This ridiculous obsession with dunking in WBB

[alexrgct]

OK, I am far more dunking-friendly than many WBB fans. I loved/love watching Dr J, Spud Webb, 'Nique, Air Jordan, Shawn Kemp, Young Kobe, Vince Carter, LeBron James, etc. And I'm not opposed to women dunking if they can. In fact, in these past two games, BG's dunks were the right plays to make; they got the ball to the hoop in the fastest, most direct, undefendable fashion possible. So don't interpret this as anti-BG at all.

Rather, what annoys me to no end is that parties responsible for promoting WBB act as if a woman dunking is the central story of the day if it happens.

Let's be clear: women's basketball is fundamentally a below-the-rim version of the game. A few women have been able to dunk. None of them can dunk like men can. Hell, none of them can dunk like 5'10" Ryan Boatright. So why do the sport's promoters feel the need to underscore an aspect of the game that will NEVER measure up to the men's game? Do they think WBB fans are hungry for dunking? Do they think that one woman dunking is going to bring in fans of the men's game who don't watch WBB because it's a fundamentally below-the-rim game? What exactly do they believe it accomplishes?

I know Breanna Stewart can dunk. I hope that if it is the right play situationally, she'll do it. What I hope doesn't happen is that she feels the need to throw one down on a breakaway play just to say she did it. All that does is legitimize an unfair criticism of WBB, one that, generally speaking, WBB can't do anything about...and shouldn't need to.

 

[DaddyChoc]

OK, I am far more dunking-friendly than many WBB fans. I loved/love watching Dr J, Spud Webb, 'Nique, Air Jordan, Shawn Kemp, Young Kobe, Vince Carter, LeBron James, etc. And I'm not opposed to women dunking if they can. In fact, in these past two games, BG's dunks were the right plays to make; they got the ball to the hoop in the fastest, most direct, undefendable fashion possible. So don't interpret this as anti-BG at all.

Rather, what annoys me to no end is that parties responsible for promoting WBB act as if a woman dunking is the central story of the day if it happens.

Let's be clear: women's basketball is fundamentally a below-the-rim version of the game. A few women have been able to dunk. None of them can dunk like men can. Hell, none of them can dunk like 5'10" Ryan Boatright. So why do the sport's promoters feel the need to underscore an aspect of the game that will NEVER measure up to the men's game? Do they think WBB fans are hungry for dunking? Do they think that one woman dunking is going to bring in fans of the men's game who don't watch WBB because it's a fundamentally below-the-rim game? What exactly do they believe it accomplishes?

I know Breanna Stewart can dunk. I hope that if it is the right play situationally, she'll do it. What I hope doesn't happen is that she feels the need to throw one down on a breakaway play just to say she did it. All that does is legitimize an unfair criticism of WBB, one that, generally speaking, WBB can't do anything about...and shouldn't need to.

possible... any WCBB news is good news. TV is also trying to get viewers (wow when does she play again?)

 

[alexrgct]

That's just it, though. If you want to watch dunks, you can tune into any men's game. Promoting a woman's dunk only underscores that it's the exception proving the rule.

 

[Dairyair]

Sick-any of Brittany...

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Her drunk looked odd. It was like she tried to lift her body up but couldn't. Her legs did a little kick type action.... watch it. it just looked odd.

 

[ThisJustIn]

She's underage. She shouldn't be drunkin'

 

[EricLA]

if you watch the top 10 plays on sportscenter any given night, when it's the NBA season or the MCBB season, at least half of the plays are monster dunks. people go nuts over it. so yeah, Griner's actually the first woman ever to do a normal dunk. not those dribblers that Parker and Leslie pushed over the rim. those were embarrassing. Griner's 1 handed dunk is something WCBB has never seen before. ever.

i get that she's not nearly as athletic as even 5'10" boatright, and i get that the game is played below the rim, but that's precisely why her dunking is such big news. and it's not being done in blowout games during the regular season that mean nothing. she's done 2 now in the NCAA's.

i don't care for it. but no one else can do what she does. i get why it's a big deal.

 

[Icebear]

Alex, I think your OP expressed it perfectly. The problem is simply that the excessive focus on the dunk distracts from where the women's game must be played by necessity. BG's gifts are unique to her physiology and there have been less than two handfuls of women in all of basketball who managed to dunk and BG is essentially the first to use it as a play in flow.

 

[doggydaddy]

I loved Griner's 2nd dunk in the tourney. Off a pass, one dribble and then a forceful flush with 2 hands.

