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Background: Prior studies in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) reported worse player performance after Achilles tendon rupture (ATR). Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to compare time to return to play (RTP) and performance after ATR between NBA and WNBA athletes. It was hypothesized that there would be no relative difference between the NBA and WNBA players. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: ATRs in the NBA between 1987 and 2017 and WNBA between 2006 and 2017 were identified through a rigorous online search of articles. Included athletes had no prior leg injuries and had played ≥3 seasons before and after ATR. Sex, age, position, body mass index, height, years of experience, time to RTP, and player efficiency rating (PER) were recorded. Relative performance was measured by matching injured athletes to uninjured controls in the same league in a 1:2 ratio. Relative differences were compared between leagues, with adjustment for baseline features. Multiple regression analysis was employed to identify variables correlating with RTP and PER. Results: Included were 102 professional basketball players, of whom 34 sustained ATR (21 male, 13 female). Sex/league correlated with differences in RTP (P <.001). There was a significant difference between the WNBA and NBA in PER when comparing 1 year pre- and 1 year postinjury (1.49 ± 0.25 vs 3.87 ± 0.43, respectively; mean ± SD P <.001). Compared with intraleague controls, the relative difference in PER postinjury was 0.81 ± 0.11 (WNBA) and 3.9 ± 0.89 (NBA) (P <.001). Multiple regression analysis indicated that when controlling for years of experience, player position, and age, NBA players took 126 days longer than WNBA players to RTP (P <.001) and NBA players had 9.96 times increased odds of taking >200 days to RTP compared with WNBA players (P =.006). Conclusion: Sex/league was a significant predictor of RTP after ATR. When compared with their respective controls, NBA players saw a greater decrease in postinjury performance than WNBA players. NBA players took longer to RTP than WNBA players. ATRs appear to more negatively affect NBA players than WNBA players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study focused on comparing performance between the WNBA and the Euroleague Women, identifying key variables to optimize key strategies in women's basketball. Objective: To establish a comparison between the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the Euroleague Women (WEL) in different phases of the season (regular season and playoffs). In addition, to obtain the main differentiating variables between these competitions and the "best teams" (those qualified for the playoffs) of each league. Methodology: Data were collected from the 2018/2019 season in the WNBA and 2019 for the WEL, collected from official statistics. Using Discriminant Analysis, the most relevant variables related to victory during the regular season were obtained. Results: Differences in play were observed between the two competitions (in 12 of the 19 variables during the regular season; and in 10 in the playoff sample). The results showed differences between the number of possessions per team, blocks and points between the leagues. Discussion: The comparison between the best teams showed differences in points, total rebounds and defensive rebounds. Only the WNBA teams had a higher percentage of 3-point success. Conclusions: The results of this research could be considered valuable information for coaches in these leagues in order to develop appropriate game strategies considering the importance of each variable in achieving victory. Thus, this work could contribute with new information related to women's basketball to the study of performance, due to the lack of specific research in this area.

