WNBA - drama continues
- Thread starter NCHawker
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Chickenlounge
Well-Known Member
Zero chance whatever that thing is in the photo is a human.
SwirlinLingerie
Well-Known Member
I've been enjoying watching Fever games. The league needs new leadership, without a doubt, and I'm not into any of the culture war nonsense taking place off the court.
But I think the quality of play is really good.
I used to watch quite a bit of the NBA, but I actually enjoy regular season games in the WNBA more. 44 regular season games at 40 minutes each is perfect (compared to 82 games at 48 minutes each). Each game means something, and players don't seem to coast until the 4th quarter (when a lot of NBA games actually start).
I'm also not into telling people they should like the WNBA or women's basketball either. I legit enjoy watching it, and even text among my Hawkeye guy friends during games, too. I enjoy the Fever because of Caitlin, but also because I know the roster now and find their high scoring run and gun style fun to watch. But I also like watching them go against teams with other young stars who have come into the league the last few years. It's good, intense competition.
The officiating is another matter...
But I think the quality of play is really good.
I used to watch quite a bit of the NBA, but I actually enjoy regular season games in the WNBA more. 44 regular season games at 40 minutes each is perfect (compared to 82 games at 48 minutes each). Each game means something, and players don't seem to coast until the 4th quarter (when a lot of NBA games actually start).
I'm also not into telling people they should like the WNBA or women's basketball either. I legit enjoy watching it, and even text among my Hawkeye guy friends during games, too. I enjoy the Fever because of Caitlin, but also because I know the roster now and find their high scoring run and gun style fun to watch. But I also like watching them go against teams with other young stars who have come into the league the last few years. It's good, intense competition.
The officiating is another matter...
guffus
Well-Known Member
I have to confess I was one of those people that never ever watched women's basketball until Caitlin Clark went on that magical run in her junior year at Iowa. Ever since then i try to watch every Caitlin Clark game I can, including all her WNBA games. I also have continued to watch Iowa women's basketball and sometimes would still watch a Fever game even if Caitlin is out that game.
But I have to confess, its just not the same for me if Caitlin is not playing. I start to wonder why I am watching this boring inferior form of badketball. I have a feeling that Jan Jensen figured out the same thing. Fans dont like the boring defense heavy ball games. Fans want fast action, high scoring, entertaining ball games. Now I wish the WNBA would figure that out too.
But I have to confess, its just not the same for me if Caitlin is not playing. I start to wonder why I am watching this boring inferior form of badketball. I have a feeling that Jan Jensen figured out the same thing. Fans dont like the boring defense heavy ball games. Fans want fast action, high scoring, entertaining ball games. Now I wish the WNBA would figure that out too.
Westernhawk
Well-Known Member
They fill some big arenas, and most people who watch really like the game itself. I've been to a few games. My wife and I watch together.
I do agree that the drama is absolutely ridiculous and I wish it would stop. I really hate all of the drama and rage baiting.
Fryowa
Administrator
I’ve tried to watch a few games. It’s absolutely, positively, comically terrible basketball. I watch sports on TV to see high skill level regardless of male/female. Like women’s Olympic events as a small example…yes, men would crush women in the same sports under the same conditions. That’s biology. But take for instance women’s downhill skiing—there aren’t any 15 year old boys who would come even close to beating the women at the top.
But basketball, soccer, etc…a middling high school boys team would absolutely decimate the WNBA champs and the women’s national team got beat by a random 14u team. It has nothing to do with the fact that they’re women, I wouldn’t take the time to watch 13 handicap men golfers on TV either. It’s just uninteresting.
WNBA takes it a step further because it’s a literal blooper reel. Five layups missed in a row, passing to the wrong team, 10 airballs a game, doinks off the bottom of the rim, and most of them have 8” verticals. That’s not exciting to me.
Take the rim to 9’, move the 3 point line to 18’, and you might have something exciting I’d watch because it wouldn’t be such a comedy of errors.
I’m gonna get flak for this, but have you ever seen women’s 6 on 6 basketball? It’s great. Fast paced, not clogged up with a bunch of blooper material, and I’d watch the hell out of that.
Women’s wrestling is super exciting to me because it’s one on one with no rules that make it comedic compared to the men’s version. In fact, the women wrestle freestyle in college which is by far the most exciting of the disciplines to watch.
