Oliver: Unrivaled Basketball League offers sports fans another entertaining option

Thank goodness for women’s basketball.

As a sports fan, my viewing schedule for sporting events during the wintertime has been well set. At the top of the list would be the Chicago Bears.

Forgive me if I don’t elaborate on my feelings about this past season. Like a lot of Bears fans, there wasn’t much to cheer and a whole lot of things that caused frustration.

I’ll reserve my judgment on all the changes until I see some results. However, a shakeup had to be made. I just hope that rookie quarterback Caleb Williams can handle so much uncertainty. We saw what it did to his predecessor, Justin Fields. I’m also hoping the Bears get Williams some help in the way of a decent offensive line. Goodness knows, we haven’t had one of those in years.

As the Bears season winds down, I invariably am happy to start watching my beloved Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks. Granted, neither team has been particularly successful in recent years, but at least the Blackhawks have some hope in the form of No. 1 draft pick Connor Bedard.

Of course, this year I’ve run into a unique challenge: I can’t seem to watch either team.

With the demise of NBC Sports Chicago, the teams created a new channel, Chicago Sports Network.

The problem is, my cable provider, Xfinity, doesn’t carry the new channel. And from the looks of it, they won’t be doing so anytime soon.

Sure, some people have been able to get the channel by using an antenna. I tried that with an antenna that didn’t work for a friend of mine. But I’m not about to throw good money after bad trying to find a working antenna.

That means that I rarely have been able to see my favorite teams. I did suffer through the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, an outdoor game that saw the Blackhawks get pummeled by the St. Louis Blues, 6-2. Ouch.

I suppose if I must lose entire Bulls and Blackhawks seasons, these could be the ones to miss. Neither team is doing well, with the Blackhawks dead last in the Central Division of the NHL’s Western Conference, and the Bulls under .500 and 10th of 15 teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.

Maybe I’m avoiding additional frustration in my life by not watching.

In the meantime, I’ve found a happy diversion in the new Unrivaled Basketball League, which began play Jan. 17 in Miami.

Created by a pair of WNBA players, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, the new league gives 36 elite WNBA players a chance to play during the offseason here in the United States. Usually, WNBA players have had to go overseas to play in the offseason.

The format is a bit different than the standard 5-person play of the regular season. This is a 3-on-3 league, and the games are fast-paced and entertaining.

There are six teams with six players each. Our own Angel Reese, of the Chicago Sky, plays for the Rose Basketball Club. What’s more, she has former Sky players Kahleah Copper and Azura Stevens with her, as well as Chelsea Gray, Lexie Hull and Brittney Sykes.

The Rose BC is still trying to find its footing, but they’ve kept their games close, which makes them fun even in defeat.

The crème of the league so far has been the Lunar Owls, led by Unrivaled founder Napheesa Collier. She’s joined by Skyler Diggins-Smith, Alisha Gray, Shakira Austin and Courtney Williams. Cameron Brink, who is coming back from injury, has not yet played. Despite having only five available players, they are atop the standings.

The Unrivaled season, with games usually played on Friday, Saturday and Monday nights, should keep me occupied until mid-March, when a champion is crowned. There’s even a 1-on-1 tournament that will be played this month. That also should be entertaining.

Here’s hoping there’s some progress in getting Bulls and Blackhawks games to all the fanbase soon.

But if not, at least I won’t be without anything to watch.

To learn more about Unrivaled, click here.

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.