A Simple Question: Why?

An open call to those who oppose the WNBA.

by Ben York Candace Parker & Dwight Howard

This isn’t a set-up or a trap. It’s not a social experiment. It’s not a trick, and it certainly isn’t an excuse to be rude or irresponsible. Rather, I’m genuinely offering a platform to those who aren’t fans or followers of the WNBA a chance to intelligently explain why.

Call me crazy. Heck, I probably am. We’ve all had this ubiquitous debate before and I’m not the first to mediate it. But I have also finally accepted that I have a compulsive need to understand the opposition as much as humanly possible. Truthfully, it’s probably a sickness.

For current WNBA fans/followers, think of it as a conduit towards a better understanding of the “other” side. For non-fans/followers, think of it as a safe and open discussion of your opinions.

I’ve shared my very personal reasons why I am WNBA fanatic and it’s never been a secret that I’m a both a huge proponent and apologist for the league. I won’t go into the reasons why that is in this post as I’ve written many other articles that go into more detail, and I’d encourage you to view those prior posts on ‘The W’ for further verification. Quite simply, I’m a staunch supporter of these ladies both on a personal and professional basis, and consider many of them friends. I don’t mean this in an arrogant way, not by a long shot. I’m certainly nothing special and I’m not the first guy to stand up for the WNBA; I’ve just been fortunate enough to have a bigger stage to express my opinions and viewpoints.

However, it’s also no secret that many people are not fans of the WNBA. Now, there isn’t anything fundamentally wrong with that per se…not on the surface at least. Maybe you’re just not a fan of basketball or only an occasional casual observer. It’s the individuals who have a misogynistic undertone when condemning the league that I take extreme offense to. It’s long been an internal struggle for me to grasp why some individuals have such a negative fervor and vendetta against the league. It’s one thing to not enjoy the beauty of the women’s game, but it’s another to have a venomous hatred for it. Again, I’m not the first to bring this up (Mechelle Voepel has addressed this topic beautifully) but I refuse to simply turn my head and gloss over the issue completely.

Hence, I’m here to offer ‘The W’ as a safe way to discuss why – in a respectful and intelligent way.

The general audience here at ‘The W’ is probably comprised of a wide range of WNBA fans, obviously. The depth of their fandom varies from individuals who have at least a minor interest in the WNBA to others who are die-hards and know more than I could ever hope to. However, I have seen quite a few “first-timers” to the site and have received mixed reactions from those individuals. Some have come in with an open mind and were eager to learn more. Others, were less than thrilled and took the time to criticize and denounce the league.

There has to be a deeper, more insightful reason why you don’t watch the WNBA other than the fact it’s women playing in it…right? Please tell me there is. I’d hate to think that I wasted time writing this and it’s still a continual losing battle. Maybe I’m naive. Maybe it’s just hard for me to accept that the reason the vast majority of people who don’t like the league is because it’s played by women. Maybe I find it hard to accept and fathom that we, as a society, are still struggling with this battle. If this is the main reason you don’t watch the league, I suppose it would be ignorant of me to say that it’s surprising. Unfortunate and unfair? Abso-freaking-lutely. Admittedly, I’m probably a bit biased with my unique personal experiences but I am willing to have an open and honest discussion about why you haven’t gotten into the WNBA.

I recently spoke with Mercury head coach Corey Gaines about the difficulties the WNBA has faced in gaining that mainstream respect and success. Gaines provided a viewpoint that I hadn’t personally thought of before which was extremely enlightening. Basically, Gaines compared basketball to baseball in that so many people play it and have a type of false confidence when they get better. The Corey Gaines re’s an aura of connectedness that exudes from basketball and baseball that isn’t necessarily there (generally speaking of course) with the larger-than-life athletes in football. For example, I don’t pretend to think that I’d last 30 seconds in a competitive football or hockey league. However, I’ve played basketball and baseball all my life and have an increased sense of confidence in my ability to play those sports. Perhaps it is this type of thinking that lead individuals to trivialize the WNBA at first glance.