When basketball star Brittney Griner was arrested in a Moscow airport in February 2022 and eventually charged with drug smuggling, media coverage was abundant, both in mainstream outlets and more explicitly ideological publications. As an outspoken Black athlete activist and out-lesbian, Griner had already emerged as a prominent cultural figure. This article uses content analysis to examine and compare mainstream and conservative media coverage of the international imbroglio, beginning in March 2022, when journalists revealed that Griner was apprehended in Russia, and ending in December 2022, when the US government secured her release in a high-profile prisoner swap with convicted Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout. We pinpoint the predominant frames that media deployed when covering the situation and its aftermath. Also, we tabulate who journalists turned to for comment in the articles and explore how sourcing decisions affected frame emergence. Mainstream media coverage largely framed Griner's detainment as a Russia problem while, after Griner's release, conservative media used the opportunity to blast President Joseph Biden for his handling of the situation. This research spotlights how official actors and sources wield enormous influence over the framing of events, issues, and problems in the news media as mediated by sourcing selection and reliance on baseline journalistic norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by a comment Shaquille O’Neal made about the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), we ask the following question: Is consumer demand and revenue in sports driven by the entertainment spectacle of the contest or the emotional attachment derived from wins and losses? We answer this question by empirically examining gate revenue in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2000-01 to 2018-19. Utilizing a linear regression with panel corrected errors, we examined the impact on factors like dunking, three-point shooting, star power, and team wins on team gate revenue. Our findings indicate that basketball fans very much care about winning, but they are less interested in how those wins are achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the interrelationships between push and pull factors associated with the consumption of women’s professional basketball games. Multiple factors pertaining to sport consumers’ internal needs, identified as “push” factors, contain various intangible socio-psychological motivations representing an individual’s intrinsic desires that drive consumers toward certain goal-driven behaviors. On the other hand, “pull” factors, related to the supply side, refer to the different aspects of sport products the management of sport teams provides. It is imperative to obtain a better understanding of the push– pull interaction so that sport marketers can design their products to satisfy spectators’ expectations with different needs. Spectators (N = 628) attending WNBA games responded to an on-site survey. CFA was conducted to ensure the psychometric properties of the scales, which showed that the overall model fit the data well. A canonical correlation analysis was performed, and two significant functions were revealed by the dimension reduction analysis. The first function [F(40,2,683) = 4.49, p < 0.001]: I-Want-Everything-Consumer suggests that the market segment comprises individuals with multiple needs (ranged from 0.55 to 0.85) and expectations (ranged from 0.55 to 0.89), both of which need to be met simultaneously. Thus, sports marketers can satisfy WNBA consumers’ needs by enhancing the quality of tangible pull factors. The second function [F(28,2,222) = 2.38, p < 0.001]: Achievement Seekers revealed that the consumers motivated by vicarious achievement (–0.59) expect game promotion (–0.55) rather than the quality of the opposing team (0.42), indicating that sport marketers should provide tailored promotional strategies to satisfy this segment of consumers. Specifically, the findings of this study can be used to segment consumers based upon fan motives (i.e., push factors) and position products accordingly by managing the controllable aspects of sport products (i.e., pull factors). This study provides empirical evidence of the relationship between WNBA consumers’ multiple needs and attributes associated with the WNBA core product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knee injuries are the most common type of injury seen in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). However, there are sparse epidemiologic data regarding these injuries over the past 20 years. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, return to play (RTP) rate/length, and mechanism of knee injuries in the WNBA. We hypothesized that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears would have the highest prevalence and longest RTP times. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Publicly available WNBA injury reports were used to find WNBA athletes who sustained knee injuries. The RTP length was determined by calculating the number of days between the date of the injury and the date of the first game they played after returning. The RTP rate was determined by calculating the number of players who returned to play from each injury compared with the total number of each injury. Incidence of knee injuries, frequency, and time to RTP were calculated for each injury. Available videos were analyzed to determine the mechanism and body position at the time of injury. Results: Overall, 99 WNBA players were identified as having sustained a knee injury during the study period resulting in loss of play. ACL tears (n = 37; 37%) were the most devastating injury, resulting in the longest time before RTP (n = 375 days; 70%). The position with the highest incidence of knee injuries was guard, accounting for 53% of knee injuries. Video analysis conducted on 12 knee injuries revealed that such injuries were most commonly noncontact (83%).The mechanisms of injury were most commonly planting (58%) and landing from a jump (33%) with the knee flexed in the valgus position (100%). Conclusion: Study findings indicated that ACL tears are the most common clinically significant knee injuries sustained in the WNBA, accounting for 37% of total knee injuries with a mean RTP rate of 375 days. The most common mechanism of injury was planting the foot or landing from a jump with a flexed knee