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Message: [QUOTE="UConnNick, post: 2060635, member: 1526"] I think this is unfortunately true. The league spent its first several seasons trying to minimize if not totally ignore that the majority of its players were gay. That may have seemed, or actually was necessary to build a more homogenous fanbase of straight and gay fans. It does seem that since the league decided to acknowledge the fact that most players are gay, attendance has been on a downward curve. It peaked during the era when the league was actively downplaying it. Maybe what the league thought would happen has happened regarding fan interest. I don't know if there are parents out there who don't want to encourage their daughters to become fans or take them to games for that reason, although it's certainly likely that there are. You can label those folks as homophobes if you want to, but I can understand why they might not be comfortable with their children emulating a lifestyle that can make life considerably more challenging for their kids. It's not right to jump to that conclusion, but as a parent I understand why it's a valid concern to them. We used to attend quite a few WNBA games and followed the league for its first several seasons, but we gradually lost interest in it, having nothing to do with the league's acknowledgment of its predominantly gay player composition. I personally couldn't care less whether male or female players are straight or gay. I value them based on performance, personality, or some combination of both. Sue Wicks was my favorite WNBA player from that era, and I believe she may have been one of the first players to openly state they were gay. But I get why some folks might have turned away because of it, and I'm not inclined to condemn anybody for exercising their own moral judgment about those things. You can think they're wrong, but they're entitled to their own opinion on that subject. It's not my job to judge what others think and do. I can disagree with it, but they're entitled to believe what they want to. [/QUOTE]

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