One of my questions to Corey was if the lack of respect for the WNBA was a basketball issue or a societal issue? “It’s not a basketball issue,” Gaines said. “I’ll put myself into the mix and use myself as an example. When I was younger, in my teens, I went to the park to play some tennis. I saw an older woman there, probably in her 50’s, and thought I was going to beat her easily. I actually thought I needed to take it a bit easy so I won’t make her feel too bad. Well, she beat the crap out of me. She used the angles on the court and had me running everywhere. Similarly, when I was playing basketball at UCLA, I thought I could be a Defensive Back or Safety on the football team easily. Are you kidding me! One day I went out there to try it out and I guarded the slowest receiver. He had me turning every which way and there was no way I could stay with him, and I was known as being quick. Basically, it boils down to the people sitting on their couches at home that for some reason think they can play with them, which leads to a feeling that the competition is inferior. People play basketball and baseball all the time and think they could go out and play pretty well; but when they see them up close or play it’s a whole different story. I mean, people don’t look at football players or track & field stars and think they can do what they do. So I think it has a lot to do with society and how they view the WNBA. But I’ve had a lot of people come up to me, especially in the Finals, that just said, ‘wow, I had no idea they were this good.’”

That’s a fantastic point – people involuntarily compare the NBA with the WNBA and automatically think they could go out and perform just as well as a WNBA player. When they become closer to the game, they have an entirely new view. Though, this first comes with an open mind – something that has become rare in the world today.

I will leave you with this — every single person I have ever talked to that has given the WNBA a fair chance has “converted,” so to speak, and gained an illustrious respect for these ladies. And I’m not talking about just a couple individuals — I’ve received dozens and dozens of emails from people (mostly men) who have come away incredibly impressed and humbled. Take from that what you will.

So…without further adieu…let the discussion begin.

Add a Comment
x

Invite a Friend
Your name:
Your email:
Friend name:
Friend email:

Invite a friend
Share
RSS

Tags: Fans

Read the SLAMonline Discussion Rules before posting.

RedRum

I more of a basketball fan rather than an NBA/Euroleague fan and have coached women teams a few times. The problem is simple. Very few women have the athletism and skill set to be good basketball players. not NBA players, basketball players. Like it or not, basketball is the sport that requires the most in terms of athletism than any sport. Height, speed, strength, agility, explosiveness, plus a complex set of basketball specific skills. The problem is that women can have the basketball skills, but the lack of athletic ability cripples the game and what they can do in the court, and what you can expect as a coach. How many women do you know that can hit a 3 consistently? how many women do you know that can create a shot for themselves? I had a long discussion with a fellow woman coach, and we thought that the best way to make the women’s game more exciting is to lower the rim, and use lighter balls. We actually experimented with this idea and put it in practise, by lowering the rim to 9.5 feet and using a ball from netball (a women’s type of basketball played in England and the Commonwealth). The results were amazing! The game had a faster pace, more shots were made, posting up increased and women showed better post moves. The girls had more fun, and they said they enjoyed the game more as they thought they could use their skills better. I think this is the way Women’s basketball should go.
iLL wiLL

It’s boring? Not exciting?
t

People are entitled to their opinion but if the women’s pro game is so terrible then how can two WNBA teams score almost 120 points in 40 minuteasa when most NBA teams have trouble scoring 90 pts in 48 min.
Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t the mercury average about 95 points a game this past season? Sure the women can’t dunk(or don’t want to dunk because of how physical the players are).but u gotta give them some credit. I watched the bulls and cavs play and they missed several layups from close range. So to me the only difference is that the NBA is above
The rim. When a WNBA team has an open tryout I think that maybe some of you men should tryout for the team just to see if you can hang.
D. Cole

I watch it when I can, I do so much over the summer that I just forget to watch unless I’m just flipping through channels. But as far as learning the game goes, I like the WNBA game much better. Too many player in the NBA rely on raw talent other than skills. Most of the W players don’t dunk so they do more schemes to score and defend. As much as I love the men’s game, the women’s is just as interesting if you actually take a look and check the nuances.
booyah

Personally, to me it is not as interesting. No question they can play, but it’s just not something I would like to waste time watching or pay to watch. Women play a different type of basketball from guys so it makes no sense for me to try and pick up on their style when I could easily watch the NBA who has players that play with a type of physicalness that cannot be matched in the WNBA
Chris

Ben: My indifference toward the WNBA is because the level of play isn’t high enough to entertain me. Nothing more to it, nothing less.

