Important NY Times article on WNBA

[bags27]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/s...&gwh=0ECB44618DA4FE920D1F871BE29E4BF6&gwt=pay

very long article which I read in hard copy (Times on-line is at war with my computer and this may be behind a pay wall for some, so others may have to cut and paste key sections).

I don't follow professional basketball (men's or women's) but obviously weakness in or the end of the WNBA would have significant negative effects on the development of elite high school and college women's basketball, not to mention women's overall sense of agency in athletics. It may be that those of us who like the amateur game may have to bite the bullet and support the professional game as well.

 

[UcMiami]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/s...&gwh=0ECB44618DA4FE920D1F871BE29E4BF6&gwt=pay

very long article which I read in hard copy (Times on-line is at war with my computer and this may be behind a pay wall for some, so others may have to cut and paste key sections).

I don't follow professional basketball (men's or women's) but obviously weakness in or the end of the WNBA would have significant negative effects on the development of elite high school and college women's basketball, not to mention women's overall sense of agency in athletics. It may be that those of us who like the amateur game may have to bite the bullet and support the professional game as well.

I am trying. I am enjoying my league pass (ridiculously cheap!), but some of the games are painful - watching the second half of the MN/Ind game last night where reeves decided to sit her starters and the bench struggled to fling a shot at the backboard as the shot clock expired was a nightmare. If you want to work the bench, great, but leave a few players on the court who have a clue so they can lead the rest.

And I realized that the White situation is an issue - the WNBA is obviously a less strenuous coaching situation that college so some great coaches might choose it for lifestyle reasons, but if that is not a consideration the good college coaches are making 3x or more than the WNBA coaches so one suspects there is less coaching talent in the pros. Between that and the refs ...

 

[ThisJustIn]

Umm.... you do realize that the exact same thing could be said for women's college basketball? There is NO separation between the two. Judge one, judge the other.

As for "what's on the court" judgements... imagine if UConn had to play itself every game... and had two weeks to prepare for the entire season, and had two games in between each test....

 

[mkwstar23]

I am trying. I am enjoying my league pass (ridiculously cheap!), but some of the games are painful - watching the second half of the MN/Ind game last night where reeves decided to sit her starters and the bench struggled to fling a shot at the backboard as the shot clock expired was a nightmare. If you want to work the bench, great, but leave a few players on the court who have a clue so they can lead the rest.

And I realized that the White situation is an issue - the WNBA is obviously a less strenuous coaching situation that college so some great coaches might choose it for lifestyle reasons, but if that is not a consideration the good college coaches are making 3x or more than the WNBA coaches so one suspects there is less coaching talent in the pros. Between that and the refs ...

people on this site often wonder why the WNBA is a hard sell to people on the bubble about becoming a fan, last night is a prime example why they tend to steer away from the game...Cheryl Reeves is an excellent coach but her decision to sit her starters was not a smart one...five games into the season is not the time to sit your best players an entire half...if i had paid $40-$50 to watch Maya play 24 minute i would be furious...if it had been the 34th game of the season and you were about to start the playoffs, and you need rest for tired players is one thing but game 5...maybe it is just me but the average fan wants to see Maya and DT and EDD and the other stars in the league play, not cheer the teammates on...just my opinion but if you want a strong loyal fan base give them what they want, 40 minutes of good basketball, like Uconn does, just saying

 

[baggerbob]

I am trying. I am enjoying my league pass (ridiculously cheap!), but some of the games are painful - watching the second half of the MN/Ind game last night where reeves decided to sit her starters and the bench struggled to fling a shot at the backboard as the shot clock expired was a nightmare. If you want to work the bench, great, but leave a few players on the court who have a clue so they can lead the rest.

And I realized that the White situation is an issue - the WNBA is obviously a less strenuous coaching situation that college so some great coaches might choose it for lifestyle reasons, but if that is not a consideration the good college coaches are making 3x or more than the WNBA coaches so one suspects there is less coaching talent in the pros. Between that and the refs ...

My only real complaint about the games I've watched is the officials. In some games very few fouls are called in the paint, and others like the Atlanta, and Dallas game, every touch foul is called. Wish they would get the app, so you could watch it on your Smart T V, or Amazon Fire T V.

