ESPN Disrespecting the WNBA

[Lawrence]

Washington vs. Atlanta game scheduled for 2pm on ESPN2 apparently does not have priority over some minor college football game...This is one reason why women's basketball is looked at as a minor sport. They just announced that the game has started and can be seen on the ESPN AP. I do not have the ESPN AP and I don't want it. I was intending on watching this game in it's entirety on ESPN2. This is a great example of disrespecting women's basketball. SCREW ESPN.

 

[nwhoopfan]

If I had a quarter for every game I wanted to watch that got preempted because a previous game went beyond it's time slot, I'd have a ton of quarters. It's not really a dissing the WNBA problem, it's that games rarely fit into the alloted time slot. Men's sporting events get preempted all the time as well, it's not a gender inequity thing. Doesn't help you any, but it's not even slightly uncommon, happens constantly.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Washington vs. Atlanta game scheduled for 2pm on ESPN2 apparently does not have priority over some minor college football game...This is one reason why women's basketball is looked at as a minor sport. They just announced that the game has started and can be seen on the ESPN AP. I do not have the ESPN AP and I don't want it. I was intending on watching this game in it's entirety on ESPN2. This is a great example of disrespecting women's basketball. SCREW ESPN.

The problem isn't ESPN, but rather that almost any college football game gets better ratings than the WNBA.

 

[CTBballfan243]

ESPN isn't disrespecting the WNBA. This is all about ratings and business, nothing more.

 

[triaddukefan]

Darn, I had no idea that the MEAC/SWAC Challenge was on ESPN2 today. Good showcase for those smaller conferences that otherwise dont get alot of airtime on the ESPN networks. So what if WNBA was preempted a few minutes. Its not like more than 1,208 people were gonna care about missing 15 minutes of the game

 

[nwhoopfan]

The Storm-Mercury game is supposed to be on but I'm stuck watching 3 minutes of garbage time in a 20 point blowout of the Mystics-Dream game. Must be East Coast bias.

 

[jimazee]

The Storm-Mercury game is supposed to be on but I'm stuck watching 3 minutes of garbage time in a 20 point blowout of the Mystics-Dream game. Must be East Coast bias.

...or perhaps some sort of ethereal bias?

 

[CTrefugee]

Washington vs. Atlanta game scheduled for 2pm on ESPN2 apparently does not have priority over some minor college football game...This is one reason why women's basketball is looked at as a minor sport. They just announced that the game has started and can be seen on the ESPN AP. I do not have the ESPN AP and I don't want it. I was intending on watching this game in it's entirety on ESPN2. This is a great example of disrespecting women's basketball. SCREW ESPN.

The reason: NOBODY'S WATCHING !

 

[Waquoit]

If I had a quarter for every game I wanted to watch that got preempted because a previous game went beyond it's time slot, I'd have a ton of quarters. It's not really a dissing the WNBA problem, it's that games rarely fit into the alloted time slot.

This. The whining is unreal here. And in many cases on ESPN, games that are bumped from their primary channel start on a secondary channel like ESPN U or ESPN News. Do we know that this didn't happen here?

 

[eebmg]

This. The whining is unreal here. And in many cases on ESPN, games that are bumped from their primary channel start on a secondary channel like ESPN U or ESPN News. Do we know that this didn't happen here?

Yes. I looked at all secondary channels. The message it would only be on the App. was actually a few minutes after tip off

 

[mbr33ct]

It could have been worse, could have been the Cornhole Champinoship instead of Football!

 

[Centerstream]

Blame it on the Heidi Game (or sometimes called the Heidi Bowl).

 

[Blueballer]

If I had a quarter for every game I wanted to watch that got preempted because a previous game went beyond it's time slot, I'd have a ton of quarters. It's not really a dissing the WNBA problem, it's that games rarely fit into the alloted time slot. Men's sporting events get preempted all the time as well, it's not a gender inequity thing. Doesn't help you any, but it's not even slightly uncommon, happens constantly.

As I mentioned in the game thread what you're stating was NOT the issue in this situation. Yes that happens all the time. In this case it was NOT a problem of a football game simply running long. There was no way that FB game was going to be anywhere near completed by the announced start time of the WNBA Playoff game. ESPN knew full well that that FB game would still be in the 3rd quarter by the time in question. It was BS to list that playoff game as an ESPN2 broadcast. I propose they knew all along they would be asking people to start watching the game on ESPN 3. The problem I have with this entire affair is that they should have just come right out and said it upfront. We all know it's about ratings and advertising dollars. We also know the WNBA is a bottom rung sport for them. Just don't LIE to people about it.