in the valgus position. Knee injuries had a high RTP rate in WNBA players but resulted in them missing a significant amount of playing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the interrelationships between push and pull factors associated with the consumption of women’s professional basketball games. Multiple factors pertaining to sport consumers’ internal needs, identified as “push” factors, contain various intangible socio-psychological motivations representing an individual’s intrinsic desires that drive consumers toward certain goal-driven behaviors. On the other hand, “pull” factors, related to the supply side, refer to the different aspects of sport products the management of sport teams provides. It is imperative to obtain a better understanding of the push–pull interaction so that sport marketers can design their products to satisfy spectators’ expectations with different needs. Spectators (N = 628) attending WNBA games responded to an on-site survey. CFA was conducted to ensure the psychometric properties of the scales, which showed that the overall model fit the data well. A canonical correlation analysis was performed, and two significant functions were revealed by the dimension reduction analysis. The first function [F(40,2,683) = 4.49, p < 0.001]: I-Want-Everything-Consumer suggests that the market segment comprises individuals with multiple needs (ranged from 0.55 to 0.85) and expectations (ranged from 0.55 to 0.89), both of which need to be met simultaneously. Thus, sports marketers can satisfy WNBA consumers’ needs by enhancing the quality of tangible pull factors. The second function [F(28,2,222) = 2.38, p < 0.001]: Achievement-Seekers revealed that the consumers motivated by vicarious achievement (–0.59) expect game promotion (–0.55) rather than the quality of the opposing team (0.42), indicating that sport marketers should provide tailored promotional strategies to satisfy this segment of consumers. Specifically, the findings of this study can be used to segment consumers based upon fan motives (i.e., push factors) and position products accordingly by managing the controllable aspects of sport products (i.e., pull factors). This study provides empirical evidence of the relationship between WNBA consumers’ multiple needs and attributes associated with the WNBA core product.

We examine sex differences in a market for high-level managers with simple and clear objectives, head coaches in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). We find equal proportions of males and females as first-time coaches, and limited evidence that males inherit slightly worse teams. Also, when hired, males are older and have more experience. Males have slightly higher winning percentages for the first few seasons of coaches' tenures. Furthermore, we find no difference in survival; it is independent of sex and largely determined by performance. Thus, we find female coaches are not held to higher promotion or retention standards in the WNBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negative consequences of patriarchy include gender inequality in sports. In both the United States and Colombia, the highest level of women's basketball illustrates this problem. This research highlights two social and political dimensions of the problem. First, it exposes discrimination and the way in which the media trivialize the work performed by female basketball players; second, it questions the way in which women players are called "professionals" but are not always treated as such. Through a comparative analysis method, I explain some of the similar gender challenges faced by women's basketball players in both the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the United States and the Superior Women's Basketball League (LSBF) in Colombia. In both countries, women basketball athletes have less media coverage than the men. The Colombian media, however, normalize the labor precariousness experienced by women basketball athletes. Frequently, the media call them "professionals," but they are not treated as such. In America, female athletes have better labor conditions than Colombian women athletes. These conditions, however, are not equal to or better than those of male players in the (men's) NBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Players entering the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) are allocated to teams based on a draft where lower performing teams in the regular season earn the highest odds of selecting the best players, creating an incentive for teams to lose games. Using data from the 2000–2019 seasons, results indicate that WNBA teams are more likely to lose after they have been eliminated from postseason playoffs regardless of the gender of the coach or general manager. Evidence of tanking is concentrated in seasons after the WNBA made a draft lottery change in 2015, which was intended to reduce tanking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception in 1997, the Women's Professional Basketball Association (WNBA) has attempted to present itself as a highly professional sport. With the advantage of its relationship with the successful and established men's National Basketball Association (NBA), the WNBA was able to play in the same arenas immediately, and this included all the trappings of American professional sport, including music, lights, a 'Jumbotron', and half-time entertainment. However, there are important distinctions between the material environments of men's and women's sport, and this has contributed to WNBA games being perceived as unpopular and uneventful. Much of the research on the WNBA has largely focused on the discourses of heteronormativity and gender that structure the league, however by drawing on a new materialist lens and examining the affective forces that circulate the arena, we are better able to understand the WNBA game as an assemblage that develops through the relationship of various material and discursive elements. This article explores the rhizomatic flows of affect that circulate the arena, creating the professional sport spectacle and the stadium assemblage, while highlighting the affective forces of non-human materials, space, and the built environment. It draws upon my ethnographic research with a WNBA team – pseudonymously called the Ravens – and their experience with various arenas, each of which have different histories, stadiums, facilities, entertainment, and relationships