Former Washington Mystics star Monique Currie had seen the Connecticut Sun use any perceived slight as motivation all season long, and she did not want to see her old team fall prey to any bulletin-board material.
So before the WNBA Finals got underway, she tweeted, somewhat facetiously, "Please do not give Connecticut any ammunition, don't give them anything to make a meme about, to make a commercial, a pinned tweet, nothing!"
Yes please do not give Connecticut any ammunition, don't give them anything to make a meme about, to make a commercial, a Pinned Tweet, nothing!
— Monique Currie (@Mocurrie25) September 25, 2019
Well, as you might expect if you follow the Sun on Twitter (@ConnecticutSun), the team did notice her tweet, and promptly put her on blast. Retweeting her post, the team's handle wrote in response: "Hi! @ConnecticutSun is our twitter handle. Looked like you forgot it. Thanks!!"
Hi! @ConnecticutSun is our twitter handle.
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 25, 2019
Looked like you forgot it.
Thanks!! https://t.co/LaUmxGaNC0
It's been a running theme with the team's social media accounts this season, as the Sun are taking names of anyone who shows any #DisrepeCT. Just ask Shea Serrano, a writer for the Ringer and a Las Vegas Aces super fan, who has frequently found himself on the receiving end of barbs from the team; or ask @DT3sBun, the popular Diana Taurasi appreciation account, who joked she would temporarily change her Twitter name to "Role player" in reference to the Sun if the team advanced to the Finals, and then was promptly reminded once Connecticut's ticket was punched.
Hi @SheaSerrano.
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) August 23, 2019
You remember Strick right? pic.twitter.com/fFoI70fo4Y
Hello. We don't forget. We never forget. https://t.co/3Q5DzFV7un
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 23, 2019
Heck, even those of us at ESPN.com who predicted against them during the playoffs have felt the team's hilarious wrath. Yup, they posted an old screen grab from a postseason preview.
Everyone picked Washington. They have the MVP. We are "too young". We don't have a "megastar".
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 25, 2019
Talk is cheap. Sunday is coming. pic.twitter.com/dtOSNr3gYn
Whether or not you root for Connecticut, the Sun's Twitter account has become must-see reading before, during and after games this season for the 28,600-plus who follow it, and the many more who see it retweeted and shared. And while many seem to think the players themselves run the account, that duty falls primarily on 24-year old Tyler Brosious, a 2017 graduate of Quinnipiac University who started with the organization last fall.
This a robot. We are not on the team... for the 30000th time. https://t.co/2hPzForDxf
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 26, 2019
Brosious first met most of the players on the first day of training camp this spring, and has tried to maximize their voices and attitudes on the platform throughout the season.
"It's a lot of fun," he said. "There are so many personalities in the 12 players that make up this team, and I try to consider each one of their voices in my job. I tend to describe it as making a stew. We have a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and that's what I try to do with our Twitter.
"I'm inspired every day by all of these women -- whether it's Jasmine Thomas, who is the definition of professional, or Courtney Williams, who as soon as I met her I felt like I had known her forever -- and I try to capture their mentalities and attitudes in every post."
Following the model of several of the NBA's Twitter accounts, specifically his hometown Philadelphia 76ers, and some of basketball's best "WWE-style heel accounts" that he didn't want to name, Brosious knows the friendly banter between other players and teams helps bring attention to the Sun and the WNBA overall. The team's front office has given him significant autonomy in posting what he likes, and trusts him to not cross any lines.
He believes fans appreciate the authentic voice and lack of public-relations speak, and it has resulted in some of his favorite posts. He points to a recent thread about late-night snacks and Goldfish, which he was in fact eating, while watching Game 4 of the Mystics' semifinal series against the Aces.
We really like the pretzel Goldfish... sometimes we get CRAZY and mix the pretzel ones with the cheddar ones.
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 25, 2019
We had that going on. They all ended up on the floor after that shot.
So far, he has no regrets and simply wishes a few videos had a little more polish. Brosious, who also is in charge of social media for the New England Black Wolves of the National Lacrosse League, has worked hard to gain the team's trust, and hopes it shows with each post.
"Even the players that aren't always the most comfortable with a camera in their face all the time have been great because I think they understand what I'm trying to do. They have all made my job so easy," Brosious said. "I've always seen and been around badass women. I grew up with a single mom, who worked as a barber and had her own house, and my grandmother has always been there and such a big part of my life. I love seeing strong women succeed, and this is really an extension of that.
"Everyone on this team has their own story and their own style, and I just want to do my part to get that out there for all to see. I feel like all 12 of these women on the team have a spot in my brain, and I try hard to make sure their voices are heard."
The WNBA Finals resume Tuesday (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET) with Game 4 in Connecticut.