There are a lot of stories out there about lottery winners who go on to destroy their lives. Something like 70% of them supposedly go bankrupt within a few years. And it’s not hard to see why. When you give a lot of money and attention to a person who didn’t earn any of it, that person doesn’t suddenly change overnight. Instead, more often than not, all of their worst character traits are amplified ten times over. And in many cases, that leads to a very public and humiliating collapse.
This is a principle that doesn’t just apply to individuals. It applies to organizations too. Unearned fame and fortune are far more destructive than they might appear. And right now, there’s no organization on the planet that proves this point more than the WNBA. The league just posted its highest average game viewership in 24 years. They’re bringing in massive new sponsorships, at least by the league’s standards. They’re selling out arenas, which used to be unheard of. This should be a dream come true for everyone involved in the WNBA — from the executives to the players to the reporters who, for their sins in a past life, have been cursed with the job of covering a women’s basketball league. Everyone should be overjoyed.
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