Women's Basketball and the WNBA

[sampsonblk]

First, congratulations to the Phoenix Mercury for winning the WNBA championship!
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I love women's basketball. Its what's left of the real basketball we remember as kids.

Having said all that, the WNBA itself has a long way to go in terms of having a good product on the court every night. I have watched some of the international teams and in a lot of cases the quality of play is astounding. In the WNBA, its more about marketing. But the WNBA is still fairly new, and I am sure it will improve. They certainly are working hard on it.

If there's anything we've learned from the Bush crowd, its that marketing works wonders, but its no substitute for reality. The reality of the WNBA is that its still a work in progress. Thank God there is a women's league, though. When Cheryl Miller came out of school, there was none. And that girl could really light it up!

One of the problems with the WNBA has to fight is the reality that they are not men. And a lot of sports fan consider men's basketball the real thing, and view women as more of a side show. While that's unfair, one can certainly see where that comes from, and what fuels it. The men's game is much more athletic. But not necessarily more entertaining!

Down the road, maybe 15-20 years from now when the WNBA is even more popular, I still see it coming in second to the men's game - in terms of popularity and revenue. Parity, in my opinion, is not possible. Is there any sport in the world where the women's game is bigger than the men's? Golf? Tennis? No.

But the WNBA can carve a huge place for itself. In fact, its well on its way to doing that. With stars like Sue Bird (my favorite), Becky Hammon, Penny Taylor, Diana Taurasi, finals MVP Cappie Pondexter, Lauren Jackson and future Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie. There are not all household names today. But the word they do now will make their successors both rich and famous.

Let's all hope ones who follow them realize the huge hill they climbed, and keep the game free from the problems that plague the NBA.

[idgiehkt]

1. Nice post

I think a lot of people like the women's side because of the lack of egos and the focus on different types of plays because of different abilities. I've read about people getting their kids hooked on the women's game because they players are cleaner, no Kobe Bryant/Ron Artest fiascos in that league. I think women's tennis is bigger than men's, honestly. Many more people know who the women are than they do the men, though maybe not for the right reasons.

If you want a sport where the women's game is bigger: figure skating. Because of homophobia, mostly...many of the male athletes are gay and the sport is perceived as feminine.

[sampsonblk]

3. Figure skating

See, I never thought of that one.

There are also sexual orientation issues with women's basketball. It definitely doesn't matter to me. I can't see what that has to do with anything on the court.

But I have heard some people say they won't watch it or have their kids involved with it because of that. That is very unfortunate.

*Sorry for the typos in the OP.

[pokerfan]

2. We no can dunk, but good fundamentals.

I know. Death by snoo-snoo...


I kid of course, I've seen many a college women's basketball game including post season. One of the high points was seeing Jackie Stiles in the opening rounds. Nice fade away jumper.

[idgiehkt]

4. I much prefer college to the WNBA

I don't even know why...I just find it more engaging for some reason.