I do, however, have several criticisms around, but not directly at, the WNBA that has made me more and more hostile to it as time goes by. As in, some fans.

There is a loud minority of fans who love to stick their noses out and put down people like me who are indifferent to their league. They call us names like “misogynist” or “insecure” never-has-beens because we watch the NBA. They can’t seem to understand that people like me don’t watch the WNBA because of the level of play, not because of the gender of the players. We don’t watch lesser levels of other sports either, other than NCAA (men’s and women’s) because there is a school spirit factor, and NCAA D1 men’s hoops is still a very high and entertaining level. These fans go further and bash the NBA and its fans, calling the players “thugs” and the fans “idiots” and other similar terms. That kind of behavior from WNBA fans really doesn’t endear the WNBA to other people.

The other issue, in my mind, is the WNBA uniforms. Many of the hardcore fans are so gung-ho about not having more feminine uniforms, saying it will devalue the athleticism and emphasize the sex. I don’t think the WNBA players should play in bikinis, but shorter shorts and tighter tanktops (like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7863933@N04/3391532206/in/set-72157615872675484/) would be VERY appropriate. Are these feminists saying that Ana Ivanovic’s amazing athleticism has been devalued because she looks like that? I think that’s an insult to women’s tennis, and thus women’s sports and society in general. In fact, my hostility toward the WNBA is a response to what I percieve is their hostility toward women’s tennis, soccer, volleyball and the artistic sports like gymnastics and figure skating, all of which I enjoy watching very much.

In what other walk of like (sports or otherwise) do women dress (and try to act) exactly like men? Radical feminists are wrong in saying women shouldn’t dress like women because it devalues their athleticism. Every other women’s sport has uniforms that make the players look like women, and their athleticism has NOT been devalued. That mentality of feminists is, frankly, a turnoff to a lot of people, men and women. The uniforms is just a reminder of why people turn into haters of the WNBA. Many people don’t hate the WNBA itself (I certain don’t) but they don’t like what it indirectly stands for via the voices of the hardcore feminists who watch it. (Talking to a lot of loyal female NBA fans, the radicalism is what turns them away from the WNBA, not the lesbianism.)

Ben, I’ve read some of your writings and I appreciate your passion, but you don’t seem to address some of the big elephants in the room. I’ve posted in some of your other stories, and you’ve still ignored my points (which represent the viewpoints of a lot of people).
Greg

Ben,
Junior high may be a little harsh. I grew up in Indiana and the level of fundamental play is pretty high at a young age. We sleep with basketballs. Our coaches gave us brand new balls at the end of school and instructed us to wear them out. We played year round. I am serious when I say that there isn’t one WNBA player that could have made our team. The size and athletic ability does not transend genders. Our school has produced many D1 and small college players. If I’m a harsh critic, these are my reasons. I expect great and I don’t see it with the WNBA.
Hoodsnake

I read the article with interest. My thinking is just why was the W started so late? Is it just because of ‘the world is changing’ or is there a concrete reason why after 50+ years that the W was started.
Jordan

Tamika Catchings could have beat Greg’s team 5 on 1.
Teddy-the-Bear

I’ll admit, I have watched very few WNBA games. Its one thing to not be fan of the WNBA (we all have our reasons), and its another to just h@te it because its dominated by women. I’m not talking about the level of play–I’m talking about plain disrespect. In other words: misogynists can shut the f*ck up.
Ace

So Chris took up all that space just to say that he doesn’t like the WNBA b/c they don’t have “feminine” uniforms……or in other words they don’t wear any kind of tight fitting clothes that allows him to see what they are working with. You fit the description of a male chauvinist pig.
http://slamonline.com Ben York