to NBA teams. It examines the way in which an affective response is deliberately designed and generated, as the built environment, production values, the crowd, and players' bodies work together to create an arena experience that can either be professional and exciting, or lacklustre and limiting, which in turn can either help or hinder the physical capabilities of WNBA players, and which can direct the 'feel of the game' itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kobe Bryant's legacy was left unfinished when a January 26, 2020, helicopter crash claimed his life, his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant, six of their friends, and the pilot (Fenno, 2020). While Kobe Bryant was known worldwide as one of the all-time greatest men's basketball players and a five-time NBA Champion, he was also on his way to becoming the greatest male ambassador to women's basketball the world has ever known—which prompted the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) to introduce the Kobe and Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award ("WNBA Introduces," 2020). This article examines Kobe Bryant's connections with women's basketball players and women's basketball coaches and administrators, plus his parenting of Gianna Bryant. These considerations lead to a contemplation of Kobe Bryant's unfinished women's basketball legacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there has been research into what teams, leagues, and athletes post on social media and the impact of post content on social media engagement, there is limited understanding and empirical research on the impact of broadcasting media on social sport consumption. There are an increasing number of new media through which sport leagues can distribute their content to fans. This research examines the impact of different broadcast platforms on game day engagement with WNBA team Twitter accounts. Using data for the 2016–2018 seasons, results indicate athlete/team quality and performance were positively associated with post engagement, underscoring the importance of the core sport product and potentially indicating that the WNBA is developing a star-driven culture similar to the NBA. In addition, broadcasting on League Pass or local TV (for home teams) and Twitter were associated with lower post engagement suggesting we have more to learn about maximizing online engagement.

Female physicians are underrepresented across a broad range of medical specialties, especially at senior levels. Previous research demonstrated poor representation of women in sports medicine leadership roles in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) compared to their male colleagues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution of men and women among team physicians on the medical staffs of National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) teams in the last 10 years and assess regional differences in representation of female physicians. A Google search of publicly available data regarding team physician gender, medical specialty, and medical degree was conducted in October 2019 for team physicians in the NBA and WNBA over the last 10 years. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. This data was then stratified by physician specialty and region of country in which NBA/WNBA franchises are located to provide regional comparison of team physician characteristics. We identified 125 team physicians for NBA franchises. Of these, 122 (97.6%) were male and 3 (2.4%) were female. In the WNBA, a total of 28 physicians were identified. 20 (71.4%) were male and 8 (28.6%) were female. The Northeast had the highest proportion of female team physicians, with 5 of 18 (27.8%). Female physicians were represented in the remaining geographic regions as follows: 3 of 41 (7.3%) in the Midwest, 2 of 45 (4.4%) in the South, and 1 of 48 (2.1%) in the West. This study demonstrates a substantial difference in the number of female physicians with leadership roles in both the NBA and WNBA compared to male physicians. It is important to try to understand what barriers female physicians face in their pursuit of upper level positions in sports medicine and to implement strategies to provide equal opportunities to both male and female physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although a sex-based balance in US graduate medical education has been well-documented, a discrepancy remains in orthopaedic surgery. In orthopaedic sports medicine, the representation of women as team physicians has not previously been characterized. Purpose: To quantify the sex-related composition of team physicians of select National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I collegiate and professional teams. Additionally, the authors assess the sex-related composition of orthopaedic surgeon team physicians specifically and compare these proportions to the sex-related composition of orthopaedic surgeon membership of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM). Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Publicly available sex-related data were collected for team physicians in select NCAA Division I collegiate conferences and professional sports organizations. Subspecialty characteristics and sex distribution were described by use of percentages. Chi-square tests were used to assess whether sex distributions of team physicians in collegiate and professional sports were (1) representative between the populations of female and male physicians compared with the general public and (2) representative of the sex-based composition of orthopaedic surgeons nationally. Results: Women represented 12.7% (112/879) of all team physicians and 6.8% (30/443) of all orthopaedic surgeons (P <.0001). More than half (53.9%; 413/767) of male and 26.8% (30/112) of female team physicians were orthopaedic surgeons. In collegiate athletics, women comprised 18.1% of all team physicians and 7.7% of orthopaedic surgeon team physicians. In professional sports, women comprised 6.7% of all team physicians and 6.3% of orthopaedic surgeon team physicians, with the greatest proportion in the Women's National Basketball Association (31.3%). Conclusion: Women comprise a minority of team physicians in select NCAA Division I collegiate and professional sports organizations. When compared with the composition of AOSSM orthopaedic surgeon membership, expected female orthopaedic surgeon representation varies between