But basketball? No way.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
131 tis. zhlédnutí · 2,3 tis. reakcí | Despite Caitlin Clark, the WNBA will lose $40 million and NBA owners are not happy | OutKick
Despite Caitlin Clark, the WNBA will lose $40 million and NBA owners are not happy
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guffus
Well-Known Member
131 tis. zhlédnutí · 2,3 tis. reakcí | Despite Caitlin Clark, the WNBA will lose $40 million and NBA owners are not happy | OutKick
Despite Caitlin Clark, the WNBA will lose $40 million and NBA owners are not happy
Yet the WNBA is expanding from 12 to 18 teams in just a few short years. The WNBA contract wth the players has quadrupled player's salaries. Caitlin Clark is routinely selling out 18k arenas. WNBA TV viewership is setting record numbers.
I tell you, the math ain't adding up. If they are losing money, why are they now spending all this money?
Seth53
Well-Known Member
Folks have suggested: Legacy low media rights revenue, high operational and travel (charter airline flights) costs relative to ticket sales, and heavy reinvestment into team infrastructure as the league scales up.
guffus
Well-Known Member
Yes, its safe to say the league was being run like a minor league prior to Caitlin Clark's arrival in 2024. . $75k player salaries with $250k max. Commercial flights. Less than 6k arenas. All of sudden they are trying to act like a major league.
2 big upgrades they still need. They need to upgrade the ref's to NBA level referees. The existing refs clearly are not at the level needed. And the WNBA commish needs an upgrade. She does seem to be up to the job.
Gander Hawk
Well-Known Member
Is that the only source you have?131 tis. zhlédnutí · 2,3 tis. reakcí | Despite Caitlin Clark, the WNBA will lose $40 million and NBA owners are not happy | OutKick
Despite Caitlin Clark, the WNBA will lose $40 million and NBA owners are not happy
It's obvious you've watched only a handful of WNBA games.
A more balanced and I think accurate view is that the league --and the players -- are somewhat inconsistent. I watched the first game of the season between the LA Sparks and some other team, and it was an embarrassment that set the game of bball back 50 years. On the other hand, I've seen WNBA teams trade 3-pt buckets with hands in their faces back and forth, back and forth in a thrilling battle of competitive, high-level talent.
I watch a little NBA, and during this last season saw a lot of reckless, terrible, jack up a shot shooting that resembled street courts in Waterloo more than the World's Best League.
Both leagues have outstanding top-level players which stand head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league, and who are elite, skilled players.
And oh, by the way, CClark's 3pt shots are taken further from the hoop than Steph Curry or any other NBA player. You may not, but some people find that exciting.
Not trying to convert you or anything like that, and much of what you say is true, but by characterizing every WNBA game as a 'literal blooper reel' doesn't reflect reality.
Fryowa
Administrator
I get that it's offensive to some people when I criticize the WNBA, but let's be honest...it's a blooper reel. "somewhat inconsistent" is a nice, diplomatic way of characterizing what we all see to be the product. I was actually being nice by not posting the blooper footage. All of which you never see in an NBA game. The NBA might be rough, but it ain't near what the WNBA is.
It's no different than when I say soccer is stupid. Soccer (mens or womens) is harder to watch than WNBA and people get mad about it. I get it.
Let's also be honest here...what's the ratio of blooper reel to battles of competitive, high level talent?
I disagree. It may be high-level vs their peers, but it's not even remotely high level among the sport as a whole. High school kids would annhilate the WNBA champs.
I can call the LLWS high-level talent and it would be true among their peers, but it isn't high level baseball.
Look, I get it. It ruffles people's underoos when I talk about women's basketball. But the WNBA is like IPAs. People pretend to enjoy them because it's trendy and eventually the give themselves an acquired psychological taste for them, even though they taste disgusting and cost 5 times more than something actually enjoyable.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
WNBA to lose ‘US$40m’ in 2024 season, NBA won’t see returns ‘for years’ - SportsPro
NBA investors growing impatient after pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into WNBA, according to New York Post.
www.sportspro.com
Are the WNBA’s 9-Figure Losses What They Seem?
The WNBA claims giving players 27% of revenue would cause enormous losses. The reality is murkier.
frontofficesports.com
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
YES INDEED
It is truly fun to watch
Highly entertaining to me
Hate to give Stephanie credit because of her performance during the past years
But she is doing outstanding work this season
Dearly love basketball and The Fever fill the bill especially this year
Such outstanding team play, this is what basketball is all about
Just a basketball addict's opinion
thedukeofearl
Well-Known Member
Entirely too many hot dogs in the NBA