 

[mkwstar23]

My only real complaint about the games I've watched is the officials. In some games very few fouls are called in the paint, and others like the Atlanta, and Dallas game, every touch foul is called. Wish they would get the app, so you could watch it on your Smart T V, or Amazon Fire T V.

officiating at all levels of women basketball in not very good, not enough good officials to go around

 

[vtcwbuff]

When we heard that the Sun would be playing their home games right next door we were excited. We went to a game whenever we could. Over the years our attendance has dwindled. Last year one game, this year probably none. The reason - the product isn't worth our time.

 

[bags27]

I agree with these sentiments. I've tried to like the WNBA, but, frankly, UConn WCBB--among others--is so disciplined and precise that WNBA play is what I imagine the first UConn scrimmage to be, when Geno throws up his hands and asks CD why they recruited them.

 

[nd2tty]

The NYT, which doesn't even cover women's professional sports leagues (like at all), trots out this template every couple years or so, saying the same thing: low attendance, no revenue, etc. They argue it's tough truths, but coming from a newspaper with as little regular coverage as them, it's hypocritical at the best, and responsible for the problem in the first place at the worst.

 

[vtcwbuff]

The NYT, which doesn't even cover women's professional sports leagues (like at all), trots out this template every couple years or so, saying the same thing: low attendance, no revenue, etc. They argue it's tough truths, but coming from a newspaper with as little regular coverage as them, it's hypocritical at the best, and responsible for the problem in the first place at the worst.

But there must be some truth because the pay has sucked from the start and it still sucks. If there was a growing market that would probably have changed.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

When we heard that the Sun would be playing their home games right next door we were excited. We went to a game whenever we could. Over the years our attendance has dwindled. Last year one game, this year probably none. The reason - the product isn't worth our time.

I sort of disagree - but end up in the same place, not going to games.

For me, it isn't the play. The pro style is driven by the players skills. And TJI is correct, teams suffer from a lack of practice time, among other issues. Still, games are (on average) fairly exciting and fun to watch and attend if you have a rooting interest.

It is the rooting interest that loses me. Yes - I root for Phoenix and the Liberty (we had Liberty season tix for many years beginning at the start of the league and have attended games in Phoenix) but it is just so difficult to follow if you aren't at the game. Little coverage (even on the ESPN bottom line or newspaper), few games on National TV, sporadic games on local TV, an awkward selection carried on NBA-TV starting well into the season . . . and often with the worst homers (paid to be, to be fair) in the announcing business calling the games.

 

[mkwstar23]

I sort of disagree - but end up in the same place, not going to games.

For me, it isn't the play. The pro style is driven by the players skills. And TJI is correct, teams suffer from a lack of practice time, among other issues. Still, games are (on average) fairly exciting and fun to watch and attend if you have a rooting interest.

It is the rooting interest that loses me. Yes - I root for Phoenix and the Liberty (we had Liberty season tix for many years beginning at the start of the league and have attended games in Phoenix) but it is just so difficult to follow if you aren't at the game. Little coverage (even on the ESPN bottom line or newspaper), few games on National TV, sporadic games on local TV, an awkward selection carried on NBA-TV starting well into the season . . . and often with the worst homers (paid to be, to be fair) in the announcing business calling the games.

the only thing worse than the officiating in the WNBA is the announcers...i quite often turn off the volume and just watch the games...

 

[vtcwbuff]

WNBA stats are a good indicator of a large problem. Only 4 of the 12 teams have a winning record! It's tough to attract a loyal fan base when your team is a perennial loser. Add to that low scoring and stats like A/TO where half the teams have more turnovers than assists.

If you are a UConn WCBB fann, watching most of the WNBA teams is a lot like watching Houston vs
Cincinnati.

 

[ctfjr]

WNBA stats are a good indicator of a large problem. Only 4 of the 12 teams have a winning record! It's tough to attract a loyal fan base when your team is a perennial loser. Add to that low scoring and stats like A/TO where half the teams have more turnovers than assists.

If you are a UConn WCBB fann, watching most of the WNBA teams is a lot like watching Houston vs
Cincinnati.

When we started buying seasons tix to the men's games in 1980 they were the doormat of the 'new' Big East. It was that way for several years. My friends & I went to every game and did postmortems in the car on the way home - all the while yelling at the post game show on WTIC.

I think the question is, how do you engender that loyalty/insanity into the women's game?