Most successful MN sports franchise in last 10 years
Minnesota’s “culture of winning” team, the WNBA Minnesota Lynx, opened their 2015 training camp May 17 in their new downtown facility. They start their new season June 5.
The Lynx are led by their unselfish “Big Three” “engines of excellence,” who helped lead the USA National Basketball team to the 2014 FIBA world championship gold medal:
- Maya Moore, 2014 USA Basketball female athlete of the year, MVP of 2014 FIBA world championships
- Seimone Augustus, A five-time WNBA all-star, MVP of the Lynx 2011 WNBA championship team
- Lindsay Whelan, World and Olympic titles with U.S. Woman’s National Team, two WNBA titles with the Lynx
The Lynx team is Minnesota’s most successful sports team, pro or collegiate, winning WNBA titles in 2011 and 2013, qualifying for WNBA Playoffs six of their 16 years. Their goal this year: win third league title in five years. No other team in Minnesota comes close. This is the most successful part of Glenn Taylor’s sports empire, well managed and much loved by their fans.
And yet this franchise is not treated with the respect they have earned, having done so game after game, year after year. Shame on the two major newspapers of Minneapolis and St. Paul, who report on the other teams as if they are contenders.
We wonder why Sid Hartman, dean of Minnesota sports writers, continues his attitude expressed years ago that he didn’t see any reason to say anything about women playing basketball. Sid: Fans have a reason. Check out the Lynx and find out why.
The Lynx play great, exciting and entertaining basketball. They demonstrate by their play how much they love the game. Our other teams seem to “win” only at making excuses for why they don’t win.
- The Twins: have lost over 100 games for three consecutive years
- The Timberwolves: a dream waiting to come true.
- The Vikings: only four playoff appearances in the past 14 years
- The Wild: qualified for playoffs only six of 15 years; never made it to a league championship series.
- The Gophers basketball team: could not even procure an invitation to the NIT; football team: although seven players were drafted by the NFL for the 2015 season, their W-L record left them with only a midlevel bowl game.
The Lynx win championships. Their fan base has grown in spite of Twin Cities media. It is a pleasure to watch young ladies from pre-school through retirement age to have such pride and love for their Lynx team.
The Lynx is comprised of great young women athletes with a demonstrated desire to win. They have a tremendous commitment to their fans on and off the court. They have earned the right to be the lead story on nightly sports shows and on page one of sports sections.
We need reporters who acknowledge the success of the winningest franchise on the Minnesota sports scene, whether pro or college. The only reporter who has done right by the Lynx is the MSR’s own Charles Hallman.
The Lynx have earned respect for being the sports royalty they are. Let’s show our appreciation for a franchise that has established a culture of winning, a culture of acquiring championships, and a culture of being loved by their fans. I attend games. I urge all my readers to do so. You will have a joyful time.
It takes more than new stadiums or media propaganda to win, although they play their role, and more than big contracts for players that don’t deliver, as with the Twins. But you do achieve it with players who love the game, who know how to win and want to express their appreciation for their fan base by doing so.
Stay tuned.
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