From condensed scheduling to going up against NFL Sundays, there are no simple answers to fixing the postseason. For now, the Liberty and Lynx have a championship to play for.
On Tuesday night, Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve ran through how the next two days would look for her team. They had just advanced to the WNBA Finals. But no champagne or confetti was to be seen. There was no time for a celebration.
The WNBA’s considerable growth this year has meant spiking attendance, increased viewership, more sponsors and a lucrative new television deal. It also comes with questions: Is the league outgrowing its postseason format? The WNBA’s current playoff structure has a best-of-three opening round followed by best-of-five semifinals and finals. But expansion is now on the horizon. The WNBA will begin adding franchises next year for the first time in a decade and a half. The 12-team league will get new outposts in the Bay Area, Toronto and Portland, with more potentially to come. That has come with discussion of extending the regular season from 40 games to at least 44—and of perhaps extending the postseason to match.
The question of how to limit direct competition with other major sports is a big one. Every round this year has featured games on Sundays—putting the playoffs directly against the ratings juggernaut of the NFL. That’s not ideal for a league still finding its footing in the broader sports landscape.
But those big-picture questions can wait for the Liberty and Lynx. First, they have a championship to play for, and it’s starting fast.
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