And will Julie Vanloo be a starter for most of the 2024 season?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the WNBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Washington Mystics fans and fans across the country.
This week, we have two questions.
How do you feel about the Las Vegas Aces players’ sponsorship with the city? Do you think the Mystics are at a disadvantage because of it?
Last week, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority announced that they have signed $100,000/year sponsorships with each Aces player. The only thing the players have to do is keep playing for the Aces and do some appearances on behalf of the city. That has sparked a WNBA investigation because the optics appear that these are under-the-table payments for the Aces to go around the WNBA’s hard salary cap.
In short, I’m all for players getting the money they deserve. But as a Mystics fan, I just don’t see the Washington, D.C. tourism authority doing something similar. The nation’s capital may be a great place for people to visit (and DC is one of the Top 10 most visited cities in the United States). But I’m skeptical Washington generates the kind of entertainment revenue Las Vegas does.
When you or most people go to Las Vegas, you’re going there for the casinos, the shows in those casinos and just have a fun time. You’re also paying money for all of those things. In D.C., you can do most touristy things for free because the government pays for the upkeep of the Smithsonian Institution among other things.
Do you see Julie Vanloo starting most of this year?
Vanloo made her first WNBA start yesterday against the Seattle Storm. She is averaging 6.7 points and 5.7 assists per game this season so far. Her turnover percentage of 27.2 percent is way too high, but Vanloo is getting accustomed to WNBA play, so there’s room for improvement.
Anyway, if Brittney Sykes is out for multiple games, that can give Vanloo some time to start more games in the short term. And in the longer term, perhaps the Mystics should decide whether to have Stefanie Dolson come off the bench since Washington is currently using a bigger starting lineup.