Michelle Voepel reprising the bad for basketball argument

[j66kicker]

Well, maybe a little bit of a hot take on my part... I'll admit that "shouldn't happen again" is not exactly "should end". Still, I think Michelle has made it clear that she's had enough UConn.

I thought it was pretty clear that Voepel meant we shouldn’t have any team going to 13 straight FF’s again - UConn or anybody else. Not that UCONN doing it the first time was bad, but now there’s more parity and that trend should continue.

 

[eebmg]

I know we often say NC or bust at Connecticut, but for many programs just reaching the final four is an incredible achievement. Think about how for the last 13 seasons, or 14 years, no team in Connecticut’s bracket has broken through. That’s since 2008, or when Tennessee last won a NC!!! We have continued to be at this bad for basketball level for a long time. Now it seems we are poised to once again be really bad for basketball. With the team we have next year, it should be another final four at minimum. And 3 years of Fudd and Bueckers should keep the ball rolling.

at least, we don't have to hear that we have the unfair Albany advantage this time.

 

[LoboDays]

Here’s the thing.

PAST: UCONN WBB like the U.S. Women’s soccer team were good for their sports because their excellence of play generated great interest by girls who then participated in the sports. This resulted, in part, to the increased parity we see today in college women’s hoops and Soccer. In soccer, it has also helped internationally as more countries are making a more serious commitment to their women’s programs in an effort to compete.

PRESENT: If UCONN wins the NC, it will be against teams that are their equal or very close to it. If UCONN played Baylor 4 times this year, it’s likely that each team would win 2 games. Stanford may be another example. Maybe SC. Regardless of the winner, these games are highly contested and generate interest and higher viewership. The fact that UCONN is severely challenged from the Elite Eight forward is good for the sport. Win or lose, UCONN being part of the top group of teams is not bad for the sport. No problem with rooting against them if that is what the haters are reduced to but their presence and excellence of play continues to a plus for the sport.

FUTURE: Based on their current roster and players who have committed to play for UCONN, they won’t be leaving “top-level” status anytime soon. But, as good as they are and possibly will be, there will be teams who have enough talent to beat them on any given night. The key here is the number of teams that we can put in that group. I’m optimistic, based on the overall level of play in this years tourney, that the number of teams with a legitimate shot at reaching the FF will continue to grow. That is good for the sport regardless of UCONN’s place in it. Parity is the result of increased talent being dispersed throughout the colleges. This is happening. It happens from the top down but as talent becomes more abundant, it will filter down to more and more schools. The past dominance by UCONN is one reason for it.

 

[dogged1]

Here’s the thing.

PAST: UCONN WBB like the U.S. Women’s soccer team were good for their sports because their excellence of play generated great interest by girls who then participated in the sports. This resulted, in part, to the increased parity we see today in college women’s hoops and Soccer. In soccer, it has also helped internationally as more countries are making a more serious commitment to their women’s programs in an effort to compete.

PRESENT: If UCONN wins the NC, it will be against teams that are their equal or very close to it. If UCONN played Baylor 4 times this year, it’s likely that each team would win 2 games. Stanford may be another example. Maybe SC. Regardless of the winner, these games are highly contested and generate interest and higher viewership. The fact that UCONN is severely challenged from the Elite Eight forward is good for the sport. Win or lose, UCONN being part of the top group of teams is not bad for the sport. No problem with rooting against them if that is what the haters are reduced to but their presence and excellence of play continues to a plus for the sport.

FUTURE: Based on their current roster and players who have committed to play for UCONN, they won’t be leaving “top-level” status anytime soon. But, as good as they are and possibly will be, there will be teams who have enough talent to beat them on any given night. The key here is the number of teams that we can put in that group. I’m optimistic, based on the overall level of play in this years tourney, that the number of teams with a legitimate shot at reaching the FF will continue to grow. That is good for the sport regardless of UCONN’s place in it. Parity is the result of increased talent being dispersed throughout the colleges. This is happening. It happens from the top down but as talent becomes more abundant, it will filter down to more and more schools. The past dominance by UCONN is one reason for it.

