Washington Mystics

I’ve never fully understood why women’s basketball gets so little respect from fans of traditional men’s sports. The game played in the WNBA is surely similar to the pre-dunk game men played in the ‘50s. It's a team concept based on movement and screens.

The bias against the league, I suspect, is actually a unfortunate bias against the perceived fans of the game.

About 6,000 Washingtonians of all stripes attended a Mystics game at the MCI Center last week, where the home team, led by the incredible Alana Beard, beat the outclassed Charlotte Sting. Interestingly, the crowd was not integrated by type. For the most part, women fans sat in the massive arena’s second tier, basketball junkies sat behind the baskets, and corporate types had the best courtside seats.

But everyone was involved in the raucous event. Outside of professional football, I’ve rarely encountered the raucous mania for a professional sports team demonstrated by Mystics fans.

People interested in Kansas City’s Sprint Arena should know that the MCI Center was constructed at in already thriving neighborhood adjacent to downtown D.C.’s Chinatown. The building has four levels, a swanky membership-only saloon, a movie theater, and best of all, plush cushioned seats. My only complaint is with the disagreeable ushers who strongly discourage opportunistic fans from claiming empty seats.