The WNBA didn’t just change women’s basketball — it changed us | Opinion

TL;DR

The WNBA has significantly impacted women's basketball and society as a whole, inspiring dreams and fostering confidence. As it approaches its 30th season, its influence extends beyond the sport itself.

Key points

The WNBA is more than just a basketball league.
It inspires dreams and boosts confidence for young girls.
The league is entering its 30th season.
Courtney Vandersloot is a notable player in the WNBA.
The WNBA has made significant societal contributions.

Chicago SkyCourtney Vandersloot

The WNBA didn’t just change women’s basketball — it changed us | Opinion

The WNBA is so much more than a basketball league.

It’s become an inspirer of dreams, a source of confidence and comfort, a societal disruptor and maker of all kinds of good trouble. We knew the W would be good for women’s basketball. As it begins its 30th season, we had no idea how good it would be for the rest of us.

“The accessibility that we have now is so incredible for young girls,” said Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot, a two-time WNBA champion entering her 16th season.

“Even when we were young, the WNBA was still around but it wasn't so much available to you. You had to really search it out. So just having something where girls can dream to be, I think is just really special.”

Women’s sports have always had to be “more than” because nothing was given to them. They’ve had to scratch and claw to exist while men’s sports just … are. They’ve had to fight for the acceptance and equity that comes freely to men’s sports. They’ve had to ignore insults and condescension male athletes rarely of ever hear.

But it’s made women’s sports, and the women who play them, better. As a result, it’s made us better, too.

That transformational new collective bargaining agreement is doing more than creating a bunch of newly-minted millionaires. It’s providing a blueprint for other women’s leagues, as well as encouragement for any woman who knows she is not getting what she’s worth. She might not be going up against clueless NBA owners, but she can channel the determination and preparedness of the W players.

“That’s the hope and the goal in what we do,” said Chicago Sky forward Elizabeth Williams, who as secretary of the WNBA Players Association helped negotiate the new CBA. “Obviously, we think about ourselves and what matters for us in our league and what’s unique to us, but it does set a precedent for what women’s sports can look like across the board.