It was the best and most REAL dunk ever in women's basketball and deserved to be noted and highlighted.

I don't get why that gets everyone so nuts about it in a negative way. It was cool to see. I can't wait to see Stewart dunk if she gets the chance.

I don't see how it detracts from the game at all.

 

[huskiemaniac]

I loved Griner's 2nd dunk in the tourney. Off a pass, one dribble and then a forceful flush with 2 hands.

It was the best and most REAL dunk ever in women's basketball and deserved to be noted and highlighted.

I don't get why that gets everyone so nuts about it in a negative way. It was cool to see. I can't wait to see Stewart dunk if she gets the chance.

I don't see how it detracts from the game at all.

I agree DD...she's a unique player who deserves to be celebrated...

 

[Sonny44]

This doesn't speak to women dunking in college which I have no opinion on.

But the fact is that the human body has outgrown the sport. The inventors set the hoop at 10 feet probably to prevent players from dunking, which requires no skill at all and also to limit the advantage of height, which also requires no skill [all you have to do is eat].

Speaking of the men and the pro game I think the every dimension of the court should be increased; not only the height of the basket, but especially the lenght and width of the court, the distance of the foul line, etc. I can't think of anything more boring that watching a pro basketball game. Well ok, watching golf maybe.

Of course that will never happen, because there would have to be a lot more courts. One court doesn't fit all.

The best sports IMO are those that don't present an advantage to physical size [which is a gift not a skill] such as amateur wrestling, handball, biking, and to a lesser extent baseball, tennis and others.

 

[VAUConnFan]

This doesn't speak to women dunking in college which I have no opinion on.

But the fact is that the human body has outgrown the sport. The inventors set the hoop at 10 feet probably to prevent players from dunking, which requires no skill at all and also to limit the advantage of height, which also requires no skill [all you have to do is eat].



The best sports IMO are those that don't present an advantage to physical size [which is a gift not a skill] such as amateur wrestling, handball, biking, and to a lesser extent baseball, tennis and others.

1. There is an incredible amount of skill that goes into dunking, even more so the alley oop dunk. Just because today's athletes make it look so easy does not mean that there is no skill involved.
2. The most inclusive sports are certainly those in which physical size does not respresent a significant advantage, but to discount sports like fottball, basketball, and most others that place a premium on physical size is a tad bit unfair. All of these athletes at every level work very hard to master and excel in their respective endeavors. You are absolutely right hough about baseball and tennis because physical size is definitely an exploited attribute of these sports. Go out on a Little League field and tell me that you will not see bigger kids dominating their smaller brethren. Short tennis players? Are there any still competing at a very high level?

 

[Husky7882]

possible... any WCBB news is good news. TV is also trying to get viewers (wow when does she play again?)

I think Alex hit it right on the nail. Many men basketball fans I know claim that they do not watch "girls" basketball because it looks like they're playing "under water"; to them, the real basketball is what the men play and they simply do not care about so-called "basketball fundamentals", which is precisely why so many of us prefer watching women.

Which brings me to this question, don't you think that the media's efforts to "bring in fans of the men's game who don't watch WBB because it's a fundamentally below-the-rim game" (as Alex says) because " any WCBB news is good news. TV is also trying to get viewers" (as you say) will, eventually, lose many women basketball fans precisely because it is played differently from the men?

That being said, I completely agree with DD's and huskiemaniac's statements that BG needs to be recognized for the most-real dunk ever in women's college basketball. I just hope that WBB doesn't become just that. As far as I'm concerned, there's a market and niche for everything.

 

[alexrgct]

Here's the thing about Griner's dunk against Ga Tech. It was a fine dunk. It was the right play; she had a step on her defender, and dunking rather than collecting herself for a layup was smart. It's one of the better dunks I've seen a woman do. Sylvia Fowles has had some forceful one-handers that liked. But two things:

-you can see the dunk Griner did in any men's game. If I'm a detractor of WBB, I'm seeing the highlights and saying, "why are they wasting my time showing that 6'8" chick doing a dunk I've seen a million times in the men's game? Wake me up when there's an alley-oop or a windmill or a 360. God, WBB is so lame."

-Griner was quoted by Wingo as saying that she wanted to have a two handed dunk in the NCAAs. Why? What's the big deal? We see several three point shots per game. Those are worth more than a dunk, last I checked. In terms of grace and athleticism, Maya's swooping layups impress me more, even of they're below the rim.

