Why haven't NCAA fans always followed the WNBA? Sue Bird has her theories

Women's college basketball is hot, says now-retired WBNA player Sue Bird ."If you liked us in college, why didn't you follow us to the WNBA? It is probably one of the more interesting and maybe more difficult questions to answer."remembers winning the NCAA tournament in 2000 and again in 2002 while playing for the University of Connecticut. At the time, she says, her college games were the"hottest ticket" in the state.

Bird holds the record for most career assists in the WNBA, with 3,234 over the course of her 19-season professional career. She's also won four WNBA championships and five Olympic gold medals. The new documentaryfrom the league, Bird has become an activist, fighting for LGBTQ rights and gender equity in women's sports. She's been vocal about the pay gap that exists in her sport, noting that while NBA stars can make upward of $40 million a year, WNBA players max out around $250,000.

A lot of it ... was making sure that our team was always on the same page, that we always understood what we were trying to accomplish. To get a little granular, it's as specific as what play we're running, when we're running it, why we're running it, what we're looking for both offensively defensively. I think that became my identity, particularly later in my career. But it took probably all 20 years to really perfect it. It was always a part of me.

Megan is the type where her game has a little more selfishness in it. She's a great passer, but she's looking for those moments. She's seeking them out. And so how does that show up in our relationship at times? She might take up a little more space. I might be willing to give that space up. So it's on both of us, myself first and foremost, to take space in our relationship, and for Megan to kind of see when that's happening, and then vice versa.

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