Jeeez, are we really the WCBB equivalent to the Damn Yankees. Does that make me the equivalent of a Yankees fan.
Oh, God what a horrible thought.
I need a whiskey, make that a quart of Knob Creek.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Jeeez, are we really the WCBB equivalent to the Damn Yankees. Does that make me the equivalent of a Yankees fan.
Oh, God what a horrible thought.
I need a whiskey, make that a quart of Knob Creek.

Lol, only from a certain perspective... Evil never thinks it's evil.

 

[Bald Husky]

I love UConn and will be a die hard fan forever. It was said that the dreams of all teams is to make it to the final 4, with most of those dreams really pipe dreams. I'm sure that no matter who they are, any team must feel so deflated on selection day if they end up in UConns bracket. They know their dreams of making it to the final 4 are squashed before they even play. I have thought of that, and you know what. TOUGH TOENAILS!!!!

 

[UcMiami]

I thought it was pretty clear that Voepel meant we shouldn’t have any team going to 13 straight FF’s again - UConn or anybody else. Not that UCONN doing it the first time was bad, but now there’s more parity and that trend should continue.

And luckily, Geno will not be going for 13 again either - he'll set his sights on 14!

 

[j66kicker]

Jeeez, are we really the WCBB equivalent to the Damn Yankees. Does that make me the equivalent of a Yankees fan.
Oh, God what a horrible thought.
I need a whiskey, make that a quart of Knob Creek.

Lol, only from a certain perspective... Evil never thinks it's evil.

I’m a Yankee fan, so let me quote Sensei John Kreese (bad guy in Karate Kid) from this season’s Cobra Kai: “There is no good or evil - only weak and strong.”

 

[RedStickHusky]

I’m a Yankee fan, so let me quote Sensei John Kreese (bad guy in Karate Kid) from this season’s Cobra Kai: “There is no good or evil - only weak and strong.”

TBH, being a Sox fan is more fun with the Yankees around. A mountain climber needs a mountain.

 

[dogged1]

I’m a Yankee fan, so let me quote Sensei John Kreese (bad guy in Karate Kid) from this season’s Cobra Kai: “There is no good or evil - only weak and strong.”

D*mn Yankees fan, always with the snarky comebacks.......
So, do you embrace the Dark Side, Luke?

 

[HuskyNan]

Well, maybe a little bit of a hot take on my part... I'll admit that "shouldn't happen again" is not exactly "should end". Still, I think Michelle has made it clear that she's had enough UConn.

Poor Mechelle Voepel has been accused of hating UConn, hating Tennessee, hating So Carolina, Stanford, and Notre Dame, among other, because she discusses topical events from her view at that point in time. She writes columns with opinions; that’s what she does. Nowhere is it in her, or anyone else’s, contract that they need to fawn over UConn in every article.

Do we UConn fans really need to charge all over the Internet looking for something to interpret as being offensive? The program is bigger than that and we should be, too.

 

[RedStickHusky]

Poor Mechelle Voepel has been accused of hating UConn, hating Tennessee, hating So Carolina, Stanford, and Notre Dame, among other, because she discusses topical events from her view at that point in time. She writes columns with opinions; that’s what she does. Nowhere is it in her, or anyone else’s, contract that they need to fawn over UConn in every article.

Do we UConn fans really need to charge all over the Internet looking for something to interpret as being offensive? The program is bigger than that and we should be, too.

Not particularly offended.. just making note of an interesting opinion in an opinion piece. And 'poor' Mechelle Voepel? How many clicks do you suppose this thread has spawned?

 

[j66kicker]

D*mn Yankees fan, always with the snarky comebacks.......
So, do you embrace the Dark Side, Luke?

There is no dark and light...

 

[HuskyNan]

Not particularly offended.. just making note of an interesting pinion in an opinion piece. And 'poor' Mechelle Voepel? How many clicks do you suppose this thread has spawned?

