to create more artificial has turned one of the best parts of the game into a worrying and non -authentic farce.
As some who paid a lot of money for a paper test piece, I am an English expert, I have tried a deep immersion in the word Rivalry. By definition, a rivalry is “the state of two groups that participate in a durable competitive relationship”, and in many of the definitions of the word rivalry or rival, there is the idea that being in a true rivalry, both parties are the same. Although, ultimately, a rivalry is two competitors that try to win with each other, which makes them rivals is that they are so equal to skill, tradition or performance that it is never known that the side side wins on a given day.
To be really nerd, the word rival voice of the Latin word soldierwhich means current (such as child or current). The term evolved in the word RiverisThey mee two people who used the same transmission. He does it when you think of the parallels of two people trying to use the same resource and two teams trying to win the same championship in the same league. The more you know.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs. New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics. The list of iconic sports rivalries continues and continues, and the WNBA has begun to add to the list with its own tickets. The growing rivalry between the freedom of New York and Las Aces de Las Vegas is one that has become extremely fun. But what do all these clashes have in common? They grew natural and authentic through healthy competition, and keep it slapped.
I will stop beating around the bush: I don’t think Indiana and Chicago Sky have a rivalry. What they do have a confrontation that leads fans to the seats and makes people turn on television, as evidenced by the record of 2.7 million average spectators of this weekend brought to the ESPN platforms, their game more of the WNBA. However, nothing about these two teams that play at this time fits the true description of a rivalry.
In the first place, they are not the same when it comes to Chancs to win a WNBA championship, since Indiana has entered the upper level of content while the sky is still gathering the pieces. In addition, nothing about this “rivalry” became authentic: people faced Caitlin Clark and Angel reese with each other after two Hostile Tournament of the NCAA, and somehow they now have a “rivalry.”
Comparing the two players individually makes no sense, since they are not even remotely or comparable players, since Clark is a shipowner and Reese is a striker. Rarely they will go one by one or help the defense scenarios that have led to their two disagreements on the court.
Not only do I say that we need Clark and Reese to be best friends or anything, not all women need to like them! However, in the center of each good rivalry it is a basic respect between the two teams. An understanding that both will be the most difficult on the court, but are also respected as humans. And even if the thesis teams had a historical rivalry, Neith Player Sic Sic to their fans in the other or encouraging harassment.
The reality is that this “rival” feels more like an attempt to sell tickets and obtain points of view more than anything, and has become rapid. Sports rivalries are supposed to be about sports, do not lead to harassment and an insecure treatment of athletes. Apart from some friendly jokes, rivalries are not supposed to lead to the days of exhausting speech and analyze the players every word and body language. They are definitely not supposed to lead to the investigations of the League to accusations of racist activity of fans in the games games, and we do not need media members until now that the means themselves have to publish statements that apologize for it. Nothing about that is fun, or as the inclusive environment, WNBA has worked hard to foster. This “rivalry” feels more as an excuse for people to harass Angel reese in sight, using the word rivalry as a shield for their inappropriate actions.
Let’s compare the fever/sky speech with the previously mentioned rivalry WNBA or New York vs. Las Vegas. This began when Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones joined freedom, creating an alignment that could match the force Las Vegas was building. The Aces had mostly unanswered for a while, and other teams were finally gathering teams specifically to match them. Individual battles Bet Play styles: They were built on a basis of mutual respect and genuine competition. The excitement of tuning in a game of ACES vs. Liberty these days are individual clashes, elite game and predict who has a better opportunity to win a championship. It’s fun.
Of course, things get hot in the court of thesis/games of Liberty. People boo, people encourage, players can get into small hair, but that’s where they end. No one is screaming at A’ja Wilson, calling him names or not respecting the respect of the court in Brooklyn. If Stewart or Jonquel Jones receive a foul, people do not write thoughts in it for days and days. It is a game; The results are accepted and everyone continues.
Ultimately, the “rivalry” of Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever feels like a superficial marketing tactic to capitalize on the university popularity of two players who was later adopted by people who wanted an excuse to be bad. It does not represent the true nature of sports competition. As WNBA fans, we need to let these rivalries develop naturally“ And what is more important, avoid letting them deepen basketball.
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