@Chris –
I’ve addressed many of the so called ‘elephants’ in the room; namely, the biggest one – people not liking it or giving it the attention it deserved because of the gender of the athletes. According to your post, you believe the women should look more like ‘women’ while playing and not try to be like men – how is that not misogynistic? You also state that a turn off to you is the ‘radicalism’ of the WNBA fans – I bet a lot of WNBA fans would take that as a compliment; there are ‘radical’ fans for every team, every player, for every sport. In terms of your views on people not watching the ‘lesser’ of every sport, it’s a moot point. It’s a different game, my friend – it’s not the NBA and shouldn’t be compared to the NBA. The WNBA doesn’t explicitly stand for ‘hard-core feminists’ as you put it, it stands for equality and for giving them an opportunity to showcase their skills (which they have beautifully)- THIS is what many people miss. Tell you what, if you’re up for it, let me know if you want to attend a WNBA game up close (i.e. front row) and I’ll see if I can make that happen for you. I guarantee you’ll change your mind about the ‘feminism’ and ‘inferiority’ of it all.
Teddy-the-Bear

Greg, I am pretty sure any WNBA player could have made your JUNIOR HIGH BASKETBALL TEAM. Junior High… Are you serious? Junior High is NOT D1 college, for your information.
Ritchie

I’m a basketball fan I watch it whenever I can. When I watch the WNBA I just expect to see less entertaining basketball then the NBA or NCAA. I take the missed shots, lay-ups and other things as just part of the WNBA game. There are certain players who do catch my eye as being the best and I try to watch them as much as possible. But, the overall talent level compared to these stars is very, very low. Which makes for not as much of an exciting game.
Lazaruz

I enjoy watching womens basketball.
Chris

@BenYork:
Let’s see if I can reword things better. First of all, I’ve been to at least one (or maybe two) WNBA games each summer for every season of its existence, and when I was in high school, I used to go to Monarchs all the time. I also hold women’s basketball season tickets for Cal (not my alma mater, but a school I’ve been partial to since I could remember) as well as men’s hoops and football. My point there is, indifference toward the WNBA doesn’t mean indifference towards women’s sports (nor does it mean I hate it or don’t EVER go to WNBA games, just don’t follow it like the NBA, MLB or NFL). Okay, now. Next part is where I need to clarify. Let’s see if I can: I am not against the WNBA because of its uniforms (it’s just the most glaring symbol of what the WNBA stands for). I point out that every other women’s sport has more feminine uniforms, and every other walk of life (be it business, advertising, education, you name it) has feminine attire. The WNBA is the only entity I can think of in which women dress exactly like men. The WNBA “radicals” are extremely gung-ho about keeping it that way, and they say changing it would be sexualizing women and devaluing their athleticism. I take that thinking (and the very vocal and belligerent way it is presented) as them saying every other sport (and walk of like) HAS sexualized women and devalued their athleticism (or workplace competency). And and I take that attitude as an ATTACK on everything else, and THAT is what I don’t like about the WNBA. The uniform is just a symbol for that way of thinking. You said the WNBA “stands for equality,” which it does in many ways. I think the WNBA stands for radical feminists saying “you HAVE to be like men to be equal,” which I don’t agree with. I think, like in tennis, you can maintain a FEMALE identity WITHOUT having your athleticism (or workplace competency) devalued. I know many women have become “anti-feminist” because they are against the “you MUST be like a male to be equal” thinking, and the WNBA is one of many things they’ve disassociated with because of that.
Michael

its compared to the NBA because its shoved down our throats non stop and is a professional league, newsflash without leeching off the NBA, the money would dry up and these women would no longer be earning money to play basketball. Life is short, you want my attention u better be putting out a product that is the best i can see. an NBDL team would eviscerate a WNBA team so why arent we paying attention to the NBDL? BECAUSE THE QUALITY ISNT AS GOOD!! In a vacuum the WNBA players play decent ball, but in real life thhey suffer by comparison, you cant separate the two.
Greg

