That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
Craig Carton criticized the WNBA on his show for scheduling issues during the Finals in Atlanta, where concerts were prioritized over games despite available capacity. He highlighted that State Farm Arena booked a minor indie band called SOMBR instead of hosting the finals, forcing the championship to move to Gateway Center Arena with a maximum capacity of 3,500 people. Carton argued this decision reflects the league's focus on promoting narratives rather than its star players, which he believes led to poor attendance and revenue for the games.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In a recent episode of "The Craig Carton Show," host Craig Carton criticized the WNBA over scheduling issues related to the Atlanta Dream's arena usage during the upcoming Finals. He noted that State Farm Arena executives opted to book other events instead of reserving dates for potential WNBA games, leading to championship games being moved to a minor-league venue. This decision came despite the league proving it could sell out previous games in the same arena. Carton argues this reflects broader issues with the WNBA's priorities and its ability to secure high-profile venues for important events.
Written for “WNBA Finals Embarrassment” on 2026-10-13,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.65, but 2 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 75151: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-12
OutKick's Craig Carton did not hold back on the WNBA during Monday's "The Craig Carton Show."
asserted
Carton → hold → Show
Carton broke down the WNBA Finals scheduling and venue fiasco surrounding the Atlanta Dream.
asserted
Carton → break → Dream
He lit up the WNBA office after State Farm Arena execs booked over potential Finals dates, forcing championship games into a minor-league venue while the league sat on its hands.
asserted
league → light → hands
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.
uncertain
page → contain → partners
If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
uncertain
News → sign → wager
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.
asserted
that → create → newsroom
"The WNBA Finals, when it goes to Atlanta for the two or three games that'll be played in Atlanta, will not be playing in the State Farm Arena," Carton said.
asserted
Carton → go → Arena
"And not just because they can't sell it out, which they proved last week they can, but because the folks that own and run the arena had to make a decision: Do we save the date months and months and month ago for the possibility that the Dream are going to be playing there, or do we actually use those open dates and sell for events that bring in more people?
asserted
that → sell → people
They chose the latter.
asserted
They → choose → latter
Carton zeroed in on the single most embarrassing detail: the Dream were ousted from their own home floor to make room for a concert by "Sombr."
asserted
Dream → zero → Sombr
"The first event that'll be the State Farm Arena instead of the Atlanta basketball game is a performer I've never heard of, his name or the band's name is SOMBR, S-O-M-B-R," Carton noted.
asserted
Carton → hear → ?
"Raise your hand if you've heard of SOMBR.
asserted
you → raise → SOMBR
I haven't.
asserted
I → have → ?
SOMBR averages about 10 to 12,000 people per concert, which is awesome.
asserted
which → average → concert
That still means the arena is gonna be empty, but it'll have a few more people than it would have had if the Atlanta Dream were playing.
asserted
Dream → mean → people
Two Hawks games and an indie concert shoved a WNBA title run out of its home building.
asserted
games → shove → building
Given that the NBA owns the league, a single phone call could have cleared the floor ... proving league suits were completely asleep at the wheel.
uncertain
suits → give → wheel
"Not only are they not playing in the State Farm Arena, they are playing in Gateway Center Arena," Carton explained.
asserted
Carton → play → Arena
Now I did the research.
asserted
I → do → research
There are two other arenas within 30 miles of State Farm Arena that fit 10 to 12,000 people."
asserted
that → be → people
Carton added, "My gut is they will sell those games out, whether they give the tickets out for free or actually sell them.
asserted
they → add → them
It'll look great.
asserted
It → look → ?
But that's what you get when you ask for that."
Preach to your fans instead of promoting your actual stars, and you get what you pay for ...
asserted
you → get → what
Carton made it clear that the WNBA's narrative-first obsession tanked their numbers and lost them their home floor.
asserted
obsession → make → floor
"They want someone other than Caitlin [Clark] or Sophie [Cunningham] to be the face of the league," Carton argued.
asserted
Carton → want → league
"Last week, only about a half a million people watched the Atlanta Dream play in their series against, I think it was the New York Liberty, right?
asserted
it → watch → series
Half a million watched; nobody cares.
asserted
nobody → watch → ?
Why is it that nobody cares?
asserted
nobody → care → ?
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals tips off Saturday, Oct. 17.
asserted
Game → tip → Finals
The Aporia
