Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below the main deck of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken have been hard at work, doing due diligence and racking up reams of research material on all things sports-related ...
At least that’s what they call it.
Anyway, so these two lunkheads won’t whine all day, we first look at hockey. For those among you who don’t pay close attention to the sport, no, you did not fall asleep this time last year and wake up a year later to a world in which nothing has changed. For the second year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals. Once again, it will be the all-world skills of Connor McDavid, arguably the world’s best hockey player at present, and company versus the Paw Patrol with their unique blend of talent and an innate ability to aggravate the opposing team out of their collective mind.
Basketball is almost set for its championship round, with the Oklahoma City Thunder awaiting the winner of the Indiana Pacers—New York Knicks tilt in which the Pacers, as of today (May 30, 2025), enjoy a three games to two advantage. Imagine the excitement coursing through the halls of NBA headquarters in New York at the thought of a Pacers—Thunder finals! Just think of the television ratings going through the roof! Granted, it will be the roof of the nearest brownstone as they tumble off the top of whichever Manhattan skyscraper the NBA offices occupy, but details. It will be interesting to see what the viewership will be if it’s between Indiana and Oklahoma City. Once you subtract the total population of Oklahoma and Indiana, the remaining number of people watching will be the exact number of authentic basketball fans in the land.
There is basketball going on aside from the NBA, much to the dismay of those who’d rather listen to an high school valedictorian lecture all in attendance at graduation how they are going to save the world than watch the WNBA. Something remarkable and not altogether unexpected is happening in what the late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen referred to as “Baghdad-by-the-Bay.” The Golden State Valkyries are playing at a competitive level, especially for an expansion team with barely a month combined of training camp, preseason, and now regular season under their shields and scabbards. As of today (March 30, 2025), the Valkyries have a better record at 2-3 than Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky (a momentary pause for snickering before continuing). The team boasts ticket sales that many NBA teams can only dream of, let alone WNBA teams, especially when Caitlin Clark is not in town, with over 15,000 season ticket plans purchased. The Valkyries have packed out Chase Center, which the Warriors share with them, for every home game thus far, with no end to the waves of humanity in sight.
Taking advantage of my land job at a sporting goods store, I’ve had multiple conversations with customers purchasing Valkyries apparel. The buyers are a varied lot. There are the diehard local sports fans who would fervently follow a professional tiddleywinks team should it be located in the San Francisco Bay Area. You have basketball junkies who could honestly care less whether it’s men’s or women’s basketball as long as there is hoopin’ going on. A fair share of purchasers have commented that their mom, wife, sisters, or daughters are beyond ecstatic to have a team of their own. And yes, there are guys unashamedly buying shirts and hats for themselves.
Before anyone assumes Golden State’s success is a harbinger of sweet success ahead for the WNBA, it requires noting that the Valkyries have inherent advantages no other WNBA team enjoys. There is location, location, location. There are a lot of people living out here, and a lot more of them are sports-minded than for which they are given credit. Also, the area has a history of successful women’s basketball, with many years of Stanford often being in the NCAA championship conversation, if not winning the title outright. Plus, one must factor in ownership. Joe Lacob, who owns the team, also owns the Warriors and has brought to the Valkyries organization the same single-minded focus on winning as the only acceptable course of action that has made Steph Curry and company a premiere team in the NBA. Third, the Valkyries know what is going on around the world. The roster boasts a strong international flavor, featuring two players from France, two from Belgium, and one each from Australia, the United Kingdom, and Italy. The Valkyries play an international-style game, heavy on defense and a willingness to share the ball. Their three-point shooting is streaky at best, and it is clear the team is still a work in progress. But they’re not bad, and they bring joy to their fans. Which is the point of professional sports, n’est ce pas?
Enjoy the weekend, everyone.
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