This week: The CBA is signed. Free agency was fast & furious. The draft was a surprise. Practice has started. The broadcast schedule is out. It’s time to buckle down and figure out who you are rooting for before the season starts on May 8th.

I’m a good Chicago girl, so I will be rooting for the Sky. But I do have a back-up team, the Seattle Storm. And my OG team were the Cleveland Rockers. If the WNBA can regain the name, my basketball loving heart may be in trouble.

— Veronica

Picking a team is important. You will experience some highs and lows no matter who you pick. For some of you, you might experience the highest of high - winning a championship. I was there when the Sky lost in the 2014 championship series. I was there when the Sky won the 2021 championship. And every one of us who went to see a WNBA game before 2020 sat in a barely half-full arena. If you are new to sports themselves, I gotta tell you there is nothing better than watching your team win by a buzzer beater.

Hometown Heroes: This is the easiest and quickest way to pick a WNBA team. Just pick the team where you live!

Proximity: The Cleveland Rockers are my OG team because Chicago did not have a team when the W launched. In order to pick a team, I decided that it was best to pick a team where a poor college student could reasonably travel to in order to cheer them on. It was between Detroit, 284 miles away and Cleveland, 346 miles away. I picked Cleveland cause my ex had beef with Detroit and if he was going to join me, we had to agree.

Your favorite player: I know a lot of Sky fans will be either ditching Sky altogether or also rooting for the Atlanta Dream due to Angel Reese.

Maybe you have a favorite college player and now that the People’s Princess is in Dallas, your allegiance goes there as well.

Favorite Coach: While I don’t root for the Aces, I did really like Becky Hammon when she was a player, so I don’t get too mad when the Aces win it all. I also love her love of hoodie-blazer outfits. A look I have rocked myself. Can you imagine the swarm of new fans a team would get if Dawn Staley jumped to the W?

Vibes: The preseason runs through this Sunday, so watch the games, check out the vibe of each team. There’s been a lot of shaking up on each team, so whatever a team had last year, it’s gonna be different this season.

Logo or color: This idea seems to be a joke in men’s sports, but goodness, if I was a new fan and didn’t have a team in my city, I’d be a Valkyries fan. Purple AND Norse mythology? Goddess Bless.

What’s next: While I am using the W as an example, I do believe this goes for any sport. Chicago has a lot of teams, but we don’t have a PWHL team. When the league started, I was rooting for Minnesota (good Midwestern gal + for my friend Wendy), but also Toronto for my friends there. THEN I also have friends in Boston. Whew! That was half of the league. When Seattle entered the chat, I went with them. I have family there and I visit a lot. I feel refreshed in Seattle.

For the upcoming Women’s Pro Baseball League, I’m rooting for everyone to have fun. Because the games will be played in Springfield, Illinois, I’m rooting for the whole league. Especially since I want to see expansion where Chicago and St.Louis or Milwaukee get a team and we can build on the men’s baseball rivalries.

While this newsletter and the larger project of supporting women’s sports is my passion project, I still need to buy groceries and buy nachos at games.

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