Elite Storyline: Two WNBA players who meet now play against each other in the playoffs

Brian Fluharty. Getty Images.

Professional sports are an entertainment product. And while the actual athleticism on display is a big part of that entertainment, people also love storylines. That’s what drives some of the biggest leagues in the world. You have to get people interested and excited about the players so they really care. Some leagues are great at marketing their players, others struggle with it. But a great storyline will always be like a free money-printing machine.

So when two female athletes date off the court but become opponents on the court in the playoffs, that’s a storyline worth millions.

Sporting News — Their teammates and partners DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas of the Sun will play together in the first round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs, but DiJonai Carrington of Connecticut and NaLyssa Smith of Indiana will not be so lucky.

The WNBA stars have reportedly been together since Carrington transferred from Stanford to Baylor in her senior year. Smith was a junior with the Bears during the 2020-21 season.

It’s brilliant. Obviously you don’t want to invent storylines and would prefer them to happen more organically. But if I were in any other league right now, I would at least take notes on what the WNBA is doing here.

I mean, how much more would you have attended the Stanley Cup Final last year if Connor McDavid and Matthew Tkachuk had slept together? Can you imagine what the Super Bowl ratings record would have been if Patrick Mahomes and Nick Bosa had slept together?

It happens in sports all the time. One league starts developing something that becomes incredibly successful, and all the other leagues follow suit. Like the RedZone channel, for example. This year, the NHL will be testing out their own RedZone channel. MLB borrowed the shot clock from basketball for the pitch clock. All the different leagues borrow little bits from each other to create a more entertaining product for everyone. So maybe more sports just need players to hook up with each other across the league. To really ramp up the drama. I don’t care if Travis Kelce is dating Taylor Swift. But what if Travis Kelce and George Kittle are dating? You could talk about those not-so-tight ends all show long.

@JordieBarstool