Mystics to hold celebration on Friday afternoon, apparently in lieu of a parade

The Washington Mystics will hold a WNBA championship celebration at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Congress Heights on Friday, Oct. 11 from 2-4 p.m. According to the team’s Twitter account, this is so fans can celebrate the championship with the team before players head out of the country for international commitments.

Typically, teams, even WNBA teams, hold championship parades. Instead, it looks like the Mystics will have to cut their celebration a bit short which I find unfortunate. It also touches on the reality that the WNBA faces with its player union since new Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations are expected to start later this offseason.

For some perspective, Emma Meesseman, the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP, plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. Their regular season already started on Oct. 2., and let’s say that they could care less about the championship she just won. So though Meesseman is just as happy as we are about winning the title, she also has money to make in Ekaterinburg, so don’t expect her to stay here that long.

The international schedule doesn’t just affect Meesseman. It will affect at least several players who plan on playing overseas during the fall and winter.