Has the WNBA lessened the intensity of college rivalries?

[RU old timer]

With the maturation of the WNBA--having former Rutgers players playing on teams with CT players, Stanford players with CSL players, Louisville players with RU players etc...do the college rivalries seem as intense as they used to be? (Not just Rutgers rivalries). Just an opinion.. I like it better this way (gravitating more and more to the WNBA as the years progress). Old timer...

 

[ecojew]

Does your question refer to intensity by the players themselves or among the fans?

If the latter, I can't really see how the WNBA would affect college basketball fans since the demographics of the two groups are not likely the same. If it refers to the players, I am also doubtful it has an impact because even those players who might be looking ahead to playing in the WNBA are not really thinking about who their teammates will be and where they are playing their college ball. If anything, the rivalries could intensify as players maintain their college loyalties after graduation and often, in a good natured way, trash talk one another in their WNBA locker rooms when their alma maters do battle.

 

[Knight Time Fan]

I'm not sure how college fans are affected, not because there isn't an overlap between the two groups of fans, but because the fandom is separate. In fact, fans of college programs with players in the W might follow and root for a team that includes players from their school, or they might just root for a local team. My wife and I root for both the Liberty (because we had season tix back in the day) and for the Mercury because they are (relatively) local. I root for the members of the 2 teams because they are on the team, regardless of where they went to college. But I don't see why this would affect my opinion of rival teams where these WNBA players no longer are.

As to the players, rarely have fan rivalries extended to individual players. A Rutgers player, for instance, might have wanted to beat the UConn team in the worst way, but that doesn't mean that the player disliked the players she was competing against. And yes, good natured ribbing in the locker room probably does go on.