Our ladies game

[huskymedic]

Maryland is in Greenbelt, MD, which is an awful place, gone for runs around there.

University of Maryland is in College Park??

 

[storrsroars]

BTW, that was one of the more amazing shots I have seen, men or women. Does she remind anyone a little of Khalid El-Amin? Super under sized but with a huge heart?

The possession before, I was sure Itty-Bitty was going to do a Kemba ankle breaking step back - she started forward, had the defender (Nurse, I think) backing up, but instead of the step back, she just stuttered for a sec, froze Kia then drove toward the hoop. I have no doubt she could do it if she wanted, and it would be awesome.

 

[Travelman6]

University of Maryland is in College Park??

Ya, I made a mistake. Been 3 years since I lived there. Greenbelt, of course, is the very next stop on the green line after College Park. I do not like the area and maybe combined the two stops in my head.

 

[sledog]

The TV audience probably just contacted by 95% for the final. That should show the NCAA that scheduling 10:30 games is BS - as Gino hinted.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

BC isn't in Boston and Maryland isn't in in Baltimore or D.C.

It's not like I care hugely, but you're not counting Newton or College Park, when both are less than 10 milesfrom the heart of their respective anchor cities?

 

[Travelman6]

It's not like I care hugely, but you're not counting Newton or College Park, when both are less than 10 milesfrom the heart of their respective anchor cities?

College Park is 9, maybe 9.5 miles* outside of DC depending on the route you take and where you are going (greenbelt is another 2 or 3 miles or so) BUT CP is a world away from DC....

*(and if we include places like Fort Totten that is as low as just over 7 miles)

 

[uconnfan68]

The TV audience probably just contacted by 95% for the final. That should show the NCAA that scheduling 10:30 games is BS - as Gino hinted.

Geno.

 

[David 76]

While we're correcting names, could we get the team's name right? They are the Women Huskies. If you want a "Ladies" team follow Tennesee or some other "charming" old fashioned school..
Girls mirrors boys, Ladies mirrors Genlemen but in a less capable way. And Women goes with Men.

 

[intlzncster]

?

111 wins vs 111 pts in high school. 111 pts is an old inside joke here.

 

[intlzncster]

That's wild. To take it a step further, there are no P5 schools in Philly, NYC, Hartford, D.C., Baltimore, or Boston. They've completely froze out the east coast.

Gotta be a huge market opportunity here. Problem is, no one down south looks at the North as an opportunity football wise. They see a wasteland (as it's currently constituted), not what could be.

 

[intlzncster]

There's a fundamental question that needs to be answered for women's basketball in this country. That question is, "can a larger market be created?"

Yes it can, but under significant headwinds that I'm not sure many college administrators have the appetite to navigate.

Market creation in a mature economy is difficult, more difficult for entertainment, and yet more difficult for sports entertainment. Soccer is Exhibit 1. Tens of Millions of kids play soccer, but there has not been the kind of market creation that many had hoped for, which is too bad really. Great game. So why is that? Not sure. Too many other sports? Too many other Tech options? Do we have a short cultural attention span?

I would say that's not entirely correct.

Soccer has been slowly growing nicely over the past 10-20 years. You can look at things like World Cup interest and natural cultural shift/trends (latin demographic growth in the US) for explanation. There was a 25,000 person crowd in Chicago that turned out to watch a public broadcast of the US play Germany in a group stage (1st rd) game at the last World Cup; and that's with Police turning fans away in droves. Just 10 years ago, that doesn't remotely happen. The world took notice.

Technology and globalization have greatly influenced the growth of the game here as well. The availability of premier league games, Champions League, UEFA Cup, Euro Cup etc. Additionally, we are far more connected to both each other and the rest of the world. Viral soccer videos are a thing in the US.

