1st Are The Bad For The Sport Sighting of Monday

[RockyMTblue2]

“In any sport, it’s great from a competitive standpoint and from an interest standpoint to have an oligarchy as opposed to a monarchy,” said ESPN college basketball reporter Mechelle Voepel. “What I mean by that is if you have one team that is just so, so dominant for a long period of time that can get frustrating. It can get old, it can lead people to sort of dismiss a sport.”

College basketball: Is UConn's dominance bad for women's basketball?

 

[ChicagoGG]

I thought the oligarchs controlled Russian basketball.....oh, well. I prefer Doug Bruno's take on it anyway.

 

[Zorro]

No one ever minded the Globetrotters dominating the opposition!

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Bruno has it right... don't expect UCONN to lower their level of play to give others a chance.... elevate the play of the players you have.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

No one ever minded the Globetrotters dominating the opposition!

Yeah, but they got to use buckets of confetti!

 

[StephStorrs]

You'd think after years of having this conversation, people would be tired of writing the same exhausted "UConn is bad for women's basketball" rhetoric. And yet, year after year, here they are. It's really rather tragic.

If you can't beat them, get better. It's really that simple.

 

[UcMiami]

It is not a bad story with a lot of positive stuff from the DePaul side of things. And yes, basketball does put a premium on size and we are seeing more quick, athletic 6'+ players in the women's game just as the men's game continues to grow taller - Magic at his size as a PG was unique, he would be commonplace today.
And I think it is true that there are more and more teams that are developing consistency of effort and intensity on the court that matches UConn - for every TN that has fallen off in that respect there are three or four teams that have picked it up - and the AAC is loaded with those teams that are focused play by play even as they are getting blown out of the water by UConn.

 

[JordyG]

Yes, not a bad story at all with a nice light shown on many teams in WCBB. With much of the focus drawn on DePaul their attitude that each team in WCBB needs to match UConn's level becomes the dominant tenor of the article, and that is what the reader is left with. Frankly articles like this need to be part of the ongoing UConn conversation among media types in this country.

 

[Plebe]

“In any sport, it’s great from a competitive standpoint and from an interest standpoint to have an oligarchy as opposed to a monarchy,” said ESPN college basketball reporter Mechelle Voepel. “What I mean by that is if you have one team that is just so, so dominant for a long period of time that can get frustrating. It can get old, it can lead people to sort of dismiss a sport.”

Oh, gee whiz. God forbid the pretenders to the throne feel frustration. Cry me a river.

 

[eebmg]

No one ever minded the Globetrotters dominating the opposition!

No one equates Globtrotters to sports. Irregardless of the record or score that may occur, WCBB is sport since both sides do their best to win and improve. Not the case with the Globetrotters which is designed to be pure entertainment and theater and the competition is in on the act. Comparing UConn to the Globetrotters would be the worst argument possible that UConn is good for the game.

 

[Zorro]

And it is well to keep in mind that the "experts" were not NEARLY as impressed with our kids' talent before the season started as they are now. Recall that we had not a single player voted to either the first nor the second pre-season AA team! Not a one. Tennessee (you remember Tennessee) had two or maybe three, I am not going to look it up.

 

[Coach]

"but when you have players who are all 6-foot-2 and can play every single position,"

The reporter could have done a better job. She reference this quote from Jessica January without correcting the inaccuracy. We only have one starter 6-2 or taller.

 

[Zorro]

They all just PLAY as if they were 6'2"! I con see where the confusion comes from. Who would believe in this world that Gabby may not even be quite an honest 5'11"? It does not compute.

 

[Zorro]

No one equates Globtrotters to sports. Irregardless of the record or score that may occur, WCBB is sport since both sides do their best to win and improve. Not the case with the Globetrotters which is designed to be pure entertainment and theater and the competition is in on the act. Comparing UConn to the Globetrotters would be the worst argument possible that UConn is good for the game.

Oh. OK.

 

[UcMiami]

Oh, gee whiz. God forbid the pretenders to the throne feel frustration. Cry me a river.

Well, they did solved the problem of falling just short each year, and having to watch UConn celebrate as they walk off the court!

 

[johnnyc]

I think there are plenty of people that only watch WCB because of UConn's excellence. If UConn ever stopped playing ball the way they play I could see WCB losing fans. It is hard to watch some of these other teams play sometimes after being used to seeing how UConn plays.

 

[johnnyc]

They all just PLAY as if they were 6'2"! I con see where the confusion comes from. Who would believe in this world that Gabby may not even be quite an honest 5'11"? It does not compute.

So it's finally settled.....Bria Hartley was 6'2"?

 

[Blueballer]

How come she didn't say crap this when TENN was winning all the time? OR in an earlier era Wooden's UCLA team?

By the way - I don't remember MLB getting clobbered like this when the Yankees won all the time. I mean 27 championships is a but much right? It might have caused more people to hate the Yankees but it probably caused as many people to root for them. A lot of interest both ways. Why is women's sports
treated differently?

 

[JordyG]

"but when you have players who are all 6-foot-2 and can play every single position,"

The reporter could have done a better job. She reference this quote from Jessica January without correcting the inaccuracy. We only have one starter 6-2 or taller.

Hey, when you face UCONN they all play above their height.

 

[UcMiami]

How come she didn't say crap this when TENN was winning all the time? OR in an earlier era Wooden's UCLA team?

By the way - I don't remember MLB getting clobbered like this when the Yankees won all the time. I mean 27 championships is a but much right? It might have caused more people to hate the Yankees but it probably caused as many people to root for them. A lot of interest both ways. Why is women's sports
treated differently?

Cause TN was never winning all the time like this!

 

[Orangutan]

By the way - I don't remember MLB getting clobbered like this when the Yankees won all the time.

Of course people hated the Yankees' dominance. Hence the old saying "Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for US Steel". More recently, I remember well how the late 90s Yankees dynasty was disliked.

And lest anyone think UConn is the only basketball team to deal with "Are they too good?" discussions:

 

[augustaTC]

Unfortunately too many "sports" reporters are lazy or don't understand the sports they are writing about or are just looking for an easy way to generate a headline - or, worst case, all three. UConn is a convenient whipping boy (girl?).

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

I think there are plenty of people that only watch WCB because of UConn's excellence. If UConn ever stopped playing ball the way they play I could see WCB losing fans. It is hard to watch some of these other teams play sometimes after being used to seeing how UConn plays.

Concur.... during the season I would "surf" on line at various games on ESPN2, 3, and U. and was amazed at the very sparse crowds, and the manner of play. I had to turn them off. And, these were Major College D1 programs... admittedly not those in the Top 15 or 20 in the polls, but the play was pretty sad.