WNBA Observations

Since the Indiana Fever happen to be in the WNBA Finals this year, I caught the first two games of the series against Minnesota.

From the standpoint of pure basketball, I'm fairly impressed with the generally good display of fundamentals in the WNBA.  Almost no women can dunk a basketball, so the members of the NBA's ladies league have to rely on basketball skills and teamwork to succeed.  Indiana and Minnesota both display very good passing, ball handling, shooting, and defense.

But the WNBA still has limited appeal.  I admit if it weren't for the appeal of the home team, I wouldn't be watching.  Good thing I'm not in public office or running for one, because the truth I'm about to express here is decidedly politically incorrect.

That truth is that there's just not much in the WNBA product beyond pure basketball to draw the interest of sports fans.

Sorry, but how compelling can it be to watch a 6'5", 250lb woman play basketball?  Granted, there are a few attractive ladies in the WNBA.  But very few.

Then there's the current story of the Minnesota all-star player who's an activist against the gay marriage ban on the ballot in that state this fall.  Sure, NBA players like Steve Nash are also advocating for the gay marriage issue, but as far as I know Nash isn't planning to marry Ron Artest (or is is Metta World Peace?).  The Lynx player is planning to marry her girlfriend, and seems a bit over-the-top in her advocacy on the subject.

The Fever coach, Lin Dunn, was abruptly terminated from Purdue a few years back, even though that Purdue team was one of the elite college women's teams in the country.  Reasons weren't provided in the official news releases, but the whispers from folks connected with Purdue were that Dunn was either engaging in sexual relationships with her players or may have been making unwelcome advances toward certain players (or maybe other students).  Rumors can be destructive, but I can't help it if they contribute to a larger perception.

The gay rights crowd might scream over my pointing out such things, but there's no denying that these stories are not helpful to efforts being made to market the WNBA to a larger audience.  They seem to be developing the same image the LPGA would like to quash.

Hopefully Indiana will be able to get their injured players back on the court and get two more wins for their first championship.  I'll be happy for them, especially Tamika Catchings, who seems to be a great person for the community who probably deserves at least one championship before her playing days end.