People predicted the growth a long time ago (70s/80s), but it failed to occur in a timely fashion, so everyone wrote it off. Slow growth is much harder to notice, but it is also more significant and stable in the long term. The MLS, while not amazing, has a strong core fan base. If they can manage to grow it into a more prominent league internationally (over decades), this core will expand significantly. American are very much front runners in general. If the national team can continue to improve, that'll bring more fans as well. That last one is not a given though.

That's the pros. For college, though, you must ask, if your point is valid, why aren't colleges willing to invest money in coaches and recruiting and advertising? Are they incompetent? Do they believe there will not be a ROI? Are they misogynistic?

If they invest the money, and the returns aren't there, then can they stop investing the money? How long? 5 years? 20 years? At some point of a failure to earn a ROI, then, by definition, the money being "invested" would not really be an investment, but would rather be something that "needs to be carried" in order to have a football program, as you put it - of course you'd probably agree there is value in college athletics beyond profitability, marketability, and audience size.

The crazy thing is that a lot of college football programs are heavily subsidized, not being profitable of their own accord. They exist as a 'marketing arm' of the university. A means to be included in a better conference. etc.

And unlike your average crazy feminist, I think misogyny doesn't have anything to do with it. If there was an established market with potential revenue sitting in wait, no self serving college admin would ignore the opportunity to put money in their pockets, with the added kudos of supporting a womens activity.

I imagine the truth is a mix of many things, with many regional variations. How many schools can run a profitable women's hoop team if all management was done properly? What do you think? 5? 50? I don't know the answer, and there is little useful information out there, particularly given funky accounting that is used by many colleges. I do know that the WBB UConn phenomenon seems to be a black swan event more than a pioneering event - Connecticut demographics, Geno, Lobo, double double championships. It seems unlikely that anything close and sustainable could be created elsewhere. Time will tell.

Year in year out, there's only a handful of profitable programs nation wide. Programs' support often solely comes on the back of Title 9. Which leads me to:

One of the problems is that school administrators, are by their very nature conservative and afraid of change/failure. Why take the risks to promote WCBB if they don't need to? No one is really pressuring them. And the ROI isn't very good no matter which way you look at it.

You also have a cultural situation in the south/midwest that values College FB above all else. Big money boosters and the average fan could care less about basketball in general, never mind a women's sport. Huge headwinds in that current landscape.

In a world with a pie that isn't growing as rapidly as in past decades and with the fight for the pieces ever more intense and with non-sports internet occupying a larger part of the pie every year, I'm just not feeling sanguine that the WBB market can be expanded.

I'd say you can look at this another way. Similar to my soccer example above, I think that in today's world, what with the technology and potential exposure (social media, game availability et al), markets have greater potential for growth than they ever have. But it takes a great leader, with great vision, to make that happen. It might not happen organically.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

?

Canadian Denham Brown scored 111 points in a high school game, prior to playing for UConn 2002-2006. This factoid makes regularly random appearances on The Boneyard as appropriate. Hope this helps.

 

[Alum86]

Canadian Denham Brown scored 111 points in a high school game, prior to playing for UConn 2002-2006. This factoid makes regularly random appearances on The Boneyard as appropriate. Hope this helps.

And cost us the Mason game. Why :ck did he shoot the last shot?

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

And cost us the Mason game. Why :ck did he shoot the last shot?

Some here wanted Crystal Dangerfield instead of Saniya Chong on Friday night. I'd have preferred much more Jeff Adrien in the George Mason game. Who knows?

 

[BUConn10]

I root for, and follow, nearly all UConn teams. I'm concerned that I have already seen the best of times for us, and college sports in general. The uneven distribution of power and money will kill it for all. If any P5 school thinks they'll get anything from me after they have ruined the landscape, they are sadly mistaken. There are 3 P5 schools in NY, New England, and New Jersey, combined. Mississippi has 2. What's wrong with that picture?

Wow, I never actually thought about the fact that the most sparsely populated regions of the country have so much more P5 representation.

