Teresa Edwards Not Happy with ESPN Best Player

[Wbbfan1]

http://womhoops.blogspot.com/2015/09/opinion-espn-w-women-bracket-to-name.html

Older PLayers were slighted.

 

[cferraro04]

Someone touched a nerve....wow!

 

[easttexastrash]

I had the same thought when I saw the list. It's as if they forgot an entire generation of players. Nancy Lieberman should definitely be much higher than 16 and would be if more people had gotten to see her play.

 

[easttexastrash]

Which current players will supplant someone on that list in 10 years? BG? EDD? Stewart?

 

[stwainfan]

 

[Sonny44]

It happens in every sport. People never saw the older ones so they think the players of today are the greatest.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Definitely EDD will. Suspect Griner will if she becomes more dominant in her play. I wouldn't be surprised to see Skylar Diggins make the list because of her play and Social Media. Will be interesting to see if either of the Oguwmike Sisters make the list, they are very talented but seem to playing under the radar when it comes to getting publicity.

 

[UcMiami]

Which current players will supplant someone on that list in 10 years? BG? EDD? Stewart?

All of the above!

 

[UcMiami]

Good response, but come on now - does anyone think a fan vote for greatest player is EVER a good indication of the true standings of players.
And the idea here is to get current fans involved, and most of those fans do not recognize half of those names. Probably this should have been called Best WNBA player ever and not try to be inclusive of pre professional league players - you had to be a truly dedicated women's basketball junky to even get to see many of those players play - the stories are told and there is some footage available - but national broadcasts, nope.
And I suspect some of our historians could bring out a list of great players from the era before Edwards list that in making that list she has completely dissed. No Immaculata stars? All American Red Heads?

The reality is that Women's Basketball and Women's Soccer are experiencing a period of unprecedented exposure, and a huge increase in fan base. A lot of those fans are pretty young - I am pretty old and only remember seeing the Great Lisa Leslie in a few complete games, plus some highlight reel stuff - online access to USA basketball team games - very recent. Every National team Olympic game available for viewing - very recent. At least 10 college games available each week on cable or on-line - 5 years old?

 

[Oldbones]

Older Players were slighted. No one listens to them any more; no 0ne quotes them (well, mostly)

Regrettably this is a common problem. Rhonda Rousey just won a greatest woman athlete poll, beating out Serena Williams. Both active competitors.

No one remembers Joyner-Kersee, Didrikson-Zaharias, or my personal renaissance athlete heroine, Lottie Dod.

Therefore each of us must solemnly and without reservation pledge to be a curator of the UConn past, lest Bascom, Lobo, Cash and (gasp) Taurasi become forgotten footnotes to a glorious Husky present and future.

We must ...................remember.

 

[calpedaler]

Yes, older players were slighted, but Edwards did some slighting of her own with her generalizations about the current players.

 

[Oldbones]

Yes, older players were slighted, but Edwards did some slighting of her own with her generalizations about the current players.

No 3-point line? bigger basketball? I remember taking the rock to a peach basket! And those wool bloomers? YUK

 

[iamcbs]

It's an age-old argument and in our current "cult of personality" society, we often do disparage the older athletes in every sport. The players Edwards mentioned are the pioneers of WBB and were stars among stars. I still maintain that Cheryl Miller is the best female BB player I've ever seen and Blaze was the female Pete Maravich.

 

[bballnut90]

I don't think the list is as well done as it could be...definitely favors more current players for better or worse. Right now Katie Smith is leading Cheryl Miler....something is just wrong with that.

Also overlooks Chamique Holdsclaw who is unquestionably one of the very best collegiate players ever, and Uljana Sejonova gets no mention even though she might be the most dominant player ever (although it was a completely different era.)

 

[CBear01]

Playing devil's advocate here but wasn't the point for ESPNW to choose 16 well-known players? I mean, why put up a list for voters when we'd maybe only recognize a handful of names?

Although the network did not choose the best 16 of all time, they chose the most popular 16 for us voters to debate and thus make for a better voting list. IMO of course

 

[DishNSwish]

Considering the whole ESPNw thing fluff from the beginning, but she is right about Katrina McClain not being on that list. She was the biggest oversight I saw.

But seriously, the whole thing is just silly.

 

[ThisJustIn]

I could have been a great exercise in history. How about we play "best center" "best point guard" etc. and have clips....

Other option - call it WNBA players.