Dijonai Carrington has no trouble speaking her mind. Both before and after Tuesday’s game between the Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun, the WNBA veteran was critical of the league’s coverage of the event — played at a sold-out TD Garden in Boston.
Tuesday marked the first time ever that TD Garden hosted a WNBA game. It was a sellout crowd, with more than 19,000 fans attending the matchup. Carrington’s gripe? The game was not on national television for everyone to watch.
“I’m going to keep it real all the time. I feel like Connecticut, as a franchise, is historically disrespected,” Carrington said. “So, sometimes, you know, if you want something, you have to go out there and do it yourself. That’s what I did.
“I think there could have been a lot more publicity or promo from the top. Connecticut had announced that we were having this game probably a year ago — sometime right after last season. There was ample time to do what needed to be done … and the game should have been on a national television broadcast. You shouldn’t have to pay for any type of subscription to see a game that’s this historic, in my opinion. I’m biased.”
DiJonai Carrington was asked about calling out the WNBA for not sufficiently promoting this game:
“The game should have been on the national television broadcast. You should’t have to pay for any type of subscription to see a game that’s this historic, in my opinion.” pic.twitter.com/gA9A4zRTuI— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) August 21, 2024
Carrington is right. If the league wants to continue to grow and expand its reach, historic events in the league should be available to fans across the country at no cost. It’s one of the easiest ways to reach a broader audience.
Because the game received such little coverage from the league, Carrington took it upon herself to promote the game through social media.
“Since we gotta do our own promo … We’re playing at the TD Garden tonight & it’s SOLD OUT (19K),” Carrington wrote on X. “First W game here ever. Historic. Not on TV, but you can catch it right here on (X).”
The WNBA has made a push to put more regular season games on national television. But failing to make the Sun-Sparks game available to everyone seems like a huge miss for the league.
Connecticut defeated Los Angeles 69-61 to improve to 20-7 on the season. Carrington ended with a game-high 19 points for the Sun.
