Geno Auriemma wants the media noise around women's basketball to shift. The decorated UConn coach appeared on TODAY this week to push back on the wave of WNBA controversy dominating headlines this season. To him, the noise is drowning out the game.
Geno Auriemma Weighs in on WNBA Media Discourse
"It's a shame because for years we've wanted more attention paid to women's sports, craved the attention, wanted it, deserved it, and it never came to the extent that it is today," Auriemma said. "And now the attention unfortunately is on the wrong things."
Auriemma owns 12 NCAA Division I titles, the most of any coach in the sport. He additionally holds the all-time NCAA basketball wins record.
He described his approach to college ball as only concentrating on things that "have to do with winning." He urged the league to do the same, and to redirect the spotlight.
Instead of "hypothetical things that may or may not happen," Auriemma wants fans to focus on the young players entering the league and the rising level of play.
Sophie Cunningham Spurs WNBA Officiating Controversy
Right now, the WNBA media discourse keeps veering off the court. And much of it has centered on the physical play against Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
Then, Clark's Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham added another layer when she espoused comments opposing transgender athelete inclusion in an ESPN feature. Media reactions have rippled across the league ever since — much to Geno Auriemma's dismay.
