The WNBA's coming out story; plus, the dangers of sports betting

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2023

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This year, the WNBA had its most-watched regular season in 21 years, but what went into creating this new moment of visibility for the league? Host Brittany Luse is joined by Katie Barnes, author of Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates to unpack the league's initial 'Barbie girl' image, the trailblazers who pushed the WNBA to become the first professional sports league to celebrate Pride, and what it means for an athlete to 'authentically' express themselves.

Then, we explore the growth of sports betting. Sports betting went from a somewhat shameful hobby to something that is fully mainstream - with billions of dollars in bets placed. Dr. Timothy Fong, an addiction specialist, joins Brittany to talk about the associated risks with the growth of sports betting.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for NPR and the following message come from St. Martin's Press,
0:03.8	publishers of the new book from Bettina L. Love, Punished for Dreaming,
0:08.0	which reckons with the impact of 40 years of public school policy on generations of Black Lives.
0:14.0	It's available wherever books and audiobooks are sold.
0:21.3	You're listening to it's been a minute from NPR. I'm Brittany Loose.
0:25.9	Today, I'm going to talk about sports.
0:29.7	Which word on the street is not the hottest cup of tea for the average NPR listener?
0:35.6	And believe I am no sports fan either. Far from it. Football will put me to sleep.
0:42.3	And I couldn't tell you which team LeBron James plays for.
0:45.2	But that all changed. When not too long ago, I found myself at my very first New York Liberty
0:53.2	game. Here in Brooklyn and we're off and it's Brandon Stewart getting the tag.
0:57.8	And when I left Barclay Center, I felt ready to be a fan for life.
1:07.4	And it's not just the energy of the crowd that pulled me in.
1:10.7	The WNBA has been so full of iconic moments this season.
1:15.2	There was Brittany Griner's return to the game after nearly 10 months in Russian detainment.
1:20.7	PG! Bad in her back!
1:25.4	There was Ace's player, Aja Wilson's first 40-point game in August.
1:33.2	And then there was Liberty player Sabrina Yonescu, who set a new three-point shootout record
1:38.7	during all-star weekend.
1:40.0	I am being told that that is an all-time record for NBA and WNBA three-point shooting.
1:46.8	And I'm not alone in my newfound fandom.
1:50.3	And it's something that's been building for the last few years.
	...

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