Storm Game
We attended a Seattle Storm game tonight as a family after first stopping off at the Queen Anne Kidd Valley in Queen Anne for some burgers. All of the kids had a really good time at the game. I think both Berkeley and Eliana watched the entire affair and cheered for the Storm as loud as they could. Berkeley kept a close eye on the score, announcing "the Storm have XX points Daddy!" after each Storm basket.

Berkeley also participated (for the first time) in the "kids train" during a time-out late in the game. Basically what happens is that late in the game - during an extended timeout - a specific song is played (the title of which I do not know) while the Storm mascot is down on the center of the playing floor. All of the kids in the stands can then come down to the floor behind the mascot and form a train. The song will play for about 60 seconds and then an air-raid siren sound is made and the kids quickly disperse and return to their respective seats. Without fail, there are a few kids that get confused in the ensuing chaos and can't quite remember which aisle they came down. So, anyway, Berkeley decided he wanted to go down to the floor when the music started but wanted Kristy or I to go with him. But we both declined and asked him just to do it my himself... "But I'm shy Daddy." was the response iirc. After about 10 seconds though he mustered up the courage to do it my himself, and after the music ended he did in fact successfully manage to find his way back to our seats (both Kristy and were sitting somewhat nervously on the edge of our seats to see if he could accomplish that feat). I'm proud he was able to do that by himself, he really had to step outside of his comfort zone to do something he wanted to do.

So it was a nice evening; a good family-night out.

So we have been going to WNBA games every season since the WNBA started... dating way back to when we lived in Utah in the late 90s. I know a lot of people think the WNBA is somewhat of a joke. People I know (*cough* my brothers-in-law, *cough* people at my church) won't even consider going to a WNBA game. But they never give any reasonable excuses. Yes, they will cite that the game is "too slow" (e.g. that the WNBA women aren't as quick or as athletic as their NBA counterparts... for example, there is no above-the-rim play in the WNBA). And I've heard the concerns about the fact that the largest fan demographic in attendance at the Storm games are lesbians. Blah blah blah. It's idiotic.

The fact of the matter is... the WNBA games are fun, they are entertaining, and they are family-friendly. As a father of three young kids (two of which are young girls), I feel that the WNBA game has a lot to offer my family. The games are relatively cheap to attend (especially compared to ticket prices for men's professional sports), there is much less alcohol consumed, and the "Storm dance squad" is comprised of kids (instead of the 20-something barely-dressed "Sonics Cheerleaders"). I've said this all before, but maybe I need to say it again.

With respect to the talent level, the WNBA is just 10 years old. WNBA players today (on average) are better than they were 10 years ago. And in 10 years time (when my girls are in middle school and possibly playing basketball), they'll be even better still. How long has the NBA been around? Over 60 years! Have you ever seen an old NBA game on ESPN classic from the 50s and 60s? It doesn't even look close to the NBA game played today... the NBA game has gotten faster, the players are far more athletic, etc. How many of today's NBA players were inspired by Michael Jordan? I predict that the same thing will happen in the WNBA too. The game will get faster and the talent level will increase dramatically as today's young women are growing up watching the Sue Birds and Lauren Jacksons of today's WNBA game.

Yet comparing the NBA game with the WNBA game (despite the similar acronyms) is not fair... apples and oranges kind of thing. It's not the same game; but it is the same sport. When little girls (and boys) grow up loving the game, it benefits the sport at large... no matter what level of play that you enjoy watching (professional, college, AAU, etc)... or whether the sport is played by men or women. I'm pretty sure that Olivia and Eliana will never be my WNBA-Superstar-Meal-Ticket (or that Berkeley will be a High-Paid-WNBA-Coach), but having them watch women participating in the highest level of competition - on their own terms - is inspirational. If you are fan of basketball, then you should be a fan of the WNBA.