conferences and leagues with little statistical significance. Although efforts have been made to increase sex-based diversity in orthopaedic surgery, results of this study suggest that barriers affecting female orthopaedic surgeons as team physicians should be identified and addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) players with Achilles tendon ruptures have previously been noted to have a significant decline in performance post-injury. There has been recent anecdotal evidence that elite players with dominant Achilles tendon ruptures may be able to return at a higher level of play post-rupture. Objective This study aimed to evaluate for any differences in performance in higher-performing NBA and WNBA players with dominant versus non-dominant Achilles tendon ruptures pre- and post-injury. Methods This study was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. NBA and WNBA players with an Achilles tendon rupture from 1990 to 2020 were identified. Only elite players, indicated by an average player efficiency rating (PER) of >15 in either of the three seasons pre/post-injury, were included. The average PER, offensive rating, defensive rating, and usage percentage were compared in the three seasons pre- and post-injury. Results Eighteen players met the inclusion criteria, and nine each were classified as dominant and non-dominant Achilles tendon ruptures based on their primary shooting hand. There was no significant difference between the dominant and non-dominant rupture groups in any outcomes pre-injury, including age. The non-dominant cohort had a significant decline in PER (20.04 vs. 14.16; p < 0.001) and offensive rating (110.33 vs. 101.56; p = 0.004) post-injury. There was no significant difference observed post-injury in defensive rating or usage percentage. The dominant cohort had no significant difference in any outcomes post-injury, returning to the same level of play as pre-injury. Despite no difference existing between the groups at baseline, the dominant group performed significantly better post-rupture with regard to PER (19.56 vs. 14.16; p < 0.001) and offensive rating (114.00 vs. 101.56; p < 0.001) versus the non-dominant group. Conclusion Elite NBA and WNBA players with dominant Achilles tendon ruptures had no change in performance post-injury, returning to the same level of production as pre-injury. Post-rupture, they demonstrated notably superior outcomes versus the non-dominant group with regard to PER and offensive rating. The non-dominant rupture group experienced the same decline in PER and offensive rating post-injury observed in previous studies. The data indicate that elite NBA and WNBA players with a dominant Achilles tendon rupture have a much more favorable recovery post-injury and are able to return to the same level of performance., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Weinberg et al.)

In female basketball, the assumed components of success include power, agility, and the proficiency at executing movements using each limb. However, the importance of these attributes in discriminating between playing levels in female basketball has yet to be determined. The purpose of this study was to compare lower-body power, change of direction (COD) speed, agility, and lower-body sidedness between basketball athletes participating in Division 1 Collegiate basketball (United States), Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) (Australia), and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) (United States). Fifteen female athletes from each league (N = 45) completed a double- and single-leg countermovement jump (CMJ), static jump, drop jump, 5-0-5 COD test, and an offensive and a defensive agility test. One-way analysis of variance with post hoc comparisons were conducted to compare differences in physical characteristics (height, body mass, age) and performance outcomes (jump, COD, agility assessments) between playing levels. Separate dependent t-tests were performed to compare lower-body sidedness (left vs. right lower limbs) during the single-leg CMJ jumps (vertical jump height) and 5-0-5 COD test for each limb within each playing level. WNBA athletes displayed significantly greater lower-body power (p = 0.01-0.03) compared with WNBL athletes, significantly faster COD speed (p = 0.02-0.03), and offensive and defensive agility performances (p = 0.02-0.03) compared with WNBL and Collegiate athletes. The WNBL athletes also produced a faster defensive agility performance compared with Collegiate athletes (p = 0.02). Furthermore, WNBA and WNBL athletes exhibited reduced lower-body sidedness compared with Collegiate athletes. These findings indicate the importance of lower-body power, agility, and reduced lower-body imbalances to execute more proficient on-court movements required to compete at higher playing levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 2010–2014 seasons, non-white players with non-white coaches played 4.81 fewer minutes per game on average than white players in the WNBA. This difference in playing time is not due to player endowments. A control for the percentage of the white population suggests fan preferences could contribute to coaching decisions about playing time allocation. No evidence of own-race bias is found. As the first investigation into bias in the WNBA, this paper contributes to the growing literature on discrimination in professional sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reverse-order draft has been the subject of a number of studies in the economics literature. These studies generally examine the quality of decisions teams make in this process. The results in the studies of the NFL, NBA, and MLB all highlight problems with the player evaluation process. This study contributes to this literature and the broader literature on gender economics via an examination of the WNBA. Similar to other studies, we also find issues with decision-making in the WNBA draft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports a study which researches the potential effect of specific injuries on the round drafted into the WNBA by evaluating the spectrum of injuries in athletes entering the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) combine. The results revealed that, reconstruction is the most common surgery in elite female athletes participating in the WNBA combine. Therefore the history of injury or surgery does not affect the round drafted or career length.