Dunking doesn't move the game forward because not enough women can do it. The fact that a 6'8" woman can is a) not especially surprising, and b) is more likely to be an opportunity for MBB-only fans to say something offensive about Griner than it is to get them interested in the women's game. Most fans of WBB are at peace with the fact that WBB is played under the rim, or they wouldn't be fans. It's all just very bizarre to me.

 

[doggydaddy]

This doesn't speak to women dunking in college which I have no opinion on.

But the fact is that the human body has outgrown the sport. The inventors set the hoop at 10 feet probably to prevent players from dunking, which requires no skill at all and also to limit the advantage of height, which also requires no skill [all you have to do is eat].

Speaking of the men and the pro game I think the every dimension of the court should be increased; not only the height of the basket, but especially the lenght and width of the court, the distance of the foul line, etc. I can't think of anything more boring that watching a pro basketball game. Well ok, watching golf maybe.

Of course that will never happen, because there would have to be a lot more courts. One court doesn't fit all.

The best sports IMO are those that don't present an advantage to physical size [which is a gift not a skill] such as amateur wrestling, handball, biking, and to a lesser extent baseball, tennis and others.

I don't believe the stats are that different than 30 years ago. Shooting percentage are not up that much. Scoring is not either. It's a different game, but no changes to court is necessary.

 

[Sonny44]

1. There is an incredible amount of skill that goes into dunking, even more so the alley oop dunk. Just because today's athletes make it look so easy does not mean that there is no skill involved.
2. The most inclusive sports are certainly those in which physical size does not respresent a significant advantage, but to discount sports like fottball, basketball, and most others that place a premium on physical size is a tad bit unfair. All of these athletes at every level work very hard to master and excel in their respective endeavors. You are absolutely right hough about baseball and tennis because physical size is definitely an exploited attribute of these sports. Go out on a Little League field and tell me that you will not see bigger kids dominating their smaller brethren. Short tennis players? Are there any still competing at a very high level?

I disagree on dunking.
Anyway I don't mean to discount any sport; my boys wrestled and played football.
Agree on Little League; maybe they should consider size instead of only age like Pop Warner FB.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I loved Griner's 2nd dunk in the tourney. Off a pass, one dribble and then a forceful flush with 2 hands.

It was the best and most REAL dunk ever in women's basketball and deserved to be noted and highlighted.

I don't get why that gets everyone so nuts about it in a negative way. It was cool to see. I can't wait to see Stewart dunk if she gets the chance.

I don't see how it detracts from the game at all.

thank you DD...



as long as she can do it... do it! I rather watch BG dunk than blown lay-ups.

I love it, thanks BG!

BTW... its no big deal but we got a nice lil thread going on about it

 

[ctfjr]

uhmmm - its still two points isn't it? When she starts hitting threes let me know.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I truly wonder how many of you who dont like the DUNK actually played the game... seriously!

The dunk is the DREAM SHOT of any basketball player. Its awesome that it could be done with true force in a 2012 Sweet 16 game on the womens side. Thank You BG!

 

[doggydaddy]

uhmmm - its still two points isn't it? When she starts hitting threes let me know.

It's not about the points. It's the uniqueness of the play. I don't get the dissing of the dunk.

 

[doggydaddy]

I truly wonder how many of you who dont like the DUNK actually played the game... seriously!

The dunk is the DREAM SHOT of any basketball player. Its awesome that it could be done with true force in a 2012 Sweet 16 game on the womens side. Thank You BG!

From someone that can only jump and touch the net, I love a dunk.

 

[DaddyChoc]

uhmmm - its still two points isn't it? When she starts hitting threes let me know.

so is that 15ft footer that we beg Dolson to make... whats your point?

 

[DaddyChoc]

From someone that can only jump and touch the net, I love a dunk.

haha exactly... we begged for them to lower the rim at the YMCA.

 

[Fishy]

The only thing sillier than the over-the-top coverage whenever a women's player dunks is the backlash over it.

There's been, what, all of two dunks in the NCAA tournament? It's going to get coverage and ESPN loves to go overboard. It's what they do - watch the highlights from an LA Clippers game some time. There's three replays of a Blake Griffin dunk and maybe a fleeting glimpse of the rest of the game. Their NASCAR highlights are every crash, plus two seconds of the winner crossing the finish line. That's SportsCenter.

On the dunks, I actually thought the first one was better. Drop-step to a dunk in traffic - nice.

The second one was fine, but looked silly. She dunked and then tried to rattle the rim and pull herself up - that was the intent. The reality was that she just sorta did a spastic wiggle reminiscent of a hooked carp being hauled out of the water.

 

[DaddyChoc]

BG bka The Big Wiggle