For my Birthday, I want...
I don't want a lot of things for my birthday, but these things would make me happy.
A list of birthday wishes within the sports world
It's my birthday today. I've grown to appreciate them the less young that I get, but I still have trouble celebrating them. This year, all I wanted was to take my dog, Jillian, to the dog beach in Atlanta. It was a perfect day, and just look how happy she was.
I swear I tried to resize the image, but Ghost wasn't allowing me to. Who cares? She's perfect in every single way.
I've been thinking more and more about what I want to do next year since it's a milestone birthday (even though it's arbitrary, whatever), and I really want to take a solo trip somewhere. We'll see what the world looks like then.
But for this year, I decided to make a birthday list as a sports fan. Here are the things that I'm wishing for on this, the anniversary of my birth.
Wish 1: Better Communication from the WNBA
The WNBA is really bad at communicating things. Like, it struggles to market itself, and it really struggles to address anything head on.
I was shocked last year when I got a response during the whole Christine Brennan incident with the Connecticut Sun when they said that Brennan never filed a grievance against the Sun or their players.
But they really, really struggle with communication overall. I got the heads up that the league was expanding in 2028 earlier this year, worked in a pre-write, interviewed players from Cleveland and residents of Cleveland to have the story ready to go. I only had one true source on the record, and I believe in having at least two on the record to run something.
I reached out to multiple contacts of the league to confirm on the record or at least on background, and nothing.
Then, this week, I reached out to see if the league had a statement on Philadelphia 76ers owner and the upcoming expansion WNBA team in Philadelphia, Josh Harris, being named by the Epstein Estate in the latest daily planning documents that have come out.
It's, like, a pretty big deal to have an owner of a franchise being linked to Epstein. I reached out to two sources at the league office on Friday, and I heard nothing back.
I sent a text to a league source – one of the ones that I emailed - on Saturday to follow up, and I didn't receive a response.
The text was read, though.
But that same day, the official league communications Twitter account put out a press release announcing that Cheryl Reeve was suspended for Game 4 for her actions during the game and comments after them (we'll get to it).
They should be announcing that.
They should also be issuing a statement about a known pedophile and connections to an owner of the upcoming expansion team.
I love the league. I love doing fun activities with the league. But I also love journalism. I'll ask the hard questions, because they need to be asked.
And even if they don't respond, I'll continue to hold them accountable.
Wish 2: Better Officiating in the WNBA
Cheryl Reeve went off after the Minnesota Lynx lost Game 3 to the Phoenix Mercury.
She dropped variations of the word "fuck" three times on ESPN, calling out the league, the officiating, and the physical play.
"I want to call for a change of leadership at the league level when it comes to officiating," Cheryl Reeve said.
She said that the league deeming the three officials who reffed the game being suitable options (paraphrasing) for the WNBA semifinals was "fucking malpractice."
The end of the segment where Cheryl Reeve dropped 3 f-bombs that aired live on ESPN prompting Buccigross to refer to it as a walkoff hat trick of f-bombs
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) September 27, 2025 at 12:41 AM
[image or embed]
It's hard to disagree with her, really. Officiating throughout the league has been a topic of discussion all season, and really, for as long as the league has been around. But with the increased attention the league is getting, the officiating is being discussed more and more.
The refs in the WNBA are not full time like they are in the WNBA. Instead, they earn around $1,500 per game on average. Without having full-time refs, these issues will continue to happen.
Missed calls. Swallowing the whistle. Increased physicality. Increased injuries (I don't blame Phee's injury on the officiating, fwiw). Increased free-throw disparity.
There are way too many games that come down to the referees. Minnesota has fallen victim to it in 2024 (the WNBA Finals) and now in the semifinals this year.
And they aren't alone. Every single team has had enough of it.
Rhyne Howard called them out earlier this year. Becky Hammon has, too. Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham have been fined for their criticism of the refs.
You name the team, and I'll show you a player or coach criticizing them.
It's on them to be better, yes, but it's on the WNBA to have the infrastructure in place to make them full time so that they are set up for success.
Wish 3: Enough of the Gambling
I realize that I sound like an old man. That's fine. I'm OK with it. And the thing is, I don't mind gambling in moderation.
Let's not get it twisted – it's dangerous, addicting, harmful, and everything else. But do I enjoy putting $5 down on a game that I don't care about to give me a rooting interest? Yeah, I do.
But it's way too much right now, man. Every game line, every spread, every prop, every outcome, plastered everywhere.
Look at the number of stories of athletes being harassed by fans after a game because they had a performance that didn't align with the outcome that the bettor bet on. It's exhausting, and we can't escape it.
