Two sportswriters fouled out on Wednesday when they offered a really, really bad take on WNBA team names.
During an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Ethan Strauss, who covers the Golden State Warriors for The Athletic, griped that it was too hard to remember the names of all 12 WNBA teams.
He thought it would make life so much easier if the WNBA teams just changed their names to variations of existing NBA teams.
“Like, why force people to learn about ‘the Fever’? Why not just have the ‘W Pacers’?” Strauss suggested. “I think that makes it so much easier to just resonate and cut across.”
Simmons agreed: “Like how in college, where it would be, like, ‘the Lady Gamecocks.’”
Ethan Strauss thinks WNBA teams should be called like the “W Pacers” bc it’s too hard to learn the name Fever and Bill agrees pic.twitter.com/gIg8OdI6MO
— Paternity Riley (@lesterfreamon) May 8, 2024
Their proposal didn’t get much support on social media. In fact, the two sportswriters’ seeming struggle to remember 12 team names ― names that, you know, you could easily look up on Google if you had to ― was brutally mocked.
fever, sky, aces - all very difficult words to learn https://t.co/frhUCgSFmE
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) May 8, 2024
it's honestly incredible that two men who have spent their entire careers overwriting about basketball by many thousands of words can claim to not have the ability to remember 12 additional nouns https://t.co/2UubXJ9jGv
— Emma Carmichael (@emmacargo) May 8, 2024
I’m all for welcoming new fans to women’s sports but the guys who wanna change names, lower rims & relate everything to men’s sports can kick rocks.
— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) May 8, 2024
Women’s sports are their own awesome thing (with their own team names!). Get on board or don’t, just don’t get in the way. https://t.co/HQ9mmmvSJV
Why stop there? Maybe all the W players should wear the jerseys of their NBA comps. If women’s sports are about anything, it’s about providing easy points of access for men who can’t be bothered to do the bare minimum, right?? 🙄 https://t.co/nSORhD8rA3
— Myles 🫠 (@MylesEhrlich) May 8, 2024
okay besides the large dose of misogyny here … W Pacers is one of the worst naming ideas ive ever heard https://t.co/9iAo8km9zB
— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) May 8, 2024
Solid guess here that more young basketball fans now know the team name “Fever” more than they ever knew the name “Pacers.” https://t.co/POu4ZExium
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) May 8, 2024
This is embarrassing. You’ve got enough room in your brain to name every player with minutes played on the 2016 Cavaliers squad, but remembering 12 team names is asking too much? https://t.co/5PFd4a5LQJ
— Matthew Moore (@MatthewrMoore) May 8, 2024
The (much deserved) ascension of the WNBA in sports culture is going to lead to some atomically bad takes. Brace yourselves. 😬😬😬 https://t.co/3OmKJG7ehj
— Morgan Peter Brown (@MorganPeteBrown) May 8, 2024
There are 124 teams in NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL with another 69 in Power 5 conferences in NCAA. I bet they’d get over 95% correct if they were given each team’s location name. They can learn 12 more names for WNBA.
— Derek Johnson (@derekjjohnson) May 8, 2024
Also, not all WNBA teams are affiliated with NBA teams. https://t.co/7dkEKJ0e4z
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.