Teddy,
My bad. I meant that no WNBAer could have made my Indiana high school team. I reread my post and I can see where you thought I meant junior high. Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch let me explain. My HS team had 8 guys who went on to play college ball. 2 D1A and the other 6 smaller college. Our team was consistently ranked in the top 10 in the state and this was before they played class basketball.(ie 10 out of approx 600) We practiced twice a day. At the gym at 6AM to shoot 100 free throws,execute shooting and ball handling drills…Practice again after school for 2 to 3 hours. We were drilled in fundamentals and taught how to play smart basketball. I know good ball. The W in not good.
Ace

@Chris why does the WNBA players so called lack of femininity irk you so? If you are secure in you self than that shouldn’t phase you in the same way no feminine gay man (if your straight)should phase you either. How is the WNBA uniform saying that you have to be like men? Last time I checked a b-ball uniform looks diff on a girl than a guy anyways b/c women have boobs. Maybe you would like to live in certain middle eastern countries that make it illegal for a woman to wear anything that’s not feminine.
Adam Layton

Writing articles like this isn’t good for your goal of helping people to like the WNBA. It makes you seem defensive and a little aggressive. Your strength is writing articles about the WNBA, not being defensive and trying to convince people to jump on the bandwagon.
Mike D.

When I read articles like this, I notice that a common hater’s response is something like “I don’t wanna hear about none of that ‘teamwork’ and ‘fundamentals’ bull. Gimme lightning crossovers and thunder dunks!” That pretty much says it: to the macho set basketball is all about individual skills rather than the more poetic approach the women employ. To me, the game of basketball is a beautiful thing without all the testosterone. I’ll take brain over brawn any day.
http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

@Adam Layton – What part was aggressive and/or defensive? The part about unfortunate misogynistic undertones that people have for the league? I’ll gladly defend that anytime.
Don

The problem is with the letter W. Wnba, WFL, WHA, WBL, WUSA, WLPF and WFSL. Having your league name begin with W is the kiss of death.
http://www.allamericanredheads.com John Molina

I am a fan of the WNBA. More so, a fan of womens basketball at all levels.

I am also a man, of which there are more and more than follow womens basketball.

For 20 years I followed the NBA, pro football, baseball exclusivly.

As I got older, the more tired I grew of the bigger than life egos that filled those sports and stopped watching.

Then I saw a UConn game in fall of 94. What I saw was the basic game being played with passing the ball, execution etc. More of what I enjoyed about basketball back in the 70s. I got hooked.

I still follow the womens game for the same basic reasons today. The talent has grown much in just that time. Although I’m not a fan of the egos on some of those on the womens side I see now.

I like the game below the rim. Naismith certainly never anticipated that or he would have had the janitor attach the peach basket to a higher beam back in December of 1891.

Men have had pretty much the same rules for years and opportunites for many decades that women did not. Men were barnstorming across the country in the 1910s and pros in the 1920s.

How great were the pro teams and attendence in the 40s and all. Teams were moving from place to place and folding as well.

It took men decades to get where they are.

Will womens pro basketball reach the same level? Even I’m not sold on that. It may just stay a niche sport, but with millions of girls playing it at young ages when a little more than 3 decades ago, they were hard pressed to get any court time in school.

Those that speak of missed layups and things like that. I don’t know anyone here that likes them. Be it in the nba or wnba.

I have many friends that played for what could be considered the first professional womens basketball team, the All American Red Heads.

http://Www.allamericanredheads.com

Many consider them to be like a harlem globtrotters and there are similarities. Yet go to that web site and watch a video posted there from the mid 60s and early 70s. You will see some dropped passes, etc but you will also see some talent you probably didn’t think could have existed that long ago.

These women played 200+ games a year, everyone on the road, against different teams (unlike the trotters). Yes, they had the entertainment factor. It was an event to go to a game like this decades ago and you needed more than basketball to get kids interested too. However, the first quarter was always straight up basketball with the Red Heads dominating most games heavily by that point against men (including college stars, semi pro’ss, etc)

Getting off topic, these women will be the first to tell you that men, overall did play a much more physical game.

Instead of relying on brut strength, they had to rely on execution, the mental aspects of the game and playing a smarter game then the men. They would win about 75% of their games each year and up into the 90′s in some.

