WNBA "cashing out on pride" campaign - well, nine teams are

Apparently, the WNBA's new LGBT Pride campaign this year is a success:

At that game two weeks ago between the Chicago Sky and the Tulsa Shock, the Sky Guy, Chicago’s aviation themed mascot, wore a rainbow boa. A couple of players wore rainbow colored shoes. Sky fan Chris Woodard admitted that rainbows aren’t exactly a new sight around the league.

“I have a Mystics t-shirt that’s a rainbow and that must be 10 years old,” Woodard said. “Of course, sometimes a rainbow’s just a rainbow. But it’s very impressive that they took that step, I think. Very impressive.”

That anything at all was different on that Sunday afternoon was lost on some fans. Bryce Jones-Leonard, a veteran of at least ten Sky home games, didn’t even seem to know what it meant when he was told that he was attending the WNBA Pride game.

“Oh yeah, my spirit is up for that,” he said. “Just ready to see this win!”

Bryce Jones-Leonard's attitude is freakin awesome.

It's ironic that the Los Angeles Sparks courted the lesbian community 13 years ago, because they're one of three WNBA teams this summer that don't have a Pride game. The other two are the Sun and Stars.

It makes me wonder why. If it was good enough in 2001, why isn't it OK now, when Los Angeles is that much more advanced - as the rest of the world - in LGBT acceptance? Connecticut is one of the most supportive women's basketball states, and has never been known for homophobia.

Why, when players are doing "pride twitter takeovers," and gay and straight players alike are sporting rainbow-colored shoes, don't all 12 of the league's teams have a Pride night?

Gotta fix that.