Poor because she’s a good person that doesn’t hate any wcbb program. She’s been accused of it hundreds of times. I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets threats, either. I know I have and for less than writing an article for a major sports publication

 

[jabstep]

Jeeez, are we really the WCBB equivalent to the Damn Yankees. Does that make me the equivalent of a Yankees fan.
Oh, God what a horrible thought.
I need a whiskey, make that a quart of Knob Creek.

See you didn't know what you were missing

 

[RedStickHusky]

Poor because she’s a good person that doesn’t hate any wcbb program. She’s been accused of it hundreds of times. I wouldn’t be surprised if she got threats, either. I know I have and for less than writing an article for a major sports publication

I don't believe I've said anything threatening or even angry about any sports writer ever. Anyone actually threatening anybody over a sports discussion should be banned if not prosecuted. That being said, disagreement is stock in trade for opinion writers. With all due respect and civility, of course.

 

[huskeynut]

Jeeez, are we really the WCBB equivalent to the Damn Yankees. Does that make me the equivalent of a Yankees fan.
Oh, God what a horrible thought.
I need a whiskey, make that a quart of Knob Creek.

What's wrong with being a Yankee fan?

However, your choice of bourbon is excellent.

 

[Bald Husky]

Poor Mechelle Voepel has been accused of hating UConn, hating Tennessee, hating So Carolina, Stanford, and Notre Dame, among other, because she discusses topical events from her view at that point in time. She writes columns with opinions; that’s what she does. Nowhere is it in her, or anyone else’s, contract that they need to fawn over UConn in every article.

Do we UConn fans really need to charge all over the Internet looking for something to interpret as being offensive? The program is bigger than that and we should be, too.

Its funny, because over in Volnation they think ESPN and Voepel simply love UConn. All fans simply cannot be objective when it comes to their team. Its human nature, so lets just be adults, support your team, and forget about the other guys opinion. This is why they have sports talk, love them or not.

 

[Skeets]

There is no dark and light...

God separated the dark from the light, and saw it was good.

 

[dogged1]

God separated the dark from the light, and saw it was good.

I wish I had thought of that, good one, LOL.

 

[Alydar]

In the history of spectator sports it's been the dominant teams that have grown the sport. I think Michele confuses popularity with competition. She sees building the sport as having more successful programs around the country. But pro basketball took off in the Jordan era when there really wasn't anyone to challenge them. Would pro football be better without the NE Patriots all these years? Or the Cowboys of the 70's? Baseball regained it's popularity during the 90's when the Yankees dominated?

I had to laugh after ESPN's Twitter page was inundated with howls about one bad call the other night. It answered a question. I always wondered what happened to all the UConn trolls who lived on the old ESPN wcbb message board. Now I know, they moved to Twitter. Don't think for one second that ESPN wasn't thinking about them when they hyped that non-call while ignoring all the other non-calls that happened throughout the game. They are pandering to a large block of fans who want UConn to lose more than they want any other team to win.

I'm sure that Voepel, Creme, Hayes et al truly want to build wcbb from the inside but their employer (Disney/Hearst) only wants more viewers watching and if it's hatred for UConn that gets them to watch then D/H is OK with that.

 

[STLCardinal]

The bar SHOULD be set high. Reachable, but high. Not just in sports but in life. There should be examples of how to coach, play and recruit at a level that achieves great things. There should be people who set examples on how to carry yourself, contribute to a team or workplace, show respect for opponents or adversaries. In so many areas of society these days the bar has been set so low you can step over it. Sports provides a learning opportunity for kids. They either learn good things or bad things. The UConn program is not only providing their kids with the opportunity to learn how to be great but they are setting an example that a lot of other programs would do good to follow.

 

[MSGRET]

Jeeez, are we really the WCBB equivalent to the Damn Yankees. Does that make me the equivalent of a Yankees fan.
Oh, God what a horrible thought.
I need a whiskey, make that a quart of Knob Creek.

You might want to make it a fifth just to be sure.