While the men would be taking a breather at halftime, the women would be entertaining the crowds.

The full court game didn’t even come to women until the early 70s. They didn’t get the court time like men overall for a good 60 to 70 years.

Our town didn’t have parks and rec basketball for girls until the early 90s.

The womens game still has far to go. I want more teams with depth like UConn all over the country, that will only increasse the talent at the pro level.

Yet for those who know how long women have had the same opportunities to just be able to access a court and play the game since they were girls…..it has grown exponentially imo.

And in years to come, to see players like a Tamicka Catchings, Candace Parker, Diana Turasi and Maya Moore will be the common place standard and not the rule.

None of this will change any opinions, yet at the same time, regardless of the very strong nay sayers, the growth of womens basketball and quality will not stop either.

It may not even be the WNBA down the road, but there will be something and the support will grow as well.
pilight

Let’s be honest. The WNBA and NBA do not play “different games.” The WNBA is the same exact game (basketball) played at a much lower level. It is so much lower a level, most of the population finds it unwatchable.
http://slamonline.com Ben York

@pilight: I disagree. It’s not the same game. It’s the same sport, but I disagree that it’s played at a much lower level.
pilight

@Ben York: If it is the same sport, and it’s not played at a lower level, then what is it? Are you saying the WNBA is basketball played at a higher level than the NBDL? NCAA Men’s? Olympics men’s? If you enjoy the WNBA and want to lie to yourself about the true level of competition they play at, that’s fine. But you cannot expect other people to not view the WNBA through your goggles and then ask them why they don’t watch the WNBA. If you take off your goggles, then you would quickly figure out the answer to your question, if you hadn’t already figured it out through many of the previous comments.
http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

@pilight – You’re directly comparing the NBA and the WNBA. I’m saying that, as someone who has been involved deeply in both, it’s not the same game. If you go by your line of thinking then is the NBA the same as European play? Of course not. If so, we’d have dozens more Dirk Nowitzki’s and Manu Ginobli’s in the NBA, but we don’t. Men in Europe play more open and versatile basketball while the NBA is more physical and individual. My whole mission of this site is to bring awareness to the WNBA and stating my thoughts and views of the league. If you call that viewing the league through “goggles” that’s fine.
pilight

@Ben York: I think you’re confusing “style” of play and “level” of play. People are posting that the WNBA isn’t a high enough level of play for them to watch and you’re telling them it’s a different style. Dirk Nowitzki and Manu Ginobili are playing in the NBA because they play at a high enough level, and they’re infusing their style into the league. No WNBA player is playing in the NBA because they don’t play at a high enough level. Look at the NCAAs. D-1, D-2 and D-3 play different styles, but you can’t say D-1 isn’t a higher level than D-2 and D-3. That’s what these posters (the ones who are spewing mysogynistic trash) are saying about the NBA and WNBA. Look, I’ve loved the WNBA since Day 1, so I love what you’re trying to do. But if you can’t make arguments that are logical, it’s counterproductive.
http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

@pilight – I guess that’s where we differ; I don’t think I’m being illogical. The point I’m trying to get across to the people you spoke of in your last comment is that it’s not a fair comparison because of those specific differences. That’s exactly my point. I’m saying that it’s not fair for either league to be compared to one another. I talked to Cappie just the other day and she said that it’s hard to get used to the Euro game since it’s so different that the WNBA. So if there is so much parity between the WNBA and Euro play, then obviously there will be differences between the WNBA and NBA. I’m not addressing the ‘level’ of play – I’m addressing the differences. That’s exactly what I did in my post that the WNBA doesn’t need to justify itself. What I’m trying to get across to people is that it’s somewhat ignorant to immediately dismiss the WNBA because it’s not the NBA and not ‘good enough’ for some people. In any case, thanks for reading, and I’d be happy to debate this topic with you in more depth via email. bjyork15@gmail.com.
pilight