 

[nwhoopfan]

As I mentioned in the game thread what you're stating was NOT the issue in this situation

OK, I see your point.

I noticed for the Game 5 double header, Atlanta-Washington is on ESPN2 but Seattle-Phoenix is relegated to ESPNEWS/NBATV. What is that crap? Now that does clearly seem like East Coast bias to me.

 

[Roger G]

...or perhaps some sort of ethereal bias?

Ah.... The Mystic's dream....

 

[Cuango]

Washington vs. Atlanta game scheduled for 2pm on ESPN2 apparently does not have priority over some minor college football game...This is one reason why women's basketball is looked at as a minor sport. They just announced that the game has started and can be seen on the ESPN AP. I do not have the ESPN AP and I don't want it. I was intending on watching this game in it's entirety on ESPN2. This is a great example of disrespecting women's basketball. SCREW ESPN.

Doesn’t the WNBA have to be artificially propped up by NBA revenues to even exist? Has there ever been a WNBA game that garnered higher ratings than any major college football game? This wasn’t disrespect! It was economics!

 

[MilfordHusky]

Blame it on the Heidi Game (or sometimes called the Heidi Bowl).

For those folks who don't remember 1968. It was a wild year!!

Heidi Game - Wikipedia

 

[j66kicker]

OK, I see your point.

I noticed for the Game 5 double header, Atlanta-Washington is on ESPN2 but Seattle-Phoenix is relegated to ESPNEWS/NBATV. What is that crap? Now that does clearly seem like East Coast bias to me.

ESPN2 is showing the USA vs. Chile women’s soccer match in that time slot. What’s the problem anyway? Just switch to ESPNEWS and watch the game.

 

[nwhoopfan]

ESPN2 is showing the USA vs. Chile women’s soccer match in that time slot. What’s the problem anyway? Just switch to ESPNEWS and watch the game.

I don't get that channel.

 

[j66kicker]

I don't get that channel.

If you get basic ESPN you should be able to stream it. PIA I know, but you should have access in any case.

I wonder if they showed this game on ESPN2 and showed the women’s senior national team soccer game on ESPNEWS would women’s soccer fans feel disrespected?

 

[nwhoopfan]

I wonder if they showed this game on ESPN2 and showed the women’s senior national team soccer game on ESPNEWS would women’s soccer fans feel disrespected?

Probably. You can't please anybody, or you can't please everybody most of the time, or everybody's always feeling disrespected, or however that old cliche goes.

 

[eebmg]

If you get basic ESPN you should be able to stream it. PIA I know, but you should have access in any case.

I wonder if they showed this game on ESPN2 and showed the women’s senior national team soccer game on ESPNEWS would women’s soccer fans feel disrespected?

I am a fan of both but even if I was more of a woman's soccer fan, I could see that the choice is

'Friendly against a team that is not competitive vs elimination game in best of 5 with a lot of interesting side stories.'

 

[meyers7]

ESPN2 is showing the USA vs. Chile women’s soccer match in that time slot. What’s the problem anyway? Just switch to ESPNEWS and watch the game.

If you get basic ESPN you should be able to stream it. PIA I know, but you should have access in any case.

I wonder if they showed this game on ESPN2 and showed the women’s senior national team soccer game on ESPNEWS would women’s soccer fans feel disrespected?

I actually recorded (or tried to record) the USWNT vs Chile match on ESPN2, however I got a good hour of tennis instead. The women's game came on about 10 minutes into the 2nd half.

If I'm watching and they move it to another channel, not a big deal, but when trying to DVR it, that sucks.

 

[j66kicker]

I actually recorded (or tried to record) the USWNT vs Chile match on ESPN2, however I got a good hour of tennis instead. The women's game came on about 10 minutes into the 2nd half.

If I'm watching and they move it to another channel, not a big deal, but when trying to DVR it, that sucks.

My TV Guide still shows that soccer game tonight at 7 PM (10 PM EDT) on ESPN2, so I guess that means they're showing a replay of the soccer game on ESPN2 and moving the WNBA playoff game to a different channel? Still no difference for me since I get both channels, but maybe you can DVR the whole soccer game tonight on ESPN2...?