 

[CMC'72]

Thanks for posting the Voepel article, where she says, simply:
"No one has accomplished more than Geno Auriemma's 11 NCAA titles. It's hard to imagine we'll ever see another program replicate this, and for the growth of the sport, it's probably best if that's the case."

I don't take that as Voepel reprising "UCONN is bad for basketball"

Parity IS great for business. Voepel's job is to make the games exciting by raising up the underdog as an advertising point. She does that. But I don't see her being disrespectful to UCONN or Geno in any way.

However, yes, Voepel, again, picks Stanford, and as she did with picking Baylor, she remains destined to be wrong again.

 

[oldude]

Jeeez, are we really the WCBB equivalent to the Damn Yankees. Does that make me the equivalent of a Yankees fan.
Oh, God what a horrible thought.
I need a whiskey, make that a quart of Knob Creek.

Sitting here thoroughly enjoying opening day at the Stadium. My Yankees currently up 2-1 over the Jays in the bottom of the 3rd.......Just sayin.

 

[LCConnFan]

regarding UConn and many other things................in today's society greatness sucks..........

Your right! Little Johnny (and Jane) deserve trophies too!!!!!

 

[BBallF]

I just wanted to put my 2 cents in about this unquestioned and glorified concept of parity by which is meant broad based equality.

First of all, it's an illusion in any sport where the players get to choose their venue to play that sport in. Is there parity in college football? Why does it have to exist in women's college basketball? The best players are not going to magically go to numerous and varied schools because UCONN loses an NC or doesn't get to an FF. They are going to go where the other best players are going, where the best coaches are, where the historically successful programs are, and where it will best suit them. That has largely happened in women's basketball except that the parity is concentrated at the top of the sport in the usually represented schools like UCONN, SC, Baylor, Stanford, Notre Dame previously, etc.

Secondly, grow the sport? Most people, men and women, boys and girls, will tell you that the single best game in both tournaments was the UCONN- Baylor game. That, and a player like Paige, and a team like ours this year, grows the sport. What little girl, who was serious about hoops or even just learning would not want to be like Paige? Or to play at UCONN with teammates like these? You want true parity, hypothetically take the top 40 players in the US in high school and send them to 40 different schools. What would you get? A dilution, a drop off in the quality of the sport itself, and people not even watching.

If parity means UCONN doesn't win an NC and someone else does, look at the last 2 full years before Covid. Did that grow the sport? It helped 2 programs ( one only temporarily) but it didn't grow the sport. Growing the sport is agreeing to take your #1 ranked team on MLK Jr. Day in 1995 and play the #2 ranked Huskies on national TV and then being arch rivals for years. Or having a player like DT with her charisma lead her team twice to a title. Or now, with a young player crying with the POY trophy in her hands telling her teammates she loves them and watching them all coming to surround her with pure affection for her and each other. That grows the sport, not an unexamined adherence to an unrealistic concept and an assertion without evidence with a fundamental goal to be to have a woman's sport approached differently from a man's sport.

 

[LCConnFan]

Poor Mechelle Voepel has been accused of hating UConn, hating Tennessee, hating So Carolina, Stanford, and Notre Dame, among other, because she discusses topical events from her view at that point in time. She writes columns with opinions; that’s what she does. Nowhere is it in her, or anyone else’s, contract that they need to fawn over UConn in every article.

Do we UConn fans really need to charge all over the Internet looking for something to interpret as being offensive? The program is bigger than that and we should be, too.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh..............Now you're sucking the life out of the BY! Of course we do!

 

[dogged1]

You might want to make it a fifth just to be sure.

First I will drink the fifth, then I will take the fifth.
"Nah, it couldn't be me, honey, I don't remember drinking that bottle"

 

[CMC'72]

I just wanted to put my 2 cents in about this unquestioned and glorified concept of parity by which is meant broad based equality.

Lots of good points in your post. All parity means no one wants to see the same team win all the time. simple.
Your sense of what creates drama is crucial to great game growth, and that is what the "we have no parity" side of the equation also craves. Methinks we all agree on the grain of truth driving this supposed divide.