LI's Sue Bird to be part of MSG+ 'Women of the W' panel
Sue Bird arrives during her jersey retirement ceremony following a WNBA game between the Seattle Storm and the Washington Mystics on June 11, 2023, in Seattle. Credit: AP/Lindsey Wasson
Sue Bird will be part of a panel discussion, “Women of the W,” premiering on the MSG+ streaming service after Wednesday night’s Knicks-Raptors game.
Bird, who is from Syosset and is a five-time Olympic gold medalist in basketball, will be joined by former U.S. Women’s National Team soccer player Ali Krieger, a two-time World Cup winner, and pro hockey player Madison Packer on the panel hosted by MSG Networks’ Monica McNutt.
The panel will focus on both the rise of and ongoing issues in women’s sports.
“To me, the real answer is society,” Bird says on the show about the increasing visibility of women’s sports. “There isn’t much different. We’ve always been playing, the product has always gotten better, so what has changed is society has caught up.”
On the flip side, Bird, said, “I always say women’s soccer is a glimpse as to what we’re really dealing with. (The U.S.) team is wildly successful and more successful than their male counterpart. And yet, still, they are held back in certain ways. Still, there’s an equal pay issue. Still, they have to deal with these same questions.
“Our male counterparts, they’ve had their leagues much longer, they’re incredibly successful, they’re making more money. All the things we’re viewed as lesser than -- we need a little bit of time, we’ll get there.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
