Diana Taurasi Named to WNBA All-Star Team: Is It Right?

With great power comes great responsibility.

Looking through the recently released WNBA all star reserve lists, this was the first thing to pop into my head. No, I’m not exactly the biggest comic book fan in the world and I’ve only seen about 2.5 of the three Spiderman movies (for those keeping score, my favorite is the second one). There was one glaring addition to the Western Conference roster that stuck out a bit amidst the likes of Charde Houston, Sophia Young, and Nicky Anosike, young players getting some of their first tastes of what it is to be in the upper echelon of the league. The name? Diana Taurasi.

I realize Taurasi is a special player with seemingly unending gifts; she’s the second leading scorer in the league, a rather respectable rebounder, and one of the strongest leaders anyone could ask for on a basketball court. She’s the type of player anyone would kill to have on their roster and the type of player that will frustrate every other team she faces. Her outside shot is a dagger in the heart of those teams, her cool demeanor even more maddening. She has put up the type of numbers (21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks per game) that a lot of players dream of.

But this isn’t about Diana Taurasi the player. Earlier in the season, she was arrested for drunk driving (and subsequently suspended for two games), but one can’t help but feel the preferential treatment the WNBA is giving one of their most recognizable faces. While the league is having upticks in attendance and TV ratings, they can’t seem to have the true breakout season they need to establish the decade-old association as a premiere league to watch in American sports. They’ve stayed grouped with Major League Soccer, the Indy Racing League, and the National Hockey League in terms of popularity (i.e. not very), so the more stars that the league can put forth, the better their exposure, right?

Well, this isn’t the type of exposure that the WNBA should be getting to promote their product. Case in point: Detroit Shock forward Kara Braxton was suspended for 6 games to begin the season for the exact same offense. No disrespect to Kara Braxton, but she’s not exactly the face of the flashy WNBA marketing campaigns that run on ESPN. Diana Taurasi is. Braxton is someone that could be deemed "expendable" by the powers that be, a solid player but one whose presence would only be sorely missed by Shock fans. While I’m sure Braxton was also eligible to be named to the team, Taurasi’s inclusion is much more damaging, considering the recent time frame of the events, the limited punishment (if she was only going to get two games, I feel as if there should have been some other condition to her suspension), and the severity of her blood-alcohol content (0.17, more than twice the legal limit). Consistency is key, Donna Orender. Consistency is key.

Finally, the most positive thing about the WNBA is the visibility it provides female athletes. It may not be on the same level as a lot of other sports but that doesn’t diminish the fact that they have a built-in audience of young girls, girls who may be inspired to pick up a basketball because it looks like fun or they finally have someone to look up to. These girls see the professionals as role models, people they can aspire to be and hopefully one day they, too, can be apart of the most prominent professional sports league for females in the United States.

The WNBA is doing them a disservice by allowing Taurasi to be on the roster for the All-Star Game; instead of keeping the American tradition going of “stars can do what they want and get a slap on the wrist”, the league could have shown young girls that while being athletically gifted is a true blessing, one has to be able to take ownership of their actions to be a true All-Star. Sometimes we don’t get what we want and while Taurasi deserves an All-Star bid for her stellar play on the court, her actions have negated said play. The WNBA needs a strong, positive parade of athletes to spread what is good about the game in order to grow, not the tabloid spectacle that All-Star weekend should be with Taurasi there.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Perhaps the WNBA (and Diana Taurasi) should invest in a few comic books. They could learn something.

Comments

[WestCoastFan]

Not quite. Kara Braxton was suspended 6 games for her *second* DUI. She and another player (Brunson?) were suspended 2 games for a *first* offense, just like Diana.

[Shilo Adams]

Hey, WestCoastFan. I don't know, my main thought is just that the league needs a harsher punishment for offenses like this. Two games isn't very many (regardless of who it is) and to me, they should send a message that if you mess up, you'll have to face some severe consequences. Thank you for reading and commenting. :)

[Pattie]

Shilo, I agree with your thoughts on the subject, but as westcoastfan said, they DID treat both players, that you compared, with the same punishment. This was an All-Star game, a game played by the stars, & no deniging, Diane is a Star & the timing was bad BUT the fans also voted BEFORE the announcement of the DUI. I want to Thank You for not comparing the WNBA with the NBA. They are their own leagues & WAY DIFFERENT!