What's more, it's predatory. Notice how all of the sportsbooks push for parlays. "The more you wager, the more you win!"
Do ... do you think that they want you to win?
With every parlay leg you add, the odds of the bet go way down, but the potential payout goes way up.
The smart way to bet, if you are doing it, is straight bets. Not parlays. But because the payout on a $5 bet might only be $4, people won't do it.
But if they need Geno Smith to rush for 13.5 yards, Alyssa Thomas to get a triple double, A'ja Wilson to post a 20-20 games, while Mike Trout hits a home run, and Sidney Crosby scores a preseason goal all at once for a payout of $280 on a $5 bet, they'll do it.
And we can't escape it. In articles. In arenas. On TV. From the broadcasters. It's just shoved down our throats about how easy it is to wager from our mobile devices.
I regret my part in amplifying it when I was with The Athletic and The Game Day, and FantasyPros when we had to write about gambling.
Stop, please.
Wish 4: Stop Believing Facebook Memes
My biggest wish (that isn't an actual one like freeing Palestine and releasing the Epstein Files) is that people would stop using Facebook as a news source.
I could have ended that sentence after "stop using Facebook," but I'm a realist.
I have had to get on there more lately for work, and I hate every second of it.
I especially hate it because it is filled with so many pages that are obviously satire but people don't realize they are satire.
How do I know this?
Because people will mention "well I saw that Angel Reese's shoes were a flop and couldn't sell, sending Reebok panicking."
Oh, you mean this post?
Or this one?
Or this one?
And those are just a few of the ones about Angel Reese.
I actually received a text message about this one asking "Did you see this? Is it real?"
I like jokes. I like funny jokes. But man, this shit is so dumb. And I am not at all blind to the fact that the majority of these are putting down Black women such as Reese as people continue to vilify her.
Be normal and get your news from TikTok like the rest of us (I am joking. Please support actual journalists right now).
Wish 5: Can the NBA Care About its Fans?
Speaking of my birthday, my best friend Andrew texted me last week saying "I got NBA League Pass again this year. On me. Happy early birthday!"
Great guy, that Andrew.
And I love NBA League Pass. I make sure that Andrew gets his money's worth by having games on constantly.
But you also need subscriptions to other platforms to watch all NBA games.
ESPN. ABC. Amazon Prime. NBC. Peacock.
It's a lot, and it's no different than any other league out there (MLB, NFL, WNBA, wrestling, etc.). It's part of being a sports fan, sadly.
But when the commissioner, Adam Silver, who I like overall, was asked about it, here's what he had to say:
Oh good!
Now, I know Silver wishes that he could answer that again in a different way, but he can't. He's essentially saying stop being poor, you poors.
If you can't afford to watch your favorite teams or any team, really, you can watch clips on social media.
For a billion dollar organization, the W/NBA needs to retool its communication strategy.
Because it sucks.
Wish 6: Can we Stop Getting New Jerseys Every Year?
Leagues are greedy. We know this. The reason that we get new City Edition jerseys in the NBA every single year is because of the deal that the league has with Nike. They sell, so they have to put out low-effort jerseys each year, trying to find a new connection to the city.
And it's exhausting as a consumer.
Not only does it make you not want to buy a jersey because it'll be out of style in a year, but the jerseys also just look like shit.
The only new jerseys that hit each year are the new NWSL and MLS kits. The effort is at least there, where with the NBA, it's a yellow highlighter saying JAZZ on it.
I will, though, give the NBA credit for this year's jerseys. They are really playing to the nostalgia with throwback jerseys for multiple franchises, including the Grizzlies, 76ers, Timberwolves, and more.
While the jerseys absolutely fuck, the patches for the advertisers absolutely suck.
Let it breathe for a bit. Allow us to invest in a jersey and a brand for at least a season or two.
Sami Whitcomb is a Hooper
I sat down with Sami Whitcomb in Atlanta before a game on August 1. I've been a fan of her game, and I had about an eight-minute chat with her before the game. We were sitting on the Mercury bench, just chatting.
She's a great interview, and seems like a fantastic person.
The thing is ... I was stuck. I wrote a version of the story and deleted it all.
I wrote a second version, filed it, and then told them "no, it's not ready." I deleted it again.
I. Was. Stuck.
But then, Whitcomb hit a clutch shot in Game 2 last week for the Mercury, and everything finally clicked.
I sat down and I wrote the final version of the story in 36 minutes.
It went live on Winsidr this past week, and I'm happy with how it turned out.
Give it a read.
Until Next Time
I'll see you all on Friday. Or before that. Who knows. We'll see what happens this week.
I love you awesome nerds.