But I think that's partly cultural. People in the south will tattoo "Roll Tide" across their foreheads even in a down season, I don't see UConn even selling hoodies, marchandise and gear that's very modern in retail stores within its own state even remotely relative to the program's success and perceived popularity in Connecticut.

Part of that issue will never change, there's simply more options for things to do in the Northeast than down in the sticks of Mississippi.

 

[champs99and04]

It's not like I care hugely, but you're not counting Newton or College Park, when both are less than 10 milesfrom the heart of their respective anchor cities?

I'm speaking technically. Practically, it's true that there's no real difference - it's kind of like the Giants and Jets playing in New Jersey.

I wasn't trying to make any real point except for that it sounded better. Either way you cut it, the p5 is under-represented on the east coast.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I'm speaking technically. Practically, it's true that there's no real difference - it's kind of like the Giants and Jets playing in New Jersey.

I wasn't trying to make any real point except for that it sounded better. Either way you cut it, the p5 is under-represented on the east coast.

Oh definitely underrepresented, though in Northeast fashion, it could be argued that we have better (or at least more) things to do on Saturday afternoons between late summer and, say, Thanksgiving.

 

[the Q]

Ugh, stop with the ref crap. Yes, they sucked, but it's not even reason #6 why UConn lost or Mississippi State won.

They played bad. But they get those 2 right and it's game over.

And neither was even that hard to get right.

 

[the Q]

I feel like Chong got in her own head there as the senior who rode the bench for three years. Her moment finally..etc.

Absolutely insane move to drive with 13 seconds left. Stuff middle schoolers know not to do.

The last 26 seconds summed up 75% of her career (read: her first 3 seasons)

Low bball IQ

Poor shot selection

Abysmal defensive effort

 

[buddy]

The women's hoops market is:

1. Older folks
2. Young families with children, especially daughters
3. Gays

These demographics aren't generally competing with the NBA, NFL, or even men's NCAA for market share. Smart marketing could pay off huge dividend.

So young straight unmarried people without children do not watch women's basketball, but basically every one else does. I know plenty of old folks who watch the NBA, NFL, and men's hoops. I will admit that the numbers are decreasing as they die off. I don't think many gay men watch women's basketball, but lesbians probably do and some straight men. I know old folks who watch UConn women only. I know gays who watch the NFL, NBA, and men's college sports. I also know gays who don't watch sports at all. I know straights who don't watch sports at all. You really need to tune up your demographics.

 

[ivrytontusker]

So young straight unmarried people without children do not watch women's basketball, but basically every one else does. I know plenty of old folks who watch the NBA, NFL, and men's hoops. I will admit that the numbers are decreasing as they die off. I don't think many gay men watch women's basketball, but lesbians probably do and some straight men. I know old folks who watch UConn women only. I know gays who watch the NFL, NBA, and men's college sports. I also know gays who don't watch sports at all. I know straights who don't watch sports at all. You really need to tune up your demographics.

There is a difference between a statistical point about a population and a particular case. The fact that you know people with certain characteristics who watch women's basketball is beside the point. Furthermore, CT is hugely atypical here. Many more people (and sorts of people) watch women's basketball in CT than elsewhere.

Elsewhere, "everyone else" does not watch women's basketball. If everyone watched women's basketball, UConn wouldn't be locked out of a P5 conference. It is and will always be a niche market, like college hockey, baseball, lacrosse, etc.

 

[uconnfan68]

Wow, I never actually thought about the fact that the most sparsely populated regions of the country have so much more P5 representation.

But I think that's partly cultural. People in the south will tattoo "Roll Tide" across their foreheads even in a down season, I don't see UConn even selling hoodies, marchandise and gear that's very modern in retail stores within its own state even remotely relative to the program's success and perceived popularity in Connecticut.

Part of that issue will never change, there's simply more options for things to do in the Northeast than down in the sticks of Mississippi.

Plenty of Pats, Giants, and Jets stuff though. I agree, different cultures, but if you had to pay to watch would you? I'd pay for UConn, but that's it.