Athletes’ lives aren’t open books
I caught your reply on Twitter to someone asking about OG Anunoby, refusing to elaborate on what his personal issues are. Your answer did suggest you might know what his personal issues are. My question, in general terms, is how much do the reporters know about the personal lives/issues of the team members they are covering? How do you and other reporters following a sports team draw that line in the sand between what is reported and not? If one reporter were to cross that line, would you be compelled to follow suit? — Phil I don’t think we know a tremendous amount but we do get to know “things” about young men and women we’re around every day that are personal and that might titillate regular readers. But I don’t divulge and never will unless I am dead certain it’s OK with the person. Like the birth of a child, for instance. Or DeMar’s dad’s health. Or a wedding. If we do come across personal information, I think readers just need to trust my judgment, all lives of athletes are not open books. Nor should they be. Nor should mine be.
I got to see Markelle Fultz for the second time this year (Vs. Raptors) and I don’t know. I just don’t know. Do you know? — Paul M I wish I knew, I could probably make some extra cash offering ideas. But I don’t, I don’t think the Sixers do, I am sure — having watched him try to play alongside Ben Simmons — that his teammates don’t know. I would guess he won’t blossom until he’s moved to another team and the stigma of being a failed No. 1 draft pick might be behind him.
League-wide financial matters aside, do you think a WNBA team could actually do well in a market like Toronto, where tier 2-3 leagues never seem to grab the public’s attention?
I think a team in Vancouver would have a better chance of making it. They’d have the natural Seattle rivalry, and I could actually see fans turn out as a way of proving to the NBA that professional basketball can once again live in B.C. — Luke I’ve thought about Vancouver and am not familiar enough with the women’s sports market to know whether it would go, but I do think co-ownership is important and I can’t imagine the hockey team wanting to delve into basketball. In Toronto, they don’t tend to support “minor” league sports well but I don’t see the WNBA to the NBA the same as I see the AHL to the NHL. For one, the time of the seasons is different and that’s a key to me. Either way, nothing can even remotely happens until the WNBA solves its CBA and financial issues, if they do.
Is it just me, or is scoring way up across the league? The Raptors have hit triple digits in every game this year, and that used to be a big deal (PIZZA!) They’ve go more offence, sure, but a skim around the day’s scores leaves one hard-pressed to find any team finishing a game with less than a century. What’s your take? —D Scoring is up and it’s because the depth of player has never been better, the rules are designed to ramp up scoring and everyone’s fresh and ready to go. There will be some evening out as the long season drones on but not that much. It’s an offensive-oriented league right now. Read more on Doug Smith’s Sports Blog at thestar.com. And if you have a sports question, drop Doug a line at askdoug@thestar.ca. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and punctuation.