What would drive someone to use his summer vacation to travel to some of the planet's least exotic destinations: Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Detroit? For one Phoenix man, the motivation came from one of the most unlikely places imaginable: The WNBA.
Let's clarify: The WNBA is a professional sport, where women, not men, play basketball. And people go to watch.
One of them is Alex Chambers, a 35-year-old special-education teacher from Phoenix, who spent his summer vacation traveling to watch women's basketball in all 13 WNBA cities.
He's a Mercuty fan, but he didn't follow the Mercury around the country; his goal was simply to watch a game in all of the league's venues.
Chambers chronicled his journey via Facebook and Twitter and has been dubbed "superfan" or "journey dude" by members of our own WNBA team, the Phoenix Mercury.
"This was just an idea to travel, and catch a home game for each team in the WNBA, or the 'W' as we diehard fans call it," Chambers tells the Windy City Times.
"We die-hard fans?" Is there a mouse in his pocket?
When the Mercury won the WNBA Championship in Phoenix, Chambers "splurged" on some front-row seats for game five but says he accidentally sat in the wrong section and was stuck behind a more recognizable Phoenix athlete, who was also at the game.
"I sat behind Larry Fitzgerald," he says, in one of the youtube videos he made chronicling his trip, "who plays for the Cardinals -- I think -- I don't follow the NFL much."
Imagine that.
Chambers says he hopes his trip brought some much needed attention to the WNBA. He says his Facebook and Twitter accounts have shown him a small sense of community among fans.
"I don't feel alone anymore, like I sometimes did as a WNBA fan," he says.
Alone? Maybe not. A sports geek? Absolutely.