Creating an impression through consumer engagement is at the core of activating any sponsorship. Sponsorships can be the most effective form of marketing to consumers as, on average, fans are three times more likely to purchase products and services if they are aware of, and familiar with the brand. Jersey sponsorship is a great way to clear the hurdle but the greatest success will come to those who are clear in their objectives and thoughtful in their implementation execution and measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I use research on the lesbian fans of US women's professional basketball (WNBA) to outline how a set of exclusive cultural politics (re)produces a curious form of self-regulation amongst target consumers. I link leisure geographies and geographies of sexuality through an analysis of lesbian visibility to examine the ways that identity performance is shaped by the implicit cultural politics at work in WNBA arenas. I use Kenji Yoshino's adoption of Erving Goffman's term 'covering' to discuss the ways that normative ideologies are reinforced by management-driven practices and by the self-circumscribing practices of some lesbian fans. I show that covering is noteworthy as both an effect of marginalisation and as a mandate that encourages lesbian fans to reproduce the dominant discourse at work in WNBA arenas. I argue that act of covering illustrates the material effects of normative power relations and the ways that these effects are understood to be a natural outcome of an apolitical economic logic instead of the result of the decidedly political process of spatial production. I contend that attempts to cover give lesbian fans a false sense of power to regulate the reception of their bodies and their enactments of normativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes print media coverage of Sheryl Swoopes' October 2005 announcement that she is a lesbian. An examination of five key themes that emerged in the mainstream, lesbian and gay, and Black press reveals that homonormative and White racial discourses were pervasive. Specifically, the erasure of Swoopes' racial identity was enabled by narratives about the coming out process and the lesbian and gay market. Although there were some disruptions to dominant discourses, the coverage overall served to rearticulate Whiteness and economic individualism as queer norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I demonstrate the importance of employing a feminist geographic framework in order to both read WNBA game spaces and to understand lesbian fan participation within these spaces. I argue that attending to the production of WNBA game spaces makes visible the ways that normative cultural politics become manifest, and brings to the fore the ways that dominant relations are naturalized and rarely questioned. Further, attention to the production of these leisure spaces compels an examination of the relationship between spatialized normativity and claims to, and performances of, lesbian identity. By understanding social space as a productive force, it is possible to conduct a critical reading of the materiality of WNBA game spaces and the implications for the reproduction of naturalized (hetero)normativity. In addition, it illustrates that lesbian fan experiences and interpretations of normative WNBA game spaces must be examined in a framework that takes seriously the factors that inhibit critical engagement with (hetero)normativity, as well as the central role that lesbian fans play in the co-production of these spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Women's National Basketball Association is a professional women's basketball league that is notable for constructing a heteronormative 'family friendly' self-image while maintaining a sizable following of lesbian fans. This article examines this apparent contradiction through two case studies: a kiss-in protest by a group of New York WNBA fans, Lesbians for Liberty, and experiences by Minnesota Lynx lesbian fans of the marketing tactics and daily practices that regulate WNBA game spaces. By highlighting the socio-spatiality of the WNBA venue, it becomes clear how heteronormativity is naturalized, as well as accepted and resisted by lesbian fans in both New York and Minnesota. An overt act of resistance, however, failed to encourage the WNBA to reconsider its policies: the Liberty kiss-in, by situating lesbians as a counterpublic, foreclosed the range of attitudes held by lesbian fans. Moreover, as Minnesota Lynx fans demonstrate, WNBA spaces feel 'safe enough' to many lesbian fans. As a result, there remains a contest over the