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WNBA FINALS: FEVER v LYNX

October 6, 2015

Laurel Richie

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Game Two

Q. [No microphone].
LAUREL RICHIE: Yeah, we launched a new website this year, and we did that to optimize our presence and to make it easier for our digital platform to work in a very integrated way. I'll admit that there were some kinks that needed to be worked out. We did that, and we're seeing our digital numbers at year end, some nice increases as a result of that.
So perhaps a slower start than we would have liked, but I think the end point was worth a little bit of struggle along the way, which always comes with a little bit of innovation.

Q. To follow up on a question I asked about the celebration, it's always been a concern that the WNBA is almost out of sight for too long. So is there some way, some thought about using the NBA season starting in November, all the way into the Final Four, where you talk about WNBA periodically, on NBA TV or something like that, so people can keep the focus a little bit?
LAUREL RICHIE: I think our footprint will be longer. I don't think it will quite get all the way to 52 weeks, but I think it will be longer than it has been in the past.

Q. Did you have a conversation at any point with FIBA about bringing the World Championship to the U.S.? With U.S. women's soccer, even to have the tournament in North America in Canada and to have the TV exposure, there was such momentum for U.S. soccer after that and exposure for the players. Was there a conversation at some point about bringing the World Championships and trying to set something up where these players get to play on that stage here?
LAUREL RICHIE: I think that's a great question. I know Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner, serves on that board, and I don't know directly from him whether that has been the degree to which it has been brought up and seriously considered, but I think you're absolutely right. I think that would be an incredible opportunity.

Q. And something that the league might try and champion if it sounded like something that would work?
LAUREL RICHIE: Yeah, that's always one of those where there are great ideas, and then there's great execution of great ideas. But I would be open to having that conversation.

Q. I'm going to ask one more follow‑up. We had a little interesting dinner conversation last night about integrating some WNBA players, perhaps during the off‑season, into the pop culture sphere? Trying to place somebody on Dancing With the Stars, for example, or talk shows or things like that. Is there, maybe with the 20th anniversary season, an effort to put some of the players in a more mainstream spotlight that way?
LAUREL RICHIE: Absolutely. I think, particularly, two reasons‑‑ one, in anticipation of our 20th season. And, two, we're finding that more and more of our players are choosing to stay stateside in the off‑season to pursue a whole host of interests, whether that's increased training or going back to school or doing internships or whatever that may‑‑ running their own foundation. So I think that would be fabulous. I think that's how you start to get a little bit of traction and some awareness beyond the core basketball fan.

Q. Laurel, did you see‑‑ Sheryl Swoopes said some comments about feeling like today's players don't have the same passion. Frankly, she had some things to say about putting your business out there. I don't know if you had a chance to read it, but were you at all disappointed that a league alum might have said that?
LAUREL RICHIE: I guess my first reaction is, you know, I talk to a lot of players. Particularly by this time of the season, I've been to each market at least once. That's not my personal experience, both watching the game, meeting with players, talking with players, having casual conversations with them way outside of the realm of the game.
I never leave a conversation with a player with anything other than incredible admiration for their passion, their drive, and their commitment. So I can't speak to Sheryl's experience. I can only speak to my own experience and say that it is 100 percent counter to what she shared in that article. And with respect to‑‑

Q. She's fairly critical of Brittney and Glory specifically. Those comments could be taken as being almost counterintuitive, I feel like, to be frank, to the openness that the league has had to LGBT lifestyle.
LAUREL RICHIE: I can only speak again through my experience in working with Brittney and Glory through that process. I have spent significantly more time with Brittney, and from my experience, I think I am incredibly proud of the way she has handled this. I think she's admitted that she made a mistake. She's gone through counseling that the court asked for, counseling that we asked for. She did not push back and argue with the penalty portion.
And every time I hear her speak about this, she speaks to what she's learned, what she will do differently. So she didn't walk away from it. She owned it, learned from it, moved on, and had a terrific season when she came back.
So from where I sit, I couldn't be prouder of the way she took a very serious and unfortunate event and learned from it. And also, I think, particularly from for young people, she's sharing what she's learned. So not only is this really good for Brittney, but I think she's helping young kids who may find themselves in situations that they shouldn't be in and don't want to be in. I think the way in which she's now talking about her experience is, I think, quite frankly, a gift to other people.

Q. Is there a positive around all this in that mainstream media actually paid attention to that story?
LAUREL RICHIE: I don't know how to answer that question truthfully. I think I always welcome people following the league and want them to come and experience our product. So that's the way in which I would always prefer that they come to us through the game and through our players. But, again, as I said, I think the way in which Brittney, in particular, because I've spent more time with her, has handled herself in this situation has made me very proud of her.
So if people see that part of that incident and that event, then I think it's‑‑ I think it bodes well for the league.

Q. One other thing with that, did it seem like there was a lot of attention given not only to that but also to Diana's decision not to play? I guess what I'm asking‑‑ and I didn't phrase this very artfully, and I apologize. Does it say something about the league that off‑season stuff is now more and more mainstream media are paying attention to off‑season stuff? Do you see what I'm saying?
LAUREL RICHIE: Yeah, I think the media paying attention to us, I think, is one of the indicators that we are achieving some of our goals of being‑‑ of heightened awareness and heightened relevance. So, yes, in that respect, I do feel like we had significantly more coverage this year, and I think it was coverage of the game. However people got to us, they eventually got to covering our players and the game, which is what I'm most interested in.

Q. Were you relieved to see that no other players followed Diana's lead and sat out the season?
LAUREL RICHIE: I truly believe these are decisions players are going to have to make on their own, based on their life and their career. The piece that I think I'm most excited about is I think I've seen Diana a couple of times, and she looks great, and she seems happy. I think it was more than a coincidence that I believe our first player of the week this year was DeWanna Bonner. And I think one of the upsides of Diana choosing to sit out is I think there's some people in Phoenix and beyond who got to see the depth and breadth of talent in the league, and very particularly within the Phoenix Mercury team.

Q. To follow up on that, Karen [indiscernible] said yesterday she feels there's still too much attention given to the league when it's negative things, as opposed to talking about positive things like the great postseason thing. Does she have some validity on that statement when she says that, that it's still more on the off‑season incident where Isiah Thomas is trying to become an owner and not enough about the champions?
LAUREL RICHIE: In full truth and transparency, I really focus on those who cover the game, the league, our players. I don't think it's the highest and best use of my time to worry about nay sayers or negative press. I spend my time thinking about what more can I do and what more can we do to promote the great stories, to promote the great players, and to promote the great competition.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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