ESPN Article: WNBA players in Russia

[Justin O]

Having spent more of the last 10 years in the former USSR than in the US, I clicked this link expecting it to be typical of the garbage written by journalists spending a long weekend in Russia. It was good, though. I used to see Sue Bird on Russian TV all the time when she was with Dinamo, and always wanted to know more. Interest in the WNBA (of which I have none) not a pre-requisite for enjoying this article.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=rollinginrubles

[Matrim55]

I finally got around to reading this - what a fantastic article. Sports journalism at its best.

And yeah, I've never seen a WNBA game.

[m1150]

I finally got around to reading this - what a fantastic article. Sports journalism at its best.

And yeah, I've never seen a WNBA game.

Agreed. Kind of took me back to my Eastern Europe days... unsmiling, chain-smoking people whom you don't ask about their past.

It's interesting how women's basketball and hockey seem to be bigger in Europe than in North America, but women's soccer hasn't really caught on over there.

And just what kind of name is Shabtai von Kalmanovic? A Hebrew first name, German title and Lithuanian surname, and he's a billionaire in Russia. Well, good for him -- I hope he survives without being killed by gangsters or getting thrown in prison for getting on Putin's bad side.