Around the Sun

Orange Credentials, Gray Areas: 
The WNBA’s New Media Policy Leaves Independent Journalists Behind

By Anthony Price 

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Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti watches the game.

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As the WNBA reaches new heights of popularity after nearly 30 years of women building the league, league leadership has introduced a puzzling new media policy. 
 
This policy effectively reduces access for independent journalists for the 2026 season. It’s divisive, and, unfortunately, reflective of a broader American media landscape in which access increasingly follows money and institutional power.

This season, the WNBA will have 216 games on national TV. The league’s 11-year media rights deal is expected to bring over $3 billion dollars into the WNBA, up from the $2.2 billion previously reported by USA Today. 

​Revenue from media partners, including Amazon Prime Video, Disney (ABC/ESPN), NBCUniversal (NBC/Peacock), Paramount (CBS), Scripps (Ion), and USA Network, is arriving at a historic pace. For a league long denied the investment and visibility it deserved, this financial growth should be a landmark moment. Instead, the league has paired that growth with a policy that narrows access for the independent journalists who helped cover, document, and advocate for the WNBA before it became a mainstream media property.
 
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, a fixture in the league since 1992, has long understood the value of controlling the league’s media environment. The NBA, which maintains significant influence over the WNBA through its ownership stake, implemented its own version of the media policy during the 2022-23 season. The league described it as “designed to create an improved access process on game nights,” according to a league press release. The language sounds procedural, but the practical effect is much more consequential: it limits opportunities for smaller outlets and aspiring journalists trying to cover the league from the ground up. 
 
The reality is that this new policy hits independent media hardest. It creates a class of haves and have-nots through Tier 1/orange and Tier II/gray media credentials in an already consolidating media landscape, where the most powerful companies increasingly control what people see, read, and believe. 
 
In the exclusive club that is the NBA, and now the WNBA, independent journalists with strong perspectives are welcome only when they arrive with institutional backing or the resources to match.  

The reality is that this new policy hits independent media hardest.

Orange Vs Gray
 
As the publisher of CT Hoops Magazine and Mini Books, I attend roughly 100 basketball games and media-related events annually. In mid-June, we will release the books “Bounce Back: Azzi Fudd’s Remarkable Journey” and “Ray Allen: A Life in Motion.” 

​During the Connecticut Sun’s 2025 season, we published over 40,000 words in our “Around the Sun” column and posted videos that reached tens of thousands of viewers. In 2026, our content is projected to be viewed over 5 million times, with an audience that does not simply duplicate the Sun’s Instagram following. That is the context in which I view the WNBA’s new media credentialing policy.
 
For clarity, I will refer to the new media credentials by color: orange and gray.

CT Hoops Magazine: gray.

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According to a league document, the WNBA’s orange credential is intended for “local media outlets that regularly cover a team by attending the majority of a team’s games and practices in the home market (at least 50 percent).” National outlets such as ESPN can be Tier I, but the local standard is most relevant here. See this link to the policy.
 
The policy states, “To qualify for an orange credential, an outlet must create original content and have a standard editorial process in which the credentialed reporters are governed.” The credential provides access to pregame and postgame press conferences, team practices, shootarounds, baseline interviews before games, and postgame interviews by request. 
 
The gray credential is much more limited. Gray-credentialed media are allowed access only to pregame and postgame press conferences.  The Sun’s orange credential has a “C” for court access and “B” for back-of-house access. In practice, that creates two very different levels of access for journalists covering the same team, the same players, and the same league.

A prominent WNBA insider who spoke off the record noted that WNBA teams are private entities, and are not required to provide equal access to everyone. This person added that the leagues consulted with local WNBA public relations teams and the Professional Basketball Writers Association in developing the policy. I contacted PBWA officers Sam Amick and Candace Bucker, who both write for The Athletic, but had not received a reply at the time of publishing this. 
 
My source also said the goal was to emphasize access for more “seasoned” writers who understand the “cadence of the season.” That explanation may sound reasonable on the surface. Experience matters. Professionalism matters. Consistency matters. But those standards can be applied without creating a credentialing system that sharply separates established outlets from independent journalists who are also doing regular, original, and serious work.
 
The problem is not that the league wants to manage access. Every league does. The problem is that unequal access shapes the coverage the public receives. When independent journalists are limited to the most controlled media settings, reporting becomes narrower, less varied, and more dependent on the same large outlets. The result is not better coverage. It is more predictable coverage.

The problem is that unequal access shapes the coverage the public receives. 

