Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would be very hesitant to call the eupopean sporting culture open minded as there are many, many examples that could be pointed out where it's anything but open minded
It is however, different ...... the womens basketball leagues are popular (with russia being top notch, although places like turkey are trying to make a name and leagues like china, the czech republic, etc are established) and that is where the WNBA ladies make their living ........... now the high contracts in foreign leagues are often on par with a very low paid NBA player, but they're still a big jump over what you'll get in the WNBA
I think what hurts womens basketball in the US is that it's just not similar enough to what the US audience has grown up on over the past 30 years
For many US consumers we short athletes who play at a slower pace, with less athleticism and less power and flair
Womens basketball tries to bridge that gap by pushing the fundamentals and while probably true, it's not exactly fluid
Our options for basketball are plenty and the sad truth is that womens basketball just isn't compelling ... it's not compelling at the amatuer or professional levels
The gap between the NBA & WNBA also exists in college
People would rather just get their fill elsewhere and there are plenty of options
IMO, in the foreign leagues there is a different basketball culture - one that doesn't look as starkly different than the womans game .... they also don't have the top tier professional and amateur womens leagues .... not to mention the facilities make more sense and the TV arrangement is most likely better
here you have them playing in NBA arenas with the expense that comes with that and a TV contract that is more for exposure than revenue
the league, IMO, is setup not to stand alone and be profitable -but to market basketball to girls who will then take an interest in the NBA
I think the league that started with the WNBA had a better model, even if it was doomed because the NBA is a much stronger backing group
And the 3pt. line is ridiculously close which rewards teams to just play 3ball. This is basically what a lot of the olympic Euro teams do because the FG% at that range is so high that you will beat many teams if you can make 40% of those.
Yes, the 3 point line is way too close. There so many good players in college who can make the transition to the pros because they relied on shooting 3's in college (often open 3's because of zone defense) instead of building a more complete game. I think it has hurt the pro game in the long run too because you have so many college players coming in who only shoot 3's, and have no mid range or post game. I used to like college ball a bit, but can't stand it now, I still watch March Madness but that is about it.
It all went wrong for the WNBA with "We Got Next" and then futily proclaiming the WNBA to be more fundamentally sound because the women don't dunk.
Women shooting sub-40% from the field was a bad check just waiting to be sent to the hot check division.
As for the Euros being more open minded, don't kid yourself, folks. Ask any non-white player how it works on the soccer field when the crowd notices and...you get the idea.
It all went wrong for the WNBA with "We Got Next" and then futily proclaiming the WNBA to be more fundamentally sound because the women don't dunk.
Women shooting sub-40% from the field was a bad check just waiting to be sent to the hot check division.
As for the Euros being more open minded, don't kid yourself, folks. Ask any non-white player how it works on the soccer field when the crowd notices and...you get the idea.
I did see that segment on White hate groups throwing certian objects, noises and insuts at non-white players. That, though, was done by the bottom scum of that society. How do you explain the fact that black womens hoop players are so worshiped in these same countries? Because it attracts a different type of fan that this country lacks. Their arenas are sold out while in the WNBA, with the exception of the Connecticut Sun, franchises appear to be struggling.
When I watch women's B-ball, I pay more attention to the players and less on the game itself.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
