The conversations surrounding Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have dominated the 2024 WNBA season. With so much attention on these young phenoms, not to mention the other superstars on the court, team broadcasters can often fly under the radar in terms of recognition.
That changes today as Awful Announcing’s readers have voted on their favorite (and least favorite) local WNBA broadcast teams for the 2024 season.
A little over 3,500 votes were cast, with an average grade of 2.74. 30.5% of votes cast were A grades, 30.8% were B grades, and C, D, and F grades combined to make up 38.7% of the votes. The Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces received the most votes, while the Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics received the least.
One thing to note is that no broadcasting team did “poorly” in the grades. Even the announcers who came in last place received plenty of A and B grades. Some just received more than others.
Apologies in advance if we forget to name any announcers or reporters who work on specific teams. We do our best to identify everyone based on official team and network information.
And now, let’s get to the rankings!
12. Dallas Wings
Play-by-play: Ron Thulin
Analysts: Fran Harris, Nancy Lieberman, Sheryl Swoopes
Sideline Reporter: ShaVonne Herndon
Most Common Grade: B (26% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 63.2% of votes
While this vote was fairly split across all of the grades, they did receive the highest percentage of F grades of any team (20.5%). Based on the comments and reasonings provided for scores, we have a hard time determining how much this ranking reflects the true quality of the Wings’ broadcasting team and how much it’s based on pushback against part-time analyst Sheryl Swoopes for her Caitlin Clark commentary. Lieberman wasn’t immune from criticism either. “More Fran Harris, less Swoopes, and Lieberman,” said one person. Thulin did receive praise as “a pro” and for being “very enthusiastic” on the call.
11. Phoenix Mercury
Play-by-play: Cindy Brunson
Analysts: Ann Meyers-Drysdale
Most Common Grade: B (29.1% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 73% of votes
People who like Brunson and Meyers-Drysdale really like their “good broadcasts,” saying they’re “top-notch professionals” who are “really good,” “non-biased,” and the “best crew in the league.” Ultimately, 73% of their grades were A, B, or C, so they must be doing something right.
10. Chicago Sky
Play-by-play: Lisa Byington, Jason Ross Jr.
Analysts: Stephen Bardo, Shimmy Gray-Miller, Awvee Storey
Sideline Reporter: Marke Freeman
Most Common Grade: B (30.8% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 75.2% of votes
This placement is a good example of how grades were positive overall, as almost 50% of the votes the Sky’s team received were A or B. Commenters were split on the broadcast quality, with some praising “incredibly underrated” Byington’s “solid” work. Some felt that the announcing team wasn’t supportive enough of the Sky. While some appreciate that Bardo “knows the game,” others would prefer less “forced jokes.”
9. Seattle Storm
Play-by-play: Dick Fain
Analysts: Elise Woodward
Sideline Reporter: Piper Shaw, Alyssa Charlston
Most Common Grade: C (27.4% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 77.1% of votes
Fain and Woodward have been calling Storm games together for 16 seasons, and that kind of chemistry pays off. “Lots of energy,” “passionate,” and “know the game” were among their descriptors. Woodward received a notable amount of praise for her work. While plenty of people enjoy Fain, detractors also pointed out how much he “screams.” “Why does Dick Fain yell so much?” asked one. Others feel the broadcasters are partisan “cheerleaders,” though we’d imagine most Storm fans wouldn’t see that as a problem. While they received a lot of C grades, their overall score was brought up thanks to receiving almost 50% A and B grades.
8. Los Angeles Sparks
Play-by-play: Rahshaun Haylock, Mike Trudell
Analysts: Mary Murphy, Allie Clifton
Sideline Reporter: Nikki Kay
Most Common Grade: B (39.6% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 80% of votes
Voters found a lot to like about the Sparks booth, starting with Haylock, who “gets an A for effort and enthusiasm,” is “always on point,” and is a “hidden gem.” Mary Murphy also got similar shoutouts for being “so good,” “great,” and “excellent.” This broadcasting team hasn’t been together for very long, so if they can continue building on the good vibes, we’d imagine they’ll keep moving up the rankings.
7. Washington Mystics
Play-by-play: Meghan McPeak
Analysts: Christy Winters-Scott
Sideline Reporter: Meg McDonald
Most Common Grade: B (42.1% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 83% of votes
The Mystics broadcasting crew was a sneaky favorite of our voters. While 59.4% of their grades were A or B, they didn’t receive too many comments. Those who did comment had almost entirely positive things to say about them, “Winters-Scott has been one of the best in the business for a while,” said one. Another added, “McPeak and Winters-Scott are incredibly knowledgable about the team and its history, and that almost always shows.” “It’s a shame that the Mystics aren’t better this year because their broadcast crew is always really a delight to listen to,” said another. One commenter wrote “Good,” which seems to sum it up.