@Ben York: That’s my point. You may not be addressing “level” of play, but people are. I don’t know if it is fair or not for people to compare the WNBA and NBA, but that’s exactly what people are doing. And from a comsumer’s point of view, you can’t blame them or criticize them, especially if they have limited time and budget. I liken it to a grocery story. You’re going to pick out the biggest and best cut of meat, even if it costs more sometimes. Many people are picking out the NBA over the WNBA because of the “level” of play, not because of “style” of play. But you keep going back to talking about “style” and it’s falling on deaf ears because that’s not what people are looking for. In any case, thanks for your passion for the WNBA and thanks for writing.
http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

@pilight – I know that’s what people are doing; it’s the whole point of the article and why I’m trying to stop that from happening. It’s hard for me just to say ‘that is the way it is’ because that’s exactly why the WNBA hasn’t attained that level of respect that they deserve. If we want to get the WNBA to a higher level of esteem, we (society) need to change our perceptions.
Watson

I think perhaps another way to say this is – the level of play assessment is an opinion. It’s not right or wrong, it’s right for some, wrong for others. Some people don’t like the WNBA. Who cares? I don’t like pistachio ice cream either.

The problem comes in when people who don’t like the WNBA make it their mission in life to dump all over people that do, who insist that the quality of the game is low to people who appreciate the game, so clearly they don’t agree. Why do that? That’s very weird to me.
http://www.slamonline.com Ben York

@Watson – Couldn’t have said it any better.
scowl

@Ben York: I’m not sure you realize how outrageous the last sentence in your post on December 13 at 4:35 pm is, so I’ll make an equally outrageous comment analogous to yours: General Motors (The WNBA) does not need to change. We carbuyers (sports fans) need to change our perceptions of the quality (level) of the cars (basketball) that GM (WNBA) makes. GM (WNBA) and Toyota (NBA) both make cars (play basketball). They make different designs (play different styles). GM is about making gas-guzzling trucks (fundamental, below-the-rim play), while Toyota (NBA) is about long-lasting, fuel efficient sedans (physical, high-flying action). The cost-conscious consumer (entertainment-seeking fan) is just being anti-American (misogynistic) for buying the Toyota (watching the NBA) and passing on the GM (not watching the WNBA). But that’s okay. I’ll just keep writing columns talking about how great GM products (the WNBA) are, and saying it’s not GM (the WNBA) that needs to change, it’s the consumer (fan). And I’m going to ignore the fact that GM (WNBA) continuing to do things the same way is rapidly leading to car models being discontinued (teams folding) and the company (WNBA) toward bankruptcy (dissolving). — Ben, I hope you’re getting my drift. You have some serious clout at your position. You can’t change the consumer. Perhaps, we’re better off if you use your clout to try to influence the WNBA to make changes to appeal to the consumer. Research has repeatedly shown that sex sells when it comes to women’s sports, yet the WNBA refuses to go that route. I don’t know if that’s the answer for the WNBA, but I’m certain there are changes that can be made to better appeal to the consumer. The consumer holds the cards (money) and it’s up to us to appeal to the consumer, not the other way around.
scowl

@Watson and Ben: What would you say about the people who like the WNBA who make it their mission in life to dump all over people who don’t like the WNBA (but don’t dump over people who do)?
TS

Level of play is not an issue for me. I think the
lack of dunking is a plus whereas the NBA seriously needs to raise the rim. Personally, I like college sports. In addition to the game, you have the pep band, cheerleaders, and great rivialries. College sports have that (men’s & women’s). Women’s tennis has stars, glamour and good rivalries. You need the full package if you’re going to compete with everything else that’s on cable. As sports entertainment, the WNBA is lacking. Also… The WNBA’s marketing is bad. They target female viewers, but the ratings show that women don’t watch sports in great numbers. Women’s sports are not entitled to viewers. The WNBA needs to target male viewers with their top personalities (Lauren Jackson, Swin Cash, Candice Wiggins, Sue Bird). (and please get some better uniforms)
http://www.facebook.com WNBAsux

wnba sux

A Simple Question: Why?

An open call to those who oppose the WNBA.

Invite a Friend

LATEST NEWS & RUMORS