meanings and practices that define WNBA landscapes. To date, however, normative heterosexuality has contained the presence and visibility of the lesbian fan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the investment in the discursive and spatial construct of 'lesbian community'. This 'community' is identifiable through the social spaces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), where sport and community are connected descriptively and interpretively. To do so, this paper discursively examines fan comments that define WNBA spaces as sites of community. This conversation is situated within the material and discursive context of these spaces, which are continuously remapped as heteronormative by the WNBA. Consequently, this paper concludes that uses of 'lesbian community' discourse within heteronormatively coded spaces points to a key strategy of creating safe spaces in an oppressive social climate. Moreover, 'community' discourse can be read as an assertion of empowerment in a time and place when lesbian spaces have been integrated and sometimes dissolved into the urban landscape, and when there is no clearly identifiable 'lesbian space'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides estimates of differences in game play between the WNBA and NBA. Game outcome measures that are absolute (win or loss) and relative (ratio of final points) both reveal differential impacts of relative characteristics of play (ratio of shooting percentages, rebounding, assists, turnovers, personal fouls, and differences in steals and blocked shots). A stochastic frontier model is estimated and used to generate (relative) efficiency measures of play that further reveal differences between the two leagues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) players have a greater incidence of lower extremity injury compared with male players, yet no data exist on functional outcomes after Achilles tendon rupture (ATR)., Purpose: To evaluate the effect of Achilles tendon repair on game utilization, player performance, and career longevity in WNBA athletes., Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3., Methods: WNBA players from 1997 to 2019 with a history of ATR (n = 12) were matched 1:2 to a healthy control group. Player characteristics, game utilization, and in-game performance data were collected for each athlete, from which the player efficiency rating (PER) was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed comparing postinjury data to preinjury baseline as well as cumulative career data. Changes at each time point relative to the preinjury baseline were also compared between groups., Results: Of the 12 players with ATR, 10 (83.3%) returned to play at the WNBA level at a mean (±SD) of 12.5 ± 3.3 months. Four players participated in only 1 WNBA season after injury. There were no differences in characteristics between the 10 players who returned to play after injury and the control group. After return to play, the WNBA players demonstrated a significant decrease in game utilization compared with preinjury, playing in 6.0 ± 6.9 fewer games, starting in 12.7 ± 15.4 fewer games, and playing 10.2 ± 9.1 fewer minutes per game ( P < .05 for all). After the index date of injury, the players with Achilles repair played 2.1 ± 1.2 more years in the WNBA, while control players played 5.35 ± 3.2 years ( P < .01) Additionally, the players with Achilles repair had a significant decrease in PER in the year after injury compared with preinjury (7.1 ± 5.3 vs 11.0 ± 4.4; P = .02). The reduction in game utilization and decrease in PER in these players was maintained when compared with the matched controls ( P < .05 for both)., Conclusion: The majority of WNBA players who sustained ATR were able to return to sport after their injury; however, their career longevity was shorter than that of healthy controls. There was a significant decrease in game utilization and performance in the year after return to play compared with healthy controls., Competing Interests: One or more of the authors has declared the following potential conflict of interest or source of funding: P.A.K. has received education payments from Pinnacle and hospitality payments from DJO and Exactech. K.R.O. has received educational support from Medwest (Arthrex) and Smith & Nephew and hospitality payments from Medical Device Business Services, Stryker, Wright Medical, and Zimmer Biomet. AOSSM checks author disclosures against the Open Payments Database (OPD). AOSSM has not conducted an independent investigation on the OPD and disclaims any liability or responsibility relating thereto., (© The Author(s) 2021.)