​In my view, journalists who meet professional standards and regularly cover the league should have meaningful access, regardless of whether they work for a major media company or an independent publication. Without that, the public loses—not because every independent journalist is entitled to a credential, but because the range of voices covering the league becomes smaller at the very moment the WNBA audience is growing.

Small but Mighty
 
Independent journalists I know were deflated by the new policy. Some wondered aloud whether it still makes sense to invest hours of unpaid or underpaid time covering a league that seems increasingly unsure of how much it values them. 
 
That is part of the irony. Independent journalists have helped promote and document the WNBA for nearly 30 years. Now, as the league enters a period of unprecedented visibility and revenue growth, some of those same journalists feel pushed to the margins. 
 
Rob Tiongson, the editor-in-chief and lead columnist of the Podium Finish, which is based in Texas, is adjusting to the new reality while also serving as a full-time caretaker for his dad, a U.S Navy veteran. Tiongson received a gray media credential for his coverage of the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun. 

“From a publisher’s perspective, the rollout of the tiering system has revealed a major disconnect in how different organizations value endemic media,” Tiongson said. “On one hand, you have forward-thinking expansion organizations like the Golden State Valkyries. They have been fantastic out of the gate and actively respect the value of specialized basketball coverage. On the other hand, the application across legacy franchises feels incredibly uneven.” 
 
He continued, “The real issue is that the system favors corporate scale over institutional knowledge. When outlets that have provided consistent, on-the-ground coverage since 2024, well before the current rookie boom, find themselves pushed down the ladder, it shows a disregard for the media that built the foundation. Growth is great, but when long-term consistency is ignored, the storytelling loses the depth that fans actually care about.”  
 
Much of the conversation about the new policy has taken place privately through DMs on Instagram and text messages. Some Independent journalists don’t want to speak on the record for fear of damaging relationships with teams or the league.  

Andrew Jones, a reporter-host of the BLEAV Network based in New York City, was more direct. “The growth has to continue, and it’s just counterproductive and dumb for the W to think this is smart to do,” Jones said. “I have never seen this media tiers nonsense in all the sports I’ve covered. Either we all get the same rules for credentials or not.” 
 
Jones’s frustration reflects a broader concern among independent media: that the league is restricting access before it has fully built the kind of media ecosystem that can sustain its growth. “The W isn’t popular enough for this to happen,” he added. 

That comment may sound blunt, but it gets to the heart of the issue. The WNBA is growing quickly, but it is still building its audience. Independent journalists are part of that growth, not obstacles to it. They cover the games, amplify the players, explain the league to new fans, and keep stories alive when national outlets move on. Limiting their access may make the process cleaner for teams and league offices, but it risks making the coverage flatter, narrower, and less connected to the communities that helped the league grow.

A'ja Wilson shoots a free throw at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

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CT Hoops Magazine 
 
When the WNBA’s new media policy was announced, I was concerned but not immediately worried about how it would affect CT Hoops Magazine. I had put in the work covering the Sun. 
 
In 2025, I exceeded the orange criteria. I attended every Sun home game and traveled to  Boston and New York City for additional coverage. Every game is a 6-hour-plus commitment, not including the time spent reporting, writing, editing, and publishing the story afterward. 
 
My concern grew in April when I reached out to Alexandra Maund, the Sun’s senior director of brand development and communications, about being added to the team’s media distribution list. I contacted her at least three times to request access to press releases and the practice schedule, but I did not receive a response.
 
That lack of communication was frustrating, especially because timely access to team information is essential for reporters trying to provide consistent coverage.

Maund, who is involved in the credentialing process, assigned me a gray credential despite my confidence that CT Hoops Magazine met or exceeded the WNBA criteria for orange access. 
 
Last season, I conducted pregame interviews with players that became part of published stories. Under the 2026 policy, the gray credential doesn’t provide access to on-court interviews before games or to players after games, unless they are part of the formal postgame press conference. That restriction directly affects my ability to report fully and independently.
 
This is not simply about inconvenience. Access determines what stories can be told, which voices are included, and whether independent outlets can provide coverage that goes beyond press conference quotes. For a publication that has consistently covered the Sun, the difference between orange and gray access is the difference between reporting from inside the story and reporting from its edges.

Sun's senior director of brand development & communications Alexandra Maud

When the Process Becomes Personal
 
For the Connecticut Sun, the orange credential appears to function less as a straightforward reflection of stated standards and more as a discretionary decision made within the organization. That is where the policy becomes difficult to defend. When access depends on interpretation rather than clearly applied criteria, it begins to feel arbitrary.