6. Atlanta Dream
Play-by-play: Angel Gray, Andy Demetra, Mike Conti, Carl Dukes
Analysts: LaChina Robinson, Autumn Johnson, Tabitha Turner-Wilkins, Fallon Stokes
Sideline Reporter: Tenitra Batiste, Baillie Burmaster
Most Common Grade: B (40.8% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 84.6% of votes
There was no more consistent comment left by our voters than “LaChina is great.” In general, voters were fans of the lead duo, with one noting, “Gray has also proven to have a knowledge of the league that most team broadcasters do not.” If there’s a common complaint, it’s that Gray and Robinsn’s ESPN commitments tend to pull them away from the Dream broadcast booth. However, there was plenty of praise for Autumn Johnson, Tabitha Turner-Wilkins, and the other crew members as well.
5. Minnesota Lynx
Play-by-play: Marney Gellner, Sloane Martin
Analysts: Lea B. Olsen
Sideline Reporter: Sloane Martin, Alex Zappa, Allie Mosley
Most Common Grade: B (36.1% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 85.5% of votes
Gellner and Olsen are finely tuned broadcasting machines, which is reflected in the voting. But don’t leave sideline reporter and fill-in play-by-play broadcaster Sloane Martin out of the discussion. She garnered just as much praise as the vets. “Marney Gellner and Sloane Martin are finally being rewarded for their hard work and high knowledge of the Lynx,” said one voter. While the veteran Gellner is considered “phenomenal” and “our Minnesota treasure,” Martin earned kudos for being “solid” and “vastly underrated.”
4. Connecticut Sun
Play-by-play: Brendan Glasheen, John Brickley
Analysts: Ashley Battle, Meghan McKeown, Edona Thaqi, Terrika Foster-Brasby
Sideline Reporter: Terrika Foster-Brasby
Most Common Grade: A (36.8% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 85.4% of votes
One of only three broadcasting teams to most commonly receive an A grade, the Sun’s announcing squad has made major strides in the few seasons they’ve spent together. “This group has proven year over year to be incredibly knowledgable about the WNBA and just has really nice on-screen chemistry,” said one grader. “Really good” announcer Glasheen is “among the best up and coming play-by-play people in the business,” is “very knowledgeable,” and might be “moving up in this business very soon.” Foster-Brasby received the lion’s share of praise, with commenters saying she’s “amazing” and “the bomb.” McKeown is “the best WBB announcer on television” per one person, while Thaqi “makes the broadcast so good.”
3. New York Liberty
Play-by-play: Michael Grady, Chris Shearn, Zora Stephenson, John Fanta
Analysts: Julianne Viani, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, Kim Adams
Sideline Reporter: Tina Cervasio, Stef Manisero, Pepper Persley
Most Common Grade: B (34.9% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 86.6% of votes
While the Liberty broadcasting team has a lot of moving parts, the one throughline in the comments is that those parts work well together. “John Fanta and Kim Adams are fantastic,” while “Michael Grady, Zora Stephenson, Kim Adams, and Chris Shearn have all proven how much they care about the New York Liberty.” There was plenty of individual praise doled out as well. “Michael Grady is phenomenal,” “Pepper is the best,” “Julianne is the best,” and Fanta is the “absolute best!” While some shared concerns over “too many cooks” and “consistency,” others felt the team was “the best by far” in the league.
2. Las Vegas Aces
Play-by-play: Krista Blunk
Analysts: Carolyn Peck
Sideline Reporter: Jennifer Stehlin
Most Common Grade: A (46.2% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 90.2% of votes
With almost half of their votes going to an A grade, it’s clear that viewers appreciate the steady hand of announcer Blunk and commentator Peck, with commenters saying they’re “terrific and break down the game so well,” “so knowledgeable,” “give a balanced view,” and “very professional and well-informed.” Opinions vary on their partisan nature, with some saying they “reek of a lot of bias” while others “wish Peck would be more partisan, but she’s a better broadcaster for not falling into those traps.” Overall, we lost track of how many times they were described as “great” or “fantastic.”
1. Indiana Fever
Play-by-play: Pat Boylan
Analysts: Debbie Antonelli
Sideline Reporter: Kelsie Kasper
Most Common Grade: A (61.9% of votes)
% of A, B, C Grades: 92.8% of votes
Far and away, this broadcasting team received the best overall grades, with almost everyone giving them a solid score. As “one of the best in the business,” Boylan received a ton of praise, with commenters calling him “exceptional,” “amazing,” “spot on,” “the main reason I listen to the games,” “the next Mike Breen,” and “the heir-apparent to the legendary Mark Boyle.”
Antonelli garnered similar praise for bringing “so much energy and knowledge” and for being “just as good as she is when she does college WBB games.” As a duo, they’re “always entertaining and accurate,” “do a good job of letting the game determine the conversation,” and “teach me a lot about the game.”
One person complained that there’s “a bit too much Caitlin Clark talk,” but can you possibly blame them for that this season?
