The WNBA may not be a mirror image of the NBA when it comes to the play on the court, considering it makes headlines when a woman basketball player dunks, but it has reflected the image of the NBA when it comes to brawls.
A league which has been seeking to capture the attention of the sports viewing audience has finally gotten it, but for all the wrong reasons. The brawl took place Tuesday night between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Detroit Shock and involved some 10 players and an assistant coach.
In fact, so many players were suspended by the league, that they were forced to levy the suspensions in alphabetical order. Among those suspended by the league were Shock assitant coach Rick Mahorn, who tried to breakup the fight, but instead ended up shoving Sparks star Lisa Leslie and Shock forward Plenette Pierson who received the harshest penalyt, a four game suspension, for initiating and escalating the brawl.
The brawl began moments after Sparks forward Candance Parker and Detroit’s Cheryl For had to be seperated after Ford fouled Parker. On the ensuing possession, Parker and Detroit’s Plenette Pierson got tangled up and Parker fell to the ground. Pierson stood over Parker who then pulled Pierson to the ground. Parker was then tackled by the Shock’s Deanna Nolan. The teams benched cleared and players and coaches from both teams joined in on the fight. Rick Mahorn said he got involved simply to separate the players and put an end to the brawl, but at some point he pushed Leslie to the ground which resulted in Los Angeles’ Delisha Milton-Jones pushing and punching Mahorn in the back.
At the end of the brawl Ford left the court in a wheelchair having torn a ligament in her knee trying to restrain Pierson and will miss the remainder of the season. The rest of the players involved in the brawl all received suspensions and fines which ranged from $500 to $1,500 for Pierson.
So what does the brawl say about the WNBA? Well, it says a lot of different things actually. First, it says that women can be every bit as bad as men when it comes to restraining their emotions on the court. Second, it says that these women play the game with passion and fire which can be taken as a positive. Third, It further demonstrates the competitive spirit that all these women possess. However, the WNBA cannot be happy about the fact that the only buzz this league can generate is when there is a bench clearing brawl, not exactly a strong PR campaign for the league.
Also of note, how ironic is it that this brawl took place at the same exact arena that the infamous brawl between the Pistons and Pacers took place? They should seriously consider getting some extra security at The Palace to prevent this type of thing from becoming a trend.