I spoke to GM Morgan Tuck on Mother’s Day, when the Sun played the Seattle Storm. Tuck, who is expecting a baby girl in July, said she didn’t know who made the credentialing decisions.
 
At the beginning of the week, I emailed Tuck to follow up on our conversation and explained that Alexandra Maund had not responded to my previous messages about being added to the media distribution list. Tuck replied that Maund would get back to me during the week. She did not. 
 
Not long after, I emailed Jennifer Rizzotti outlining the media credential issue and my concerns about communication. She replied 15 days later. 
 
Early in her response, she wrote, “Alexandra Maund and our PR department have my full support regarding credentialing decisions and enforcement of the WNBA media access policy.” She added, “We are comfortable with your current Tier 2 designation at this time.”
 
What the response did not address was the lack of communication that led to the concern in the first place. For independent journalists, timely responses from communications staff are not a courtesy; they are part of the basic infrastructure that makes coverage possible.
 
Rizzotti also wrote, “I also want to address process expectations moving forward,” she wrote. “All interview and feature requests involving players, coaches, and staff are required to go through our communications department. Attempting to independently arrange features or approach personnel directly after requests have been declined is not appropriate and places our staff and players in an uncomfortable position.”

A journalist’s job is to pursue the story. A team’s communications department can manage that process, but it should not be able to narrow the field of coverage without transparency or accountability.

For the record, I have never been declined an interview by the Sun over the past three seasons. I also understand that teams need processes for managing access to players, coaches, and staff. No serious journalist should expect unlimited access or special treatment.
 
But there is a difference between reasonable process and a system that restricts access while failing to communicate clearly with the journalists affected by those restrictions. A journalist’s job is to pursue the story. A team’s communications department can manage that process, but it should not be able to narrow the field of coverage without transparency or accountability.
 
That is the concern here. The issue is not only that CT Hoops Magazine received a gray credential. The issue is that the stated criteria, the decision-making process, and the communication surrounding that decision do not appear to align.
 
In a season that should celebrate the Connecticut Sun’s history and the role the franchise has played in the WNBA, the credentialing process has instead left independent media questioning where they stand. When a publication that has consistently covered the team cannot get basic communication about access, the message is hard to miss.

Past Glory
 
Women’s professional basketball is in growth mode. The WNBA is capitalizing on that momentum with expanded national broadcasts, increased media attention, and the popularity of stars such as Caitlin Clark. That growth is real, but it is not guaranteed to continue indefinitely. Ratings, revenue, and public interest still have to be sustained.
 
That is why the WNBA should be expanding meaningful media access, not narrowing it. An empty seat, a practice schedule, a press release, or a few minutes of interview availability costs the league very little. The return can be significant: more coverage, more storytelling, more visibility for players, and more connection with fans who may not be reached by traditional outlets.
 
That matters even more for a team like the Connecticut Sun, which is in a transitional season on and off the court. After the departure of five starters from a playoff team in the 2024 season, the franchise entered 2025 with major changes in leadership and direction. Jennifer Rizzotti signed off on significant hires, including general manager Morgan Tuck, head coach Rachid Meziane, and senior director of brand development and communications Alexandra Maund.

A new generation of basketball fans doesn’t care about the 90s glory. 

Those decisions will be judged by results, culture, and public trust. For independent media, the concern is that the same organization that asks fans to invest in a new era is making it harder for smaller outlets to fully document that era.
 
A new generation of basketball fans doesn’t care about the 90s glory. They are watching what the league and its teams do now. They care about access, transparency, player stories, and whether organizations treat people with professionalism and respect. Past glory may earn recognition, but it does not excuse poor communication or an uneven process.
 
That is why this policy matters. It is not simply about orange and gray credentials. It is about who gets to tell the story of the WNBA at a moment when that story is reaching more people than ever before.
 
Independent journalists are not asking the league to lower its standards. They are asking the league to apply clear standards fairly. If an outlet regularly covers a team, produces original work, follows professional expectations, and helps grow the audience, that work should count.
 
The WNBA has spent decades fighting for visibility. Independent journalists have been part of that fight. Now, as the league enters its most visible era, it should not build a credentialing system that leaves those voices outside the room. I hope Houston is keeping this in mind.
 
To independent journalists covering the league: keep perfecting the craft. Keep showing up. Keep reporting the stories that might otherwise go untold. Access matters, but so does the work. In the end, the quality of that work is still the strongest answer.  

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​Anthony Price is an entrepreneur, author and publisher of CT Hoops Magazine. Around the Sun is a